"Thanks to the work going on in labs today, pundits predict that soon you'll have scrolling headlines on your pen, news reflected against the inside of your sunglasses and coming out of your keychain. Maybe one day we'll each have a "brainbone" that delivers sights, smells and sounds to accompany the story you're reading....

The biggest change is that the information you get over your laptop, Palm or pen probably won't be free. And if it is free to peek at, you probably won't be able to copy and paste it, print it, look at it a second time, or store it on your hard drive in any way -- unless you pay for the privilege.

A relatively new markup language called XrML is being tweaked by Xerox, Microsoft and others to protect copyrighted materials in the digital domain. At Xerox, researchers are developing a digital rights manager software suite that will let people use XrML to protect everything from songs to written stories....

Any cellular hardware company with more than one employee seems to be working on "concept phones" -- handsets that feature full color video screens and other wonders, and very often don't look like phones at all. These all-in-one devices will deliver content that looks more like a live TV show than a still newspaper or ticker....

According to Nokia's Web site, '3G is being on a train and watching clips from your favorite soap; 3G is being out and sending images back to headquarters; 3G is using your phone to take holiday pictures to instantly send to friends at home; 3G is using your phone for a videoconference in a taxi.'

By next year, industry players like Nokia and Ericsson predict, three times as many people will be surfing the net with smart mobile phones than with PCs, and mobile phones will be more like hybrids between computers and handsets. Some manufacturers, including eggheads at Qualcomm, are expecting 3G devices to be built into clothes and everyday items -- such as make-up cases, pens, gloves and key chains -- within a decade....

Once all this stuff gets set up, you'll be able to watch events live as they unfold, from the privacy of your sunglasses. That's good news for content developers looking for new paying customers. Nokia already has announced one content agreement: Web site Eurosport.com will deliver Formula One racing and soccer headlines -- complete with color images and audio clips -- directly to subscribers' phones....

Xerox Corp. spin-off Gyricon Media and MIT spin-off E Ink Corp have been developing electronic 'paper' technology over the last decade. Researchers hope the paper will be ready for prime time by 2005.

Gyricon's SmartPaper -- actually two layers of thin plastic with a layer of beads in between -- can be rolled and folded and put into a pocket. It will use less energy than Palm or computers because it needs no backlighting in its display -- only the same natural, reflective light you use to see books or paintings....

Researchers hope the paper will eventually use smaller beads and have a higher resolution. They hope the convenience of SmartPaper -- it will eventually be able to download your daily paper via satellite, taking care of that pesky recycling problem -- will convince newspapers and their readers to adopt their new technology." [Online Journalism Review]

This article is very similar to my own Information Shifting presentation, except that I talk about how these same technologies will affect libraries. I'm fascinated by how the challenges that libraries face are so similar to those facing newspapers. As you read this article, think about how each of the items would affect libraries, because they will. Profoundly.

I'm very enthusiastic about moving towards these types of gadgets and services, but I don't believe paper will be going away any time soon, and I certainly don't believe that "three times as many people will be surfing the net with smart mobile phones than with PCs" by next year. Maybe in 3-5 years, with early adopters picking up the service beginning late this year.

However, this is good, as it will give us time to start adapting to the brave new world of wireless, and to fight for our rights to circulate digital content. Of course, that means we have to start being more proactive now. We didn't have this kind of lead time on the CDs or the internet, so we need to make the most of the next year.