Texting, YM or mIRC, Friendster, Blogging, Wi-fi... I�m pretty sure you�re familiar with at least one of these, if not all...

The terms mentioned above are just some of the things associated with the Technological innovations that the Filipinos have learned to make use of since the advent of the new Computer Technology.

In the previous years, we Filipinos saw great changes in the field of Communications, with or without wires. Back then, who would even think that the Philippines would be acclaimed as the Texting Capital of the World? It is said that more than two million messages sent each day from well over millions of mobile phone users in the country. 'Text' is the way the short message service (SMS) function of cell phones, is referred to. Now, we�re even dubbed as one of the �wired�, (not weird) ones in Asia. This refers to the Internet connection by Asian countries through dial-up or broadband access.

According to the Asia Lifestyles study by the Far Eastern Economic Review in 2004, the Philippines is a technology-mad community, along with Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, and Australia. Furthermore, it also cited the Filipinos and Indonesians as the most gadget addicts. The Filipinos are among the most enthusiastic when it comes to the latest communication gadgets and services. It is also in the previous years that Filipinos became truly engaged in technological innovations like SMS or texting, and Internet related activities like sending e-mails, blogging, chatting, online gaming and networking like friendster and myspace.

For the year 2005, further utilization and growth of mobile technologies can be expected. As more and more people give importance to communication, the Filipino people could be more tech-savvy, gadget-addict, and wirelessly connected to one another. These days, the Filipino culture is clearly expressed in their day to day communication with family and friends. Internet cafes and Cell phone shops are everywhere, as ubiquitous as the sight of people busy texting or making phone calls, or using the Internet for chatting; networking like friendster and myspace, or free SMS via Chikka. Moreover, People are flocking to the various computer and mobile phone shops staring at the newest and coolest gadgets in the market; downloading the latest ringtones, screensavers, picture messages, and games; and joining TV games and contests via SMS.

According to Kar Wai Wong and Bernard Yu, chief solution architect and chief executive, respectively, of local IT firm Infoman, �Companies will be more security-conscious, as more servers are connected to the Internet (for remote access). Most will invest in firewalls, virtual private network appliances and anti-virus products. Web-deployed applications, both packaged and custom-developed, will start to support the Firefox browser. Furthermore, Linux will move beyond Web, e-mail and file servers into application and database servers, especially in Asian countries like the Philippines. Majority of companies and government agencies will accept Linux as a viable alternative to Windows and Unix. Though the use of network attached storage and storage attached networks are on the rise, the local enterprise storage market will still experience moderate growth in 2005.� (Oliva, Villafania, 2005).

Furthermore, the IDC or International Data Corp. (IDC) Philippines expects that the next big developments in the telecommunications industry will revolve around the next wave of innovations using text messaging as well as regulatory and competitive dynamics in voice-over-IP and 3G technologies. Philippines Senior Analyst Jubert Daniel Alberto said that it also expects the online gaming business and animation services to be more defined in the Philippine market. In the meantime, the call center industry will start evolving into total business process outsource providers while independent software vendors re-outline their channel structures to maximize sales.

The Philippines is expected to give more attention to Information technology. Thus, There would be more and more Internet service providers in the country, providing lower cost of Internet connections as more households try to get Internet access; institutions, and businesses will be focused on investing in newer Web-based applications of the for their customers, employees, and investors. Business will continue to avail of information technology services to generate additional revenue and jobs for the Filipinos.

With this period of rapid communication technology development, people become part of the global village, where easier and faster communication is achieved. One of the greatest communication technology conceived is the Internet. Through the World Wide Web, people can communicate in a variety of ways like email messaging, chat, etc. Being a technological trend, the use of Internet among the students has simply become impossible to ignore. It has become learning and research tool, a communication gadget, and even a source of entertainment.

The year of the Rooster will be an interesting year for everyone, since no one of us knows what will really happen in the succeeding days, weeks, or months. What we should do is to fulfill the duty of every Filipino: to make the most out of himself and be a part of the nation�s move for progress.

REFERENCES:

• Far Eastern Economic Review Website
• Philippine Daily Inquirer
• Philippine Star
• Forbes Website