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The 10 Most Disruptive Technology Combinations

Often, even great new technology needs a partner to really change the world. Here are 10 marriages of technologies that have shaken the digital world over the last 25 years.

Dan Tynan, PC World

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Five Things We'd Like to See Disrupted

  • Plastic packaging: What happened to the packaging industry? Why do people need industrial-strength wire cutters to open the shrink-wrap on a $20 mouse?
  • Pop-up ads on TV: We really don't need to see tiny people dancing across the bottom of the screen promoting the next program while we're watching this one, thanks.
  • Rich-media ads on the Web: If we wanted to watch commercials, we'd be sitting on the couch in front of Oprah. Stop with the swirling, scrolling, popping, video ads; they're not working.
  • Digital rights management: When it comes to music, DRM is on life support, and we're more than happy to stand on the oxygen hose. But for video--especially the HD formats--it's still an enormous pain. When will Hollywood moguls learn that their customers are smarter than they are?
  • Instant messaging: The Berlin Wall fell. Sixteen nations have collaborated on the International Space Station. But folks are still stuck with incompatible IM services and/or kludgy front ends. Can't we all just get along?

When PC World Contributing Editor Dan Tynan feels too disruptive, he takes a nap.

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