Video portal Blinkx identifies language in its videos. Then advertisers (brands that still want to 'shout' ) can buy words or categories comparable to the Google AdSense program (mb, Dutch). Now Blinkx identifies language, in the future it will also recognize objects in videos. If we then see a handy tool, a special pair of jeans or fancy sun glasses, we can react to those immediately. Also through (our) spoken language. Every brand that supplies us with (interactive) video material will know exactly what there is to hear or to see, and can help us handling our next questions. Then it is not about advertising any more (giving suggestions when the consumer didn't ask for them), but about answering the consumers' questions. This is a small step in that direction.

At Udoo consumers can now design their own avatar, and show it on their mobile phone. Avatars are like the voice mail of the 21st century: they are electronic versions of ourselves. Like the tape on the answering machine, or the Out-Of-Office message in our mail program. We can let these smart avatars handle contacts with other people in our name. In the end they become so real, that for other people it feels like they have had real contact with you. Now they still look as characters, in the future they will really look like people. And the fun part is: we see a mirror image of ourselves in the avatar, only just a little fancier, a little smarter, a little more fun. When we communicate with this 'mirror', our avatar learns our way of speaking, our gestures, and our facial expressions. And our avatar this way can better and better represent us in the virtual world. This is a small step in that direction.

Online community MySpace now has its own (beta) version of Messenger (Instant Messaging). Earlier MySpace had a web version, and it looks like they keep developing this (dc, Dutch). This way social coaching brands evolve. Social coaching brands facilitate mutual contact between people, irrespective of through what display. They recognize you instantly, know in what dialogues you are involved with which friends, know who are your good friends and who are not. And they bring the contact to a higher level. It starts with facilitating contact in different ways. First a synchronized through pages, then through Messenger. And in the end we will also have live text, audio calling, and video connections through social coaching brands. This is a small step in that direction.

YouTube is going to internationalize. Local sites for Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands will be created. In a first phase every local site will be translated and given a local start page and search function. Afterwards every site will be given a 'local' user experience that makes it possible to have, amongst others, country-specific rankings and commentaries. Brands are entering an (automated) dialogue. To start with by speaking the consumer's language, then by taking over the consumer's specific idiom and later even their accent in pronunciation. With that brands will become a full conversational partner. This is a small step in that direction.

The new Dutch TV-quiz Stop de tijd ("Stop the time") brings emigrated Dutch people back to the Netherlands in the fifties, sixties and seventies. In this nostalgic quiz from broadcasters MAX and Wereldomroep Dutch emigrants who have left the country more than 25 years ago play against each other (via bm, Dutch). In the future, people will stay connected forever. They link to each other already at a very young age, and will be able to find one another for the rest of their lives, just with the click of the mouse. To relive past memories, or to get together again. At the moment people are using the possibilities to find old friends again through MySpace, LinkedIn or Messenger. Once found, they will stay in our friends lists forever. And we relive memories, never recorded like we do nowadays, by talking about them together. And TV has always been an important topic. This TV-program and this site contribute to that. This way the nostalgic human
is made happy.

Videosharing site YouTube is going to localize its services. There will be local sites in Brasil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In the first phase, the YouTube site will be translated locally, and have a local starting page and search engine. After that, every site will get a 'local' user experience function, which among others will make it possible to make more country-specific lists and comments (dc, Dutch). Brands start (computerized) dialogues. First by speaking the consumer's language, then by taking over the specific use of words of the individual and later even the specific pronunciation. Doing this, brands become 'people' we like to talk to. This is a small step in that direction.

Philips has presented a 3D display for which no gaudy glasses are needed. It is the invention of Philips' business unit 3D solutions. The displays are made for the shop floor. (eg). Now for the shop floor, later for our homes. Every display meant to give us an (interactive or not) impressive experience, will sooner or later really be 3D. If we turn our heads, we will really see a different image. If we blow, we see a reaction. If we scare a monster in a movie, he will withdraw into the display. And if we look around the corner, something is hidden there. It will be like a real window that shows us the world. Without the (limiting) glass. This is a small step in that direction.

Related trends

• More 3D

The fast growing Danish furniture chain BoConcept has consumers design their own furniture, and place it in the virtual version of their own home (through Dana Connor at DMN, Dutch). Here home coaching brands find their origin. Now the consumer still has to provide all the measurements, later home coaching brands will have those available for us, anywhere we are. Now we still have to draw our existing furniture ourselves, later these will also be available already. And the same for the lighting plan. Now we still do this through TV screens, later through every possible display, even in the shop. Now consumers have to design their furniture themselves, later they will be able to ask a designer from Canada, Taiwan, or India. This is a small step in that direction.

Visitors at Underwaterworld Singapore can now follow sharks and other fish through a specific device. The fish all had an RFID microchip implanted. When a fish swims within detectable range, the computer automatically shows all kinds of information about this fish (ab, Dutch). We put screens over the physical world. Now over animals through chips, later over everything. Anything we point at will be recognized automatically, even without RFID. Sharks for example can be identified by the form of their fins. Now through a specific device, later our mobile phone will even be able to do that. Now RFID, later also image and sound: we will be able to recognize everything. It all goes step by step and this is a nice step in that direction.

Worldwide internet pay service Paypal will send all its users worldwide a box to make internet payments more secure (em, Dutch). This is a dead end. THE biggest problem of the internet at the moment (actually from the beginning) is identification. Not just for payments but for anything we do: how to communicate with friends (Is this e-mail safe? Not sure? Then we first take out all multi-media, for security purposes), how to communicate with brands (securing your account), and how to make payments. These are just examples. Will we get a separate box from every company, for every site? Shelves full of boxes, instead of an endless list of passwords? I hope not. And I don't think it will happen.

Google now has a hidden function with which the user can search for people's faces. By typing "&imgtype=face" behind the URL of the search results, Google will only show you faces. Who is looking for Johan Cruijff then doesn't get the Johan Cruijff cup, soccer fields, books, cars and other Johan Cruijff related things, but only faces. In the results you will also get faces of other people, but this is a good filter again (dc, Dutch).

This way we get better answers to the questions we ask. In the near future our question "I'm looking for a picture of Johan Cruijff" will be analyzed to: Johan Cruijff -> personal name. Picture of personal name -> picture of face. After that face recognition will be applied (Google bought face recognition specialist Riya back in 2005). For well-known people a database like Wikipedia will be consulted. For unknown people all pictures will be compared to each other, and the most likely person will be shown. After that, social coaching brands will search for names we know. There will probably be thousands of men named Jan Jansen, tens of thousands named John Smith, and maybe hundreds of thousands named Li Wang (in China there are only 100 surnames). An individual person however probably only knows one or two of them at the most. Social coaching brands will know exactly who we want to see, and will find the right pictures of these people right away. Google has laid the foundation to make this possible.

Microsoft is going to provice language technology Q-go in several European countries. The solution of this Dutch software company will be added to Microsoft Sharepoint Server 2007, which is used by companies internally. Through the Q-go technology users can ask questions in natural language instead of searching through keywords (ic, Dutch). We get better and better in listening to consumers. Q-go takes the lead by understanding all kinds of language constructions, including common spelling errors and synonyms. This is great, as people don't want to search: they want answers to their questions. When Microsoft starts making this technology available for brands worldwide, that will enable brands to listen a little bit better again. This is a small step in that direction.

The new European video portal Babelgum has the ambition to make all content for consumers available. Meaning all content made by consumers themselves. The money is (still) to be made through advertisements (mf, Dutch). This way a new home entertainment coaching brand comes into being: a brand that entertains us on a TV night. A brand that knows how to deliver top-content specifically in our interest. A brand we will be willing to pay for. This is a start.

European scientist have discovered how micro robots can influence the behavior of cockroaches. The tiny robot smells and acts just like a roach, fooling the real insects into accepting it as one of their own. Through its behaviour, the robot can persuade a group of cockroaches to venture out into the light despite their normal preference for the dark, for example. (ns). We keep developing artificial intelligence. The researchers behind the robot believe it could be used to catch cockroaches and that bots designed to mimic other animals could one day work on farms controlling flocks of sheep and chickens by similar means. Dogs will come after that, and humans too. Around 2050 the earth will be inhabited by robots who look so much like people that we will not realize they are not real people (and then again, what is real?). These robots will be the most important representatives of brands. They are the physical variant of the brand agent. Those variants that can literally lend you a hand. Great for elderly people, for example. This is a small step in that direction.

With CendrisLocator, a plug in for Internet Explorer, every zip code gets a new dimension on every web page. If you click on the right side of your mouse, you can directly start the CendrisLocator. Then a Google Map shows up, which shows the zip code area including the typical consumer behavior in this area, the relation between rental and owner-occupied properties, and the spending behavior (ab, Dutch). We reconstruct the physical world, including buildings, means of transport, and people, in the virtual world. A world which will be available everywhere. This is a small step in that direction.

OpenID, a method to log into several websites at the same time using only one identity and one password, is now really taking off. Over the last couple of months big companies like Microsoft, AOL and Yahoo have supported the OpenID-standard. Dutch news brand Ekudos now also supports it (dc). People don't go over the web anonymously any more. We choose what we want: we go under our own name, or under a pseudonym (depending on the situation). But have we been at a place once, we will be recognized the next time we visit. And the receiving brand can react to that fact. Even if the brand doesn't know your name yet. It will be the same as it used to be when going to the bakery: they only ask your name after you have been there a couple of times. This is a small step in that direction.