What will happen in the software world in 2014? We have analyzed the latest news and trends in order to provide you with a series of predictions for next year.

1. The
Messaging Wars
Here comes
the anti-WhatsApp
In 2014, the rest of the applications will
consolidate their user base, but some, like
Skype, will stagnate or transform themselves
radically. We expect strong growth in Hangouts
-pushed by Android, Helpouts and Glass as well as Viber. What about BlackBerry
Messenger? After an initial spike, it was left
with just a small share of the market,
while it waits for the new BlackBerry
BB10 devices.
The
convergence
of systems
In 2014 we’ll see the rise of a powerful
opponent to WhatsApp. It’s based on
images rather than text, and it’ll have more
developed security, including an ingenious
system of messages that self-destruct,
Snapchat style. Like WhatsApp, the
new app will be free for a while,
then there’ll be a small payment
request.
Seen already with Ubuntu OS, is a taster
of what lies ahead: a few systems for a
wide range of devices. 2014 will see the
narrowing of the gap between Chrome OS
and Android, which, in its version 5.0 will
allow you to run Chrome apps. To do
the opposite - run Android apps on
Chrome OS - will only be possible
on Chromebooks like the
new Pixel.
This new
application won’t be
promoted through aggressive
advertising campaigns, like LINE or
WeChat - it will rely on its message
going viral, thanks (at the start) to
youngsters through an invitationonly system. It’ll be inspired by the
phenomena of Snapchat, Ketchup
and Bang With Friends. The app’s
handiness for flirting will
be a major reason for its
popularity.
While some augmented reality applications
will scan everyday objects for printing in
3D - printing objects will be another big thing
in 2014 - others will recognize faces and
add them to your agenda, or even identify
food to record your caloric intake. The
technology for object recognition
apps already exist..
8
Don’t forget one of the most important
issues: health. In our view, 2014 will be a
year in which applications to monitor and
protect our health will improve in quality,
especially thanks to specialized hardware.
So, not only will we know our heart rate, but
also our level of stress and endurance,
and doctors may start to use the apps
for medical diagnosis.
DE
OG
AME
S
MES
SAG
E
A
link between
two worlds
Healthy
new software
OPER
ATI
NG
L
ICIA C
ARTIFLIGEN
INTEL
Like all good butlers, your phone will
start to drive for you - in some prototypes
from Ford and Toyota - as well as transmit
useful data. “That’s science fiction!”, we hear
you cry. But there are apps that talk to your
car, like Fuse, which would herald a radical
change in the way we use our vehicles.
And then there’s Google with its
automatic driving experiments.
Can you imagine letting Google
Maps drive for you?
Java 8
and new
online threats
The final nail in the coffin to traditional
security will come with the release of
Java 8, which promises to solve many of the
problems that have caused security crises
in recent years. A zero tolerance policy
from browsers about vulnerabilities
and third-party plugins, means
that new threats will come from
an unexpected route:
HTML5.
Windows 9 will be a system that’ll connect
Windows Phone and Windows RT in
a single product. Their union will mean
that we can use the same applications
in Surface tablets as we do on Lumia
phones. When? In late 2014 we’ll have
our hands on a beta of Windows
9, if not the final version...
For free.
PS4
and Xbox get
Steamed
S
TEM
SYS
Apps
for driving
NG
I
Windows 9,
free for Lumia
and Surface
SECURITY
VI
And what about
the public’s response?
We reckon that Windows 9
will have one of the best starts
in the history of Windows, in part
thanks to the scheduled death of
Windows XP and the push on the
Windows Phone. An upgrade from
Windows 8.1 to version 8.11 or
8.2 will accompany the release of
Windows 9 to align the desktop
to the mobile versions.
Nintendo
goes mobile
Nintendo can’t continue to ignore mobile
any longer. In 2014 it will announce its
first titles for mobiles and tablets.
And it’ll be pretty crazy: we’ll see Animal
Crossing and Brain Age on Android and iOS.
At the same time, Nintendo will launch
social games for Facebook, and new
competitors from the Japanese firm
will be King, Rovio and Zynga.
Goodbye
to antivirus
Without Nintendo as a direct adversary,
PS4 and Xbox One will face a new
competitor, Steam, which, with Steam OS
in its arsenal, is spoiling for a fight. The
response from Sony and Microsoft? Games
via streaming, that is, playing console
titles from your phone, tablet or
computer. How? Sony has Gaikai
and Microsoft has its own
technology.
Second
screens and
augmented reality
Next year will see the biggest change
in the history of the antivirus. Less useful
than before, many will disappear or
merge. Others will start to convert to
browser plugins or cloud-only solutions. The
emphasis will be on web security and
threat detection on social networks. The
new avast! 2014 already demonstrates
many of these new features.
The
end of classic
passwords
The NSA scandal will ensure that 2014 is a
year in which the protection of private data
is more relevant than ever. The mobile OSs
will battle to be the most secure, and web
applications will enhance their security
with strong encryption and alternative
authentication systems, such as the
fingerprints on iOS 7, courtesy of
Touch ID
On mobile we’re always seeing how
the auxiliary apps for games become
commonplace: each major release is
accompanied by extra apps, but they rarely
stand out from the others on the market.
The most spectacular are those that
make use of augmented reality (for
example, to superimpose game
content on everyday life).