If there is one thing you can count on in the technology sector, it's change and 2006 should be no different. This study examines 10 emerging trends sure to have a major influence on the industry:

1. Search engines will challenge email as the leading digital application.
2. Research and development will become more collaborative as business, government and academic institutions increasingly work together on new innovations.
3. Offshoring as a way of minimizing costs and optimizing efficiencies will continue to grow in popularity.
4. Classrooms of the developed world will incorporate more digital aids in their instruction.
5. Open source will pose an ever-greater challenge to the established software model, impacting both providers and end users.
6. Governments will increasingly regulate the Internet.
7. Technological advances such as speech recognition and voice synthesis, along with improvements in artificial intelligence, will change the way humans interact with computers and computers interact with each other.
8. Products will become less static with the launch of many more devices, from cameras to cars, that can be upgraded remotely.
9. The gap between those with digital technology and those without will widen and put undeveloped countries at an even greater disadvantage.
10. Those technologies that permanently change human behavior will continue to be the most profitable.

The report includes recommendations from the Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry group on how to take advantage of these emerging trends. Read the full report in the PDF file attachment below.