Economic forecaster Deloitte is not limited to projecting GNPs and inflation and unemployment rates, but has also forayed into technology predictions.

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One such forecast made by Deloitte analyst Duncan Stewart, who compiles Deloitte Canada's yearly list of tech trends, is that the phablet would be a best seller in 2014. It would outsell tablets and gaming consoles in the global market.

A phablet has a screen or display measuring between 5 and 7 inches. Anything smaller is a regular mobile phone, and if large, is considered a tablet.

Explaining the popularity of oversized smartphones that are in between the regular mobile phone and the tablet, Mr Stewart said, quoted by CTV News, "People are either talking less and willing to buy bigger phones, or they buy bigger phone and start talking less."

He said that while smartphone users normally don't watch a lot of videos or play higher-end games on their devices because of the smaller screen, these habits change once they switch to a phablet.

"All of a sudden the video experience is transformed, the gaming experience is transformed," he added.

For 2014, he forecast 300 million phablets would be sold globally at an average price of $415. Thus, total sales would reach $125 billion. Mr Steward said Canadians would snap up 10 to 15 per cent of these phablets, including the more popular models such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

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In contrast, Deloitte Canada projects global tablets sales would reach $100 billion and gaming consoles $10 billion next year.

One demographic market attracted by the phablets, which could also be used to make calls, are older people who appreciate its large screen size which helps them read better text messages and Web pages. The small screen of regular smartphones is one reason why only 40 per cent of seniors are into smartphones.

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Besides tablets, 3News said that tablets will likewise be popular Yuletide gifts for the yearend Christmas holiday, with models from tech giants Apple and Samsung dominating sales.

However, these two warring giants also face stiff competition from other tech firms that offer cheaper options such as those from Amazon which have tag prizes half of Apple's iPad or even less than an iPad's cover.

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