2010 was a big year for telecom, especially for companies such as Verizon, Apple, Android and Motorola releasing smartphone and tablets. What will 2011 bring? We look into some possibilities in different areas of telecommunications.

Smartphones

It’s anticipated that in 2011 half the cell phone users in the country will be on smartphones.  With this being said, expect to see big things happening on the smartphone scene.

With massive sales, Droid has been dominating the smartphone market, a market once dominated by the iPhone.  Too step up to the Droid competition Apple will need to expand, will this include branching out to Verizon networks?  Insiders are confident that rumors of iPhone heading to Verizon are in fact true and Apple will create a CDMA version of iPhone for the first half of 2011.

Motorola Droid Pro will launch in the first quarter of 2011.  The Pro is meant to compete with the Blackberry and features a front-facing QWERTY keyboard, 1GHz processor, a 3.1 inch screen and a 5MP camera.  Droid Pro will be running off of Android 2.2 technology.

For consumers new to smartphone market, Motorola’s Flipside is an entry level, easy to use, affordable phone the will launch in the first part of 2011. Flipside, which will feature a 3.1 inch touch screen, a slide out keyboard, GPS, Flash Support, Wi-Fi and will run off of Android 2.2.

Tablets

Tablets, which are a cross between a smartphone and a personal computer exploded on the scene in April 2010 with Apple’s unveiling of the I-Pad.  Since then HP, Dell, LG, Samsung, Toshiba, Gateway and many other companies have jumped on board.  Wireless providers Sprint and T-Mobile USA who did not offer tablets this year will step into the tablet industry in 2011, neither company commenting on who they would be carrying.

Samsung is working on a new tablet, named Gloria.  The new tablet would feature a larger screen than Samsung’s current tablet, Galaxy and would also feature a slide out keyboard.  Gloria would be running on a windows 7 platform.  Expect Gloria in the first half of 2011.

Motorola will market MotoPad, a tablet running off of Android 3.0 technology.

Broadband

PON (Passive Optical Network), which has been running at a speed of 2.5G bps (bits per second) is set to increase to 10G bps, making it 8 times faster than most networks, according to Verizon Communications.

While Verizon and Sprint are currently battling out for 4G supremacy, expect to see AT&T to enter in the field next year.

Computers

2011 will feature greener, faster and better performing computing. Expect to see more LED monitor displays from HP, NEC and Gateway/Acer.  LED not only creates a slimmer display but it also is energy efficient as well.

Intel will introduce its new chip, Sandy Bridges.  On a consumer level the chip is great for gamers, for businesses Sandy Bridges offers a longer battery life and higher performance than any other product available today.

Google is looking to launch the Chrome Notebook.  The 12 inch, 3.8 pound notebook will feature Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity.  The notebook, which will be made by Acer and Samsung is slated to debut in the first half of 2011 and is currently in testing phase.  If you would like to be apart of testing you can apply here before December 21st.

Sony will release a new Vaio with a 1080p resolution and a“3D button” in the spring.  Sony also plans to reformat some of its PS3 games to fit to this technology.

Is the Apple/Verizon deal a myth and if not will Apple regain dominance of the smartphone market? How will the addition of AT&T and Verizon impact Sprint’s sales with the entrance into the 4G market?  Will tablets overshadow desktops and PC’s? 2011 is looking to be an interesting year in telecommunications.