Intel’s Sandy Bridge 
technology is less than a year old, but the next big thing already appears to be on the horizon.
The company showed off prototypes for its “Ivy Bridge” processors this week at its Intel Developer Forum and the early word is encouraging – with faster speeds, lower power consumption and amazing battery life.
The pornography business is a
tech bellwether, often sensing the shift in consumer sentiment long before the mainstream world makes a move.
So as the adult entertainment industry’s stars and power brokers walked the red carpet at the recent AVN Awards in Las Vegas – the adult entertainment industry’s equivalent of the Oscars – we polled a few, asking them what they thought would be the next big trend to sweep the industry.
A slumbering giant appears to be stirring in the 
video game industry — and that could be bad news for Microsoft and Sony.
After quietly sitting on the sidelines for the entire console war, the television industry is starting to get into the fight. Vizio announced plans this week to integrate the OnLive game streaming service into all of its 2011 HD TVs and Blu-ray players, as well as forthcoming smart phones and tablets from the company.
It’s hard to recall a worse time to jump into
the porn business.
Piracy continues to run rampant. Studios are folding at a pace similar to the implosion of the dot-com bubble. And even the future of the industry’s trade show and biggest annual awards show are in jeopardy—as insiders wonder whether the Adult Entertainment Expo and AVN awards will be held next year.
It’s hard to take 20 steps at 
CES without someone thrusting a tablet computer at you this year.
With Apple having paved the way for tablets last year, 2011 is when the competition is hoping to chip away at the company’s dominance in the category. It’s going to be a tough fight, though.
With more than 2,700 companies displaying 
new products at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, there’s a lot of competition for attention. While many are fighting for a coveted “Best of Show” nod, that label is too often given to products that simply have a “cool” factor but won’t necessarily have a lasting impact.
So as we’ve wandered the floor this year, we’ve kept our eyes open for items that can have a momentous impact on their market segments. Here are a few gadgets we think will move beyond novelty status.
As technology gets more complex, it’s fitting that an 
underlying theme of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is making people’s lives easier.
Tech advances can be a dual-edged sword. Bleeding edge products might be phenomenal, but using them can often be frustrating (look no further than the bulky glasses required for 3D TV). There will be announcements galore at this year’s show – but more and more companies are realizing that the key to success is focusing on products that not only fill a need, but don’t require users to memorize a hefty manual before they turn it on.
Women are the main attraction in the 
adult entertainment industry, but when it comes to the people behind the scenes, it’s very much a male-dominated field. While there are some cracks in the glass ceiling, men still hold most of the power positions in porn.
Some of the power players in porn are familiar names, but a significant number have very low public profiles. All of them, though, have significant influence and authority throughout the industry – and sometimes, that’s entirely by accident.
A little under a year ago, Apple began 
cleaning up its app store, seemingly banning app after app that had any form of titillation. Citing complaints from customers who found the apps degrading and upset about what children were able to see, the company vigorously purged hundreds of apps that focused on subjects such as women in swimsuits.
But porn is like water. It finds a way into everything and is actually thriving on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Sex might sell, but someone 
still needs to sell it.
At the Adult Entertainment Expo, selling sex is the name of the game —and the customers are everywhere. Buyers from adult stores and boutiques, wholesalers and fans of adult entertainment mingle together to meet the stars of the sex industry and see what’s new.
Chris Morris: Journalist 