Talk to the web

We rely on text and pictures to find our way around the virtual sphere - but in India, where speech takes precedence over the written word in education, government and culture, using vocal commands to navigate the internet is surging ahead of other ways of browsing. In future we, too, could use our voices to find and search for information, according to IBM's Next Five in Five, which lists innovations likely to change the way we work over the next five years. People who cannot read will be able to access “voice sites”, websites that “speak” back. Mobile phones are also taking over from PCs as the preferred means of accessing the net. Britain, which has been slow in its take-up of mobile internet, could well follow suit.

Forget about forgetting

When was that meeting? Which folder did I put that e-mail in? Failing to recall simple details will become a thing of the past, according to IBM. Gadgets known as “smart appliances” will store details of our everyday lives - the conversations we have and the activities we take part in - all recorded by cameras and microphones. Then this data will be stored, analysed and provided at the appropriate time and place, prompting us to remember certain conversations, or suggest things, such as what to buy when passing a supermarket, for example. Even television sets and remote controls could store information digitally.

Harness the Sun

Solar panels are usually thought of as conspicuous, glassy rooftop affairs. But in the next five years pavements, walls and windows could start to generate energy as well, thanks to thin-film solar cells that are 100 times thinner than conventional silicon-wafer cells and can be printed on to many more surfaces: mobile phones, laptops, cars and even clothing. Now all we need is some sunshine.

Digital shopping assistants

If those brutally blunt shopping veterans Trinny and Susannah send you into a nervous sweat, don't worry. Fitting rooms will soon contain digital shopping assistants - touchscreen kiosks that are voice-activated and can be used to select items that will complement an outfit, or look for different sizes or colours. Human assistants are notified and sent to pick up the items and bring them to us. Shoppers will also be able to take photographs of themselves and e-mail or text them to friends for their opinions.

Gaze into the health future

Genetic profiling is not new but in the next five years it will fall into the realm of the more easily affordable, according to IBM. For less than $200 (£135), those brave enough to hear the truth will be able to find which diseases and conditions that they are most susceptible to, based on their DNA. Doctors can use the information to recommemd treatments and lifestyle changes, while pharmaceuticals companies will be able to engineer medication that is targeted to individual patients.

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