What a year we've had. From a presidential election controversy to a recession to September 11th and the Anthrax scare, 2001 was anything but dull. For many, it was just a very stressful year. For a sad few, it was a devastating year as family members and loved ones were lost forever.

And now we're looking forward to 2002. It is our fervent and nearly universal hope that 2002 will be a better, brighter, bolder, and more bountiful year than we've seen in the last twelve months.

Sometimes it's hard to believe, but in between all the chaos and all the headlines, life and technology moved on. In fact, quite a lot went on in the handheld arena in the past year, and I'll discuss some of that in upcoming paragraphs.

Last year at this time, in http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200101/ppeditorial0101001.html, I wrote my predictions for 2001. Fortunately, I limited my opinions to predictions within the world of the Palm OS, because I never could have predicted the rest of 2001!

Predictions from January 2001
It's always a fun exercise to go back over old predictions and see just how accurate my crystal ball was last year. Here we go.

1. Form factor
My 2001 prediction: While most new devices are sure to fit the same general form factor (and, especially, the 160 by 160 pixel screen), I predict there will be at least one radical departure from this form factor in 2001. I predict we'll see a manufacturer (and it'll probably be a Palm OS licensee, rather than Palm, Inc.) introduce a much smaller device (like a watch-sized item) or a much larger one (perhaps even something more tablet in nature). Alternatively, we can expect a device of just a completely new, unexpected shape (and yes, I am covering all bases with this prediction).

While we didn't see a much larger or smaller device, we did see some departures from the standard Palm OS device of prior years. Devices like the Sony CLIE and the HandEra 330 upped screen resolution considerably. Devices like the Samsung SPH-I300, the upcoming Handspring Treo, and the Kyocera Smartphone have integrated phones into the Palm OS handheld. Additionally, the keyboard-equipped Treo marks the first departure from the Graffiti entry area on a Palm OS device.

For 2002, I stand by my prediction of a radical departure. I still believe we'll see a size change, especially when people start getting used to the higher-resolution screens.

2. Bluetooth
My 2001 prediction: Bluetooth is the near-area wireless networking technology that's all the rage (and still not deployed). While I think Bluetooth is interesting, consumers won't--at least not in 2001. It'll be too expensive, and the first uses of Bluetooth will be of the, "Why the heck did they think that was interesting?" nature.