10 technologies to watch in 1998

The Gartner Group's Business Technology Journal today named ten emerging technologies to watch in 1998.

Not all of those ten technologies, however, will prove to be very interesting to observe, according to the report, at least in the short term.

Biometrics and electronic cash, for instance, are not ripe for fulfilling their promise, says the report, and push technology, smart cards, and network computers are still awaiting a catalyst to boost them into widespread acceptance.

Three technologies that have achieved general acceptance, according to the journal, are speech recognition, desktop videoconferencing, and personal digital assistants. The remaining two technologies, database mining and document imaging, the journal expects to achieve widespread acceptance within the next two years.

Gartner Group identified four stages that emerging technologies typically follow: hype, disillusionment, enlightenment, and productivity. While hype may inflate a given technology's actual potential, the report says, "specific industries can benefit from adopting technologies at the height of market enthusiasm."