Tech next: Prognosticators envision an easy life through advanced electronics

First in a two-part series looking at the future of technology.

So, there you'll be, out on your deck, kicking back while downloading music onto your cell phone so you can display your karaoke talent later, watching your personal video recorder as it plays "Die Hard" for the umpteenth time and checking your favorite stock quotes on your PDA.

Seem a million years away to you — you who can't figure out how to store numbers on your cell phone, still have a VCR flashing "12:00" and can't get AOL to stay connected more than 10 minutes as your hefty rear becomes one with the clunky office chair wheeled up to the computer workstation?

Yes, you.

Get accustomed to thinking about the easy life. A group of experts gathered at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas predict several developments over the next two or three years will give tech-savvy consumers plenty to enjoy.

"It's great to talk about all the technology and the convergence of devices, but what it really comes down to is the scenario what people want and the scenario that people need in a device," said Steve Guggenheimer, director of customer and partner experience for Microsoft Corp. in the United Kingdom.

His near-term prediction: "Lots of smart, connected devices with personalized services you want that seamlessly make content available. The information you want, and truly the buffers to make it all work together."

David Coursey, executive producer of ZDNet Anchor Desk and host of ZDNet Radio and Broadband, said several products on the market or on the verge of being so represent icons of four oncoming technologies that will develop over the next three to five years.

One is what he called "mighty multimedia handhelds," whether they be PDAs or cell phones, that come with multimedia capabilities. Another is displays. "They're going to get thinner; they're getting less expensive," he said of the fancy screens. Another is home entertainment networking "where the CE (consumer electronics) devices talk to one another and we make good on the promise of a digital media hub."

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BORDER="1"> FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2">Additional information: FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2"> April 14: Part 2: Wireless world