As we down the last dregs of 2015 - and finish off the dried-up canapés of the last 12 months - it's time to take a long breath of fresh 2016, and start looking forward to the bright dawn of next year. And wow - what a year it looks set to be.
Put it this way: if your tech ambitions don't extend further than the iPhone 6S, think again. From the VR headsets of our childhood dreams, to doorbells that'll let you know whether the courier bozo really tried to deliver your package, a lot of tomorrow's tech is stuff that looked faraway and futuristic until pretty recently. But now - as you'll see - we're about to immerse ourselves neck-deep into the stuff...
1. VR: it's going to blow your brain right up
Are you one of those early adopters bored of Oculus Rift already? Then you're going to hate 2016 - the year everyone goes VR crazy. It's the year we'll finally see not only the Rift headset released (we swear it was announced the day we started school), but also the PS4-compatible PlayStation VR headset and HTC Vive, the Valve alternative. And while it could still turn out to be a Google Glass-like gimmick that's not really ready for the bright lights of the shelf at PC World, we're going to be all over it.
It'll be great for gamers, that's for sure. But it will also whisk you away from your mildew-walled studio flat if you can't afford a mansion just yet. What's more, VR is there for film fans too - finally offering a real cinematic experience without having to put up with some 15-year-old scrote in front of you checking their nova-bright phone every 45 seconds. About time.
2. DRONES: doing more, and being reviled for it
Drones have a serious case of multiple personality disorder. On one hand, they're the modern equivalent of a remote control car: good, old-fashioned, child-endangering fun. However, depending on who you talk to, they're also either creepy government spy units or the next invasion of giant corporations into our lives (and airspace).
Next year, there'll be loads more drones. Including GoPro's own effort for even more stunning action sport video capture.
The big eye-opener, however, is that Amazon is going to start using drones for super-fast deliveries. Why you'd need something from the internet giant within 30 minutes unless you made a serious anniversary error is beyond us. But Amazon Prime Air is getting ready to take off, anyway.
3. IRIS RECOGNITION: Watching it, watching you
Want to know what's going to be the next fad in mobile phones? Unfortunately, it's not 8K screens, the return of flip phones or - sadly - decent battery life. Instead, we'll see a bunch more phones jumping on the Iris Recognition bandwagon.
Something Microsoft has already had a crack at with the Lumia 950, it's a bit smarter than just using the front camera to check you have two eyes and a nose. Microsoft's system uses an IR light and an infrared camera to check you out. Why IR? Well, it shows up your eyes' detail way better than 'normal light', and means the scanner can work really well in the dark.
More than the eye-tracking gimmick of past Samsung phones that let you scroll down a page by moving your eyes (occasionally, when it worked, anyway), this will make your phones more secure against unwanted gazers.
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4. IOT: Millions of micro devices in your house
You'd be forgiven for thinking the whole 'IoT' (Internet of Things) revolution sounds a bit like marketing nonsense - a massive rethinking of your home tech that has been on the horizon for what seems like years. But it's quietly going to become reality next year. Honestly.
Need a new doorbell? Buy one for £4 more that will let your phone know when the courier arrives when you're not in. Miss your dog? Get a special camera that lets you talk to the little thing from the office and see how he's doing. Feeling hungry? Message your fridge to ask it what ingredients you have left - and what you can cook with them (answers: "Beans"; "Microwaved beans").
We'll forget for now that this is probably how SkyNet takes over the world in 2017. But in 2016, at least IoT is going to turn from rubbish your friend sent you a link to on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, to real stuff you find on the high street. Early adopter season is coming to an end.
5. HDR TV: finally set to arrive, as 4K digs in deeper
Just about up to speed with what 4K is about, now you no longer have to spend thousands to get an ultra-high resolution TV? Well, strap in because things are about to get complicated once again. The next "oh crap I need to upgrade my TV again" tech is HDR.
This stands for high dynamic range. It works a bit like the HDR mode in your phone (you have one, trust us) and it's out to bring more detail out of the shadows. Only a few TVs can handle this so far, but you can expect it to blow up in 2016. The difficulty is that a TV really needs to have great blacks and ultra-bright whites to be able to do justice to HDR content. Otherwise, it just ends up looking washed-out.
Amazingly, you won't be scrabbling around for years waiting for HDR-friendly content to catch up with the hardware. Amazon Prime is already firing out some HDR stuff. Sure, you'll need to own a TV worth thousands to really do justice to it. But, hey, when OLEDs cost £400, we'll be laughing.
6. SIRI: time to get a bit more 'SkyNet'
Not scared of smart doorbells and light fixtures quietly taking over your house? How about Siri covertly becoming your all-knowing PA? It won't be too long until she's telling you not to eat that cake you're certainly thinking about eating, and that you are absolutely not going out drinking again this week – yes, dear.
Ok, so maybe we won't get that far in 2016. The word on the internet's streets, however, is that Apple is testing new abilities that'll let Siri answer your phone for you.
"Sorry, Dave can't come to the phone right now, he is currently at… Covent Garden public toilets." Ok, that isn't exactly what we'd choose for a voicemail message. But it's certainly an interesting new area for digital assistant to reach their grabby little hands into.
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7. 3D SCREENS: the pressure-sensitive phones
Apple shook up the tech sector in 2015 with 3D/Force touch. The pressure-sensitive tech uses special sensors to determine how hard you're pressing, say, your phone's screen or your laptop's trackpad. In 2016, it's going to be everywhere.
This tech is a bit odd: explain how it works in real life and it doesn't sound very interesting. But we can't understate just how much this is going to change how we interact with our phones and other gadgets. When you consider that half our phone taps might be replaced by simply pressing a bit harder on the screen, you start to see how this is going to be pretty important.
The tech has been around for years, but Apple has refined it and looks set to be the one to bring it to the masses. Not just on smartphones and smartwatches, either. Any tech you stick your fingers on will be getting more touch-savvy.
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