Will baby boomers always be known as boomers, or will they take on the moniker seniors’ when they become 80, 90, 120 … . ? Hmmmmmm … . In our Age Wave Study, most boomers said they were fine with the term senior, but we didn’t ask them if they’d be called boomers or seniors … that would have been interesting … what do you want to be called when you’re in your 90s or 100s? – Mary Furlong, the entrepreneur who started the SeniorNet program, will be holding her informative ‘What’s Next?’ Boomer Business Summit in Washington, D.C. Several people have attended these in the past from Ecumen and have found it interesting. As a preview, here is a Q&A conference organizers did with Wall Street Journal technology columnist, Walt Mossberg: Q. What are the trends and products in personal technology that will assist the senior population with loss of vision, arthritic hands, etc?A. I think that speech recognition and text speech recognition are becoming more common and are more in demand. The industry is slowly beginning to respond to this need; however, it is not widespread. Cell phone companies have produced phones with larger buttons that are in greater demand today. For example, Verizon Wireless has a new phone aimed at seniors. The primary focus is on simplicity and clarity, and this is not just for seniors, this is what everyone wants. A cell phone trend that is aimed not just for seniors is the development of bigger and clearer phone screens.Q. Based on questions you receive from readers, what are the unmet needs that technology manufacturers need to pay attention to in order to address these needs?A. The primary unmet need within the technology industry is simplicity and readability across the board, for all age groups. All people care about is that their technology works. Manufacturers claim they are addressing this unmet need but they often have mixed agendas and priorities. They often add the latest feature before it is ready.Q. How important is design in creating products for the baby boomer population?A. Design is important for every population, from the college student to the retiree. Design in every sense of the word is crucial. Hardcore techies may not appreciate how things look, but themainstream population of all ages appreciates beautiful design. They want products to be both functional and attractive and fit into their lifestyle, home, car, office, etc. In the last 5-6 years, there has been a resurgence by Apple in the music and phone arenas on designing beautiful products. They know how to package together fantastic design with power.Q. What, in your view, are the most critical issues shaping technology as they relates to the boomer market?A. Baby boomers have the most money. They buy a lot of technology, web subscriptions, etc, so they are big spenders. As long as the technology products and services they want to buy have the right features and are at the right price, they will continue to buy these products and services.Q. What do you think will shape the national conversation about boomers this year?A. The major national agenda item will be about the generational transfer. A large cohort of the population will be reaching retirement age, which will have a tremendous impact in many facets of life in this country and around the world. There will be competition for resources and jobs, and elder care and healthcare issues will play a larger role in the future.