Pervasive computing is going to be one of the top 12 areas for innovation over the next 20 years, according to a report by Social Technologies.

"Almost every device or object in consumers' lives will be both smart and networked, giving rise to an 'Internet of things'," the research and consulting firm predicts.

What is pervasive computing? The term describes a convergence of connected and imbedded computing devices.

Social Technologies says the trend will drive the convergence of computing, Internet access, voice communications, and television—ultimately blurring categories of infotech products and services. Such specific breakthroughs include the use of very simple and inexpensive computing devices with integrated wireless telephone and Internet capabilities. The $100 computer developed by an aid organisation for poorer countries is one such example.

Another is the growth of a "semantic Web", data on the internet that automatically self-organises, allowing search tools or software agents to identify its relevance.

Among the other 12 areas the firm sees as innovative areas is the rise of nanotechnologies for innovative materials and fibers.

Other breakthrough areas include personalised medicine, for example, the development of pharmaceuticals to treat gene-based diseases. The rise of distributed energy sources such as advanced electricity storage devices and batteries is another.

People will also use personal biomarkers for health, such as individualised and self-administered diagnostics, the firm predicts.

Bio-energy from plants is already a developing and growing industry that will become even more important in the future, while micro-flexible manufacturing and processes, such as advanced computer-aided design and control will help bring to the market new products.

Universal access to water is an optimistic prediction, though Social Technologies quite rightly says the development of desalination methods using ultra-fine filters could be the answer to a global problem.

Climate change will also drive developments in carbon containment. Technologies such as generically modified crops will continue to drive the move to engineered agriculture. Other developments include crops designed specifically for energy content and conversion.

Ambient surveillance, one that sends shivers up the backbones of privacy rights activists, will be driven by developments as radio frequency identification.

Finally intelligent transport systems will transform the way we move, the firm predicts.

The average price per month of broadband subscription in the world's 30 richest countries is $49, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The average subscription price for broadband was $53.06 in the US but just $31.18 in Finland, $32.22 in Germany and $33.34 in the UK. Meanwhile the average advertised broadband download speed in the US was 8.86 megabits per second, with the OECD average at 13.7Mbit/s. Seen another way the average price per Mbit/s of connectivity in the US is at $2.83, compared to 13 cents in Japan, 33 cents in France is, and 35 cents in Sweden.

The OECD broadband pricing gives all the prices using purchasing power parities (PPP), a means of comparing the cost by factoring in value for money on a given basket of goods.

So how does that average price stack up for Bermudians, given that providers on the island have to pay far higher costs in a much smaller market than their OECD counterparts? Last month the Computer Society of Bermuda (CSB) reported a fall in the internet prices on the Island. Falling prices are important in encouraging entrepreneurship on the internet.

The CSB released its first "2 Meg Effect" internet report on September 11 this year. Since that time some ISPs have dropped their price for 512k, 1 Mbit, 1.5 Mbit and 2Mbit services.

The 2Mbit service still costs $99.95 a month, while 1.5Mbit per second service is now $95.95, 1Mbit is $89.95, 512k is $85.95, and 256k is $69.95, and 128k $29.95, the CSB reports in an update published in October.

Given that the average advertised broadband download speed in the US is 8.86 Mbits per second, and the average cost per month was about $53, you can see Bermuda has a long way to catch up in terms of making the speed factor affordable for everyone. Given the small size of the market, that may never happen.

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