Glow in the dark wallpaper, 3-D TV and the long-awaited iTablet from Apple are some of the digital delights we can expect this year. Nigel Burton looks back on a vintage 2009 and predicts the must-have gizmos for this year.

THE Noughties will be remembered as the decade of shared experiences.

We had gadgets that made it possible to share home movies, software that gave access to millions of music tracks and social networking that enabled us to share our lives.

Not everyone was happy. Some thought Google’s Street View, with its millions of photos, and Latitude, a service for revealing your location to friends, was taking the concept of sharing too far.

Google couldn’t put a foot wrong last year.

Its on-line software posed a serious threat to the word processors and spreadsheets that have swelled Microsoft’s coffers for nearly two decades and its stripped down web browser offered an interesting alternative to Internet Explorer and Firefox.

And this year could be the one when Google really moves beyond the browser if its forthcoming iPhone rival – the Nexus One released this week – succeeds where so many others have failed.

Already dubbed a superphone by fans, the Nexus One is the most powerful handset to date. It runs a 1 GHz processor that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a PC desktop ten years ago. Other goodies are likely to include a five megapixel camera, video capability and plenty of storage for your music.

Microsoft had a good year in 2009. It recovered from a grim couple of years thanks to the success of Windows 7, the new operating system that replaced Vista. This year expect the venerable XP operating system to be quietly pensioned off.

Microsoft, too, will be taking a tilt at the iPhone’s sales supremacy, but having failed to make Windows Mobile a success so far, its chances look slim.

So what other digital developments can dedicated gadget fans look forward to in 2010?

Apple’s iTablet: Although it doesn’t officially exist yet (and may undergo a last-minute name change to iSlate or iGuide), Apple’s iTablet was the worst kept secret of 2009.

Rumours that the device – a super mix of netbook, ebook reader and iPhone – will be unveiled later this month sent Apple’s share price soaring before Christmas, so it had better be good.

Of course, it will be. No one does hardware better than Apple.

According to rumours the iTablet is the bigger brother to the iPhone, offering a large high resolution colour display but retaining the iPhone’s innovative touch screen and portability.

As well as running iPhone and its own full screen software, the iTablet will be an ebook reader, making last year’s readers with their low-res black-and-white screens about as desirable as a well-thumbed paperback.

Apple has already signed deals with several US publishers to download newspapers and magazines to its device.

Expect long queues when it goes on sale in the US this spring and shortages come Christmas when the lucky few will be able to get one in Europe.

MyKey: Dads who reluctantly give up their car keys for teenage drivers will be interested in Ford’s new MyKey technology.

It uses a transponder in the fob to limit the engine’s top speed. Concerned parents can also programme the key to sound alerts if the driver forgets to wear a seatbelt and even limit the loudness of the stereo.

Project Natal: Never heard of Project Natal?

Don’t worry, by Christmas it will be at the top of many a teenager’s wish list.

Microsoft’s response to the Nintendo Wii’s motion sensitive controllers, Project Natal has garnered rave reviews from gamers who have used its sophisticated motion tracking software (developed from an Israeli missile guidance system, apparently) that uses your entire body as a controller.

Meanwhile, the Wii will make way for a more powerful Wii 2, although games stores (and Nintendo) will be hoping they can get one more Christmas out of the original (and still very profitable) little white box.

The home theatre phone: If you are just getting your head around the idea of listening to MP3s on your handset, then the next big thing in mobile technology will blow you away.

Motorola has developed a phone that can double up as a cine projector capable of displaying a movie on a big screen.

Headphones will deliver surround sound, making the handset a true pocket cinema.

Of course, there are problems – movies downloaded to phones use high compression for a smaller file so blowing them up to the size of a wall isn’t a good idea if you want to avoid digital “noise” and headphone surround sound isn’t as good as the real thing.

3-D television: Still haven’t bought a high definition telly yet? You may just want to hold off for a couple of years because the crop of 2009 may soon be rendered obsolete.

Sony and Samsung are rushing to produce 120Hz TVs capable of displaying images in full 3-D. You still need a pair of funny glasses, but the picture quality has to be seen to be believed.

James Cameron’s smash hit sci-fi movie Avatar could be just the Blue-Ray disc to drive the home-grown 3-D revolution.

IPTV: Even if 3-D TV is a couple of years away, one development we will see this year is the widespread availability of IPTV – TV sets that incorporate web browsers and media centre software.

Soon you will be able to Tweet, update your Facebook page and watch YouTube from the comfort of the sofa without a PC.

Solar-powered wallpaper: You can forget about that box of low-powered lightbulbs nPower sent you, this wallpaper draws current from the sun and lights up a room.

When it’s dark you can switch to traditional electricity.

A sensor bumps up the brightness if things get a bit dim.

Probably not the best idea for a bathroom.