ABCNEWS las 10 tecnolog

Wii

With the introduction of Wii, currently the leading game console on the market, Nintendo changed the idea of gaming overall, according to Evans and Blum. The game console has motion-sensitive controllers, meaning if you’re playing tennis and you want to take a swing you swing your controller in the air. The controller vibrates to simulate the racket-ball contact. "The Wii has created this 120-foot world where we stand away from the interface and interact," Blum told ABCNews. "The reach of this is not even fully understood. You’re beginning to change the ways a narrative works."
(Issei Kato/Reuters)

iPhone

"This thing defies cell phone gravity," Blum said of the smart phone made by Apple, which has since its June release sold more than 1 million units. "It used to be the most expensive cell phone someone could sell cost $325," Blum said. "The iPhone," which initially sold for about $600, "has come and blown these expectations apart." Due to the phone’s success — Blum expects Apple will sell 3 million a year — other cell phone makers have entered the smart phone fray. In the future, we’ll be seeing more and more smart phones.
(Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

The New Space Race: Private Tourism

Despite NASA’s bad press with the International Space Station, its successes with the Mars rovers have not been lost on private corporations. The result? Increasing privately funded space tourism. "You can absolutely expect that this time next year that space [tourism] is not going to be the ‘Star Trek’ that it once was," Blum said. "You will see a space tourism story in Conde Nast Traveler."
(Virgin Galactic via Getty Images)

Public vs. Private Technology

Recently, technologies have been created specifically for the developing world, such as the Life Straw, which filters water, or the $100 laptop from the Laptop for Every Child Program. However, these programs that are often government subsidized are getting competition from private ventures. A Taiwanese company recently released a $200, good-quality laptop. "An interesting dynamic [is developing between] devices built by the private sector and devices built by the public sector to get technology out," Blum said. "Our perceptions of technological correctness are going to be challenged by the world. What people do with these tools is going to be greater and worse than we imagine."
(Clemens Bilan, AFP/Getty Images)

Vizio Goes Mass Market

LCD Plasma TV maker Vizio went from no-name to market leader in the space of a year and has now set the standard for LCD TVs; a 42-inch TV can easily be found for about $800. "The LCD plasma race is over. … The great casualty here is Sony. They completely misplaced their dominant marketing position," Blum said. Now Visio is one of the most important brands in the country.
(www.amazon.com)

HD Movies — on Your Computer

Consumers can rest easy as the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs debate rages on. They can get their high-definition fix on their computers. Cinema Now, an alternative to iTunes, now sells movies in high-definition that you can watch on your PC. Cinema Now is just an example, according to Blum, of what consumers can get from the Internet. "The real thing is that people are going to get quality content from the Internet," Blum said. "You will rent a high-definition movie online because at the end of the day it gets you around the standards war."
(PhotoDisc)

Mobile Cell Phone Payments

The newest way to pay your bills? From your cell phone. Mobile cell phone payments can be described as Paypal for your mobile phone. Google is getting into the business next year with G-Pay, while several startups are already making it happen."This is what Paypal was to credit cards," Blum said.
(PhotoDisc)

Google Apps

Google Apps is a suite of word processing and data base software (a la Microsoft Office) that is stored online. Essentially, it is a free package of word processing, calendars and spreadsheets. According to Blum, despite the drawbacks, such as needing to be connected to the Internet to use the programs, Google Apps will change the way we think about Office software. Capgemini, a large tech consultancy, recently threw its weight behind it. "It is a great way to go for some businesses to go," Blum said. ‘That is going to be a big deal.’"
(Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Rough and Tumble Gadgets

"If your gear is breaking on you, then you’re not getting the right gear," according to Blum. A slew of companies have recently released waterproof, shockproof, almost-any-situation-proof electronics, and consumers can expect to see more of them in the years to come.
(ww.amazon.com)

Better Solar Power

With the help of investments, solar power is getting better, faster and more efficient, according to Blum. Companies like Solaicx are pioneering these solar advancements. The result? "Really cool, very cheap, solar-powered units," Blum said. "We’re definitely going to be stepping away from batteries."

This photo from Solar Systems shows a solar power plant in the Mojave Desert, with panels reflecting light up to a central tower.
(Solar Systems/AP Photo)