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.

The newest TomTom navigation systems can be operated through speech. Users can say the names of millions of cities and streets, and then drive to their destination (in most West-European countries for a start). Besides, text messages can be opened using speech as well. For example: "Do you want to hear this message?" If you say yes, TomTom will read it to you. With this option TomTom has the world premier in the navigation industry (tt). Brands start spoken dialogues with us. Now we start a dialogue with TomTom through TomTom's display, in the future we will also talk to other brands through the same display. And we will have dialogues with TomTom and other brands through the PC, then through the mobile phone, TV, and all other possible displays. The brands will have themselves represented by a visual brand agent who visualizes the dialogue. I wonder what Tom will look like in 'real' life...

HP has introduced life-size displays on which several people can work at the same time. The media-evolution continues... Now life-size in 2D, in the future in 3D. If we then walk past a display, we get a different image. And other people, wherever they are in reality, can see you work in this 3D space. This will be our new 'office' environment, and at home we will put these screens on the walls as well. This way we are able to enter virtual worlds, 3D worlds, brand worlds from anywhere we are. And in those worlds we will meet the brand agents, the artificial representatives of the brand. This is a small step in that direction.

Related trends

• Brand worlds
• More 3D

TomTom as a world premier makes it possible for motorists to improve their maps through its TomTom Map Share™ technology. All users of this system can change maps themselves, and at the same time take advantage of the changes made by others. This way they always have the most accurate maps (tt). People share their experiences with others, real time. Now for road maps, later for nice restaurants or new shops. We won't just see what people thought about it, but also what our friends thought about it. Coaching brands will assist us and will find solutions for the problems which then arise: a new shop that attracts so many people on its opening day, that it is too crowded to normally serve people. TomTom takes a step forward again in developing itself as a mobility coaching brand.

Related trends

• Coaching brands

Many clips of video-sharing site YouTube are not watched on the YouTube site, but on other websites, like here at erwinvanlun.com. YouTube now automatically adds recommendations for other related clips to these. If you move your mouse over the clips, a carousel of clips automatically appears. YouTube this way develops itself further as a home entertainment coaching brand. Now through related clips, later through related clips within our personal interest, background and related to the moment. After that also through interactive experiences. It is like taking a friend to a boutique: you like something you see, and your friend has some more suggestions based on what you just said. Because there is always more... This is a small step in that direction.

Customers of Dutch Internet Service Provider Het Net from now on don't have to commit to a year's subscription any more (dc, Dutch). A typical sign of the development of the network economy. Brands don't buy loyalty through contracts any more (contracts don't lead to emotional loyalty anyway). It is easy to switch between transaction brands. Their service is monitored by coaching brands worldwide and so their quality (value for money) has to be perfect. Het Net with this choice shows it is developing to be a high quality transaction brand. This is a step in that direction.

Related trends

• Coaching brands
• Network economy

If you park your car illegally in Dubai, officials will send your parking fine to your mobile phone through MMS (via mc, Dutch). National governments, 'brands' connected to a region, a strong brand culture and with that solidarity and loyalty, start real-time control of the rules made by the inhabitants. We will be followed everywhere, our behavior will be analyzed on the spot and be corrected immediately if we do something that the majority of the inhabitants don't want us to do. That is how we will keep our countries safe in the future, so we can move comfortably and freely. Just a very subtle difference with a Big Brother which you can't influence. So if you get out of your car at a spot you are not allowed to park at, you will be informed directly, fully automatically. This is a step in that direction.