Not a big surprise I guess but Gartner added Cloud Computing as one of the 27 Technologies in the 2008 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies. You have to be a paid up subscriber of course to get the detail but there is a brief comment on this in their press release. You can also hear Jackie Fenn discuss Gartner's Hype Cycles for 2008 with their research VP, in a podcast.

Cloud computing — As companies seek to consume their IT services in the most cost-effective way, interest is growing in drawing a broad range of services (for example, computational power, storage and business applications) from the "cloud," rather than from on-premises equipment. Many types of technology providers are aligning themselves with this trend, with the result that confusion and hype will continue for at least another year before distinct submarkets and market leaders emerge.

 

Nice to see Twitter in their too under microblogging whilst Web 2.0 is now entering the “Trough of Disillusionment”

Microblogging— Pioneered by Twitter (although other services such as FriendFeed or Plurk are also available), microblogging is a relatively new addition to the world of social networking, in which contributors post a stream of very short messages (fewer than 140 characters) providing information about their current activity or thoughts, which can then be subscribed to by others. The phenomenon has caught on among certain online communities, and leading-edge companies are investigating its role in enhancing other social media and channels.

 

Of course you could glean most of this by following Techmeme every day :)

Anyway, two hot areas for me and Cloud Computing in particular is going to be the phrase of the next 12 months that you will become sick of. Apologies in advance.