Pre-New Year projections are nothing new in the tech world. As we get set to welcome in 2011, however, it's becoming increasingly clear that the year ahead will offer more than its fair share of geek-infused excitement.

2010 was the year when Apple's iPad finally broke the industry's 15-year tablet computer hex, 3D television came to the big box store, and WikiLeaks underscored just how vulnerable we've become to relatively simple security threats. The new year promises to build on the past 12 months with a wave of better tablets, better security offerings, and an ever-accelerating stream of increasingly interconnected devices and services.

Pull out your crystal ball as we look ahead at the following trends: