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Predictions are always perilous in the PC industry, but one thing's certain: Technology buying decisions won't become any easier in 2003. New gizmos--and old standbys with new shapes, sizes, and functions--will improve your communications, make your workload seem lighter, and maybe even make your life a little more enjoyable.

Five-megapixel digital cameras will fit in your pocket for the first time. Wireless networking will get easier and faster--and more confusing--as a bevy of new 802.11 standards arrive. And AMD's Clawhammer processor, the company's first entirely new processor core in three years, promises an exciting beginning to the year.

But cheaper/better/faster isn't the only story for 2003. Web sites will continue to institute subscription fees, and debate will persist over who should pay to recycle used PC parts. Digital video will make its way into your home and onto your handheld, as television-recording PCs try to occupy your living room, and PDAs get better at multimedia. Systems built around Microsoft's new Windows XP Tablet Edition will have people scribbling on computer screens in corporate hallways and meeting rooms. Yet another new optical storage technology is looming. And a new version of Microsoft's Office suite is on the horizon, though it won't work with Windows operating systems older than XP or 2000. Some things never change.

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