In the future, you will be able to surf the Internet, hands-free, by using your voice, according to the third annual "IBM Next Five in Five" - a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. The list predicts that new technology will change how people create, build and interact with information and e-commerce websites – using speech instead of text.

“Going” to the web, say the authors of the list, will change dramatically in the next five years:

"In the future, you will be able to surf the Internet, hands-free, by using your voice – therefore eliminating the need for visuals or keypads. We know this can happen because the technology is available, but we also know it can happen because it must.

In places like India, where the spoken word is more prominent than the written word in education, government and culture, “talking” to the Web is leapfrogging all other interfaces, and the mobile phone is outpacing the PC. In the future, through the use of “VoiceSites,” people without access to a personal computer and Internet, or who are unable to read or write, will be able to take advantage of all the benefits and conveniences the Web has to offer."

The Next Five in Five is based on market and societal trends expected to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from IBM’s Labs around the world that can make these innovations possible.