This beats regular phones.
The next phase will probably involve virtual reality. Each of
the parties will be represented by an "avatar", a 3-D figurine
generated by the application (or the user's likeness mapped
into the software and superimposed on the the avatar). These
figurines will be multi-dimensional: they will possess their
own communication patterns, special habits, history,
preferences - in short: their own "personality".
Thus, they will be able to maintain an "identity" and a
consistent pattern of communication which they will develop
over time.
Such a figure could host a site, accept, welcome and guide
visitors, all the time bearing their preferences in its
electronic "mind". It could narrate the news, like "Ananova"
does. Visiting sites in the future is bound to be a much more
pleasant affair.
4. E-cash
In 1996, the four corporate giants (Visa, MasterCard, Netscape
and Microsoft) agreed on a standard for effecting secure
payments through the Internet: SET. Internet commerce is
supposed to mushroom by a factor of 50 to 25 billion USD.
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