The 10 Most Disruptive Technology Combinations

"We'll begin to see mass-market adoption and form factors diversify to include embedded portable devices such as portable media players and game consoles."

Mobile Internet-capable phones are poised to become a major advertising platform, as well. "The mobile phone is likely to trump the Internet as the most versatile media platform," Scherf adds. "The potential of mobile advertising to become an explosively new ad platform is real and colossal."

Disruption: The ability to be reachable 24/7 is morphing into the ability to surf the Net from any location. And it's forcing monopolistic wireless companies to open up their networks to new devices and services.

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.