This week the SunLive newsroom asked for my technology predictions.

Apart from Robert Scoble, nobody seemed to predict how big Twitter would become. That aside, my predictions are globally based, but I want to tell you about something with local flavor. So here are my predictions for where technology is heading in the future, in the Bay of Plenty.
This list is a combination of wishes and predictive optimism.

1. Tauranga will get better infrastructure planning and include fibre.
2. Wireless coverage will increase.
3. The Bay of Plenty will have a technology park established collaboratively through the University of Waikato and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic partnership.
4. The Bay of Plenty will become a technology startup region.
5. More small businesses will use Apple Macs.
6. NZTE will forge closer links between the Bay of Plenty and the United States Bay.
7. Our most 'peaceful country status” will encourage global companies to store their backup data here.
8. The Bay of Plenty will have a leading local news portal.
9. I will get a new IPhone 3GS and the price of data will drop.
10. Most businesses in the Bay of Plenty will receive 30 per cent of their software from open source suppliers.

What do you wish for?

It seems some of the large PC producers agree with number ten. There are new offerings from many which include bundles of Open Source Software, like this: ostatic.com/blog/dell-to-offer-open-source-app-bundles-for-smbs.