I was reading another article about new hardware and it struck me that 2006 is turning into a milestone year for computer hardware. I cannot remember a time with so many big hardware changes.

This year we will see the release of three "next gen" gaming platforms from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. The Playstation3 in particular going to be a be groundbreaking as it introduces both a radical new hardware design, the cell processor, and a new DVD format, blue-ray. Sony is taking huge risks but time will tell if it will lead to huge rewards.

On a personal note, this year I got a 20" widescreen monitor for my PC and it is amazing. Once I started using it, I couldn't believe that I didnt get one sooner. Seriously. 1680x1050 is better than two monitors but you have to try it to believe it.

Memory is also changing this year. The new batch of Intel processors is going to introduce FB-DIMM memory, which is super high-speed memory that uses a serial (rather than parallel) interface. This transition to a serial memory interface parallels the previous system bus transition from PCI to PCI-xpress.

Another new memory twist is the announcement of M-RAM or magnetic RAM that is usable for consumer devices. The military has used magnetic memories on aircraft carriers and such for years because it is impervious to the EM spike from nuclear weapons. The problem is, well, the memory was the size and speed of an aircraft carrier. M-RAM is going to change all that and bring this cool technology to the masses.

Speaking of Intel, this year also marks the transition of every personal computer to the Intel platform. Apple is about to announce their complete transition from PowerPC hardware to Intel architecture which is the end of an era and the beginning of a new era. Running Windows on a nifty new Apple laptop? Amazing.

Another hardware change this year is the switch to dual-video cards. If you are a hard-core gamer, you need an SLI or Crossfire motherboard and $1000 worth of video cards. Mom, can I have a bigger allowance?!

For a while, 2006 was also going to see the arrival of the next generation of Windows and Office from Microsoft. Sadly, that has been pushed back into 2007 but we are certainly talking about it in 2006 and a number of us are experimenting with the software already.

All that and it's only July...