Atomic Live Forum - what a night!

A beautiful fusion of Atomicans wanting to know the future, the industry's greatest wanting to predict it, and Atomic bringing it all together.

With a mighty pledge to uphold – providing a vision of computing into the year 2010, and beyond – the Panel of Experts stepped willingly into the Atomic breech.

Craig, Logan and the Atomic Angels

Almost 200 Atomicans settled into their seats, having been warmed by the remarkably gauche humour of MC Craig Simms’ opening presentation.

Atomic had assembled the cream of the IT crop, the top guys in their fields, to share with you their company’s visions for the future of computing, and oh boy did they deliver.

"Please take your seats, we're about to begin"

First to the podium was Microsoft’s Norbert Haehnel. Norbert imagined a future where a fusion of GPS, digital imaging and 3D mapping of the earth – such as Virtual Earth – creates an accurate and up-to-date virtual landscape. Cameras with built-in GPS and wireless would upload images shot outside to a server which would compile them in real–time into a hyper-detailed and always ‘live’ digital Earth.

Norbert visions-up a Microsoft digital world

This digital Earth would be created and contributed to by the community, and would dynamically represent areas of greatest interest and activity.

Norbert even weathered a couple of questions from the Atomic audience with flair and style, before giving away an Xbox 360.

Next up, Simon King from Samsung showed the evolution of LCD technology. We saw the enormous growth in LCD adoption, and Samsung’s remarkably huge manufacturing plants being constructed to keep pace.

Samsung's Simon shares his vision of future-screens.

Simon gave us a nice rundown on future technologies – notably OLED, which Samsung is working hard to perfect. The two remaining obstacles to be overcome are primarily reducing the cost of manufacturing, so when you do buy and OLED it will be reasonably priced, and the big problem of screen life, which just can’t cut it next to LCD and plasma. Simon showed us that Samsung are confident that in the (hopefully) near future, this exciting screen technology could be an excellent alternative to LCD.

Everyone got special gifts from Atomic and the presenters