281w ago - A number of technologies have exploded throughout 2007 from Facebook and the iPhone to the Nintendo Wii.

But what will be making the headlines over the next 12 months?

Here the BBC News website gives its predictions for five technologies that could become big in 2008.

THE WEB TO GO

One of the biggest drawbacks of web applications is that they can only be used when there is an internet connection.

Although mobile working is becoming increasingly common, ubiquitous connectivity is still a long way off.

But there are tools that are beginning to blur the online and offline worlds.

Over the last 12 months a number of technologies that could have a significant impact on the way people use the web.

Search giant Google announced its Gears application whilst Adobe launched Air and Microsoft released Silverlight.

All the technologies have the ability to take rich web content and make some of it available offline.

For example Adobe has shown off an Ebay desktop application built using Air that would allow users to do much of the legwork required in setting up auctions offline.

The next time the user connects to the internet the listing would be posted to the website.

Silverlight offers...