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What is Hot and What is Not in Technology for 2011

Sharon Housley -- Computer and communications expert, Sharon Housley, shares her annual projections for 2010's winners and losers.

Top 5 Winners Predicted for 2011: What is Hot

1. Virtual Cloud

-- Services that allow you to have your desktop in the cloud will become common place in 2011.

2. Mobile apps

-- Mobile applications are still and will continue to thrive as people find new uses for their cell phones.

3. Virtual technology

-- Working from home or on the road is growing all, virtual technology businesses will continue to prosper and thrive.

4. Connectivity

-- Cell signals and Internet connectivity will reach remote areas, as staying connected regardless of location becomes more important.

5. Scalability

-- If it doesn't scale, it will lose luster. Scalability is hot, and a must for all technology in today's society.

Top 5 Losers for 2011: What is Not Hot

1. Privacy

-- Privacy is back on the list, recent news that mobile application providers collect data about not only the location and habits of their users has created more paranoia about personal information in cyberspace.

2. Social noise

-- Social media channels like Twitter are drowning in spam, and the quality of the channel has degraded with the rise of the chatter.

3. Transparency

-- Unfortunately, the woven fibers of the Web make it very easy for savvy individuals to hide or obfuscate their identity. While transparency is preached, rarely is it practiced.

4. Regulation

-- We are not getting any closer to any type of Internet standards or regulations. The Internet still remains the wild west and, while pressure can be applied, there is still no centralized body for governing the Internet.

5. Land lines

-- Land lines will become a thing of the past, as home phone numbers are replaced by phone numbers for individuals.

Last Year's Predictions: How Did We Do?

Readers can assess my ability to predict based on last year's collection of technology predictions at:

• 2010: http://www.small-business-software.net/whats-hot-whats-not-2010.htm
• 2009: http://www.small-business-software.net/whats-hot-whats-not-2009.htm

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds, and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll audio recording and editing software.

© 2011 Sharon Housley

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