When Gano B. Haley founded the Rossmoor Computer Club in Monroe Township in 1993, only a handful of the 30 members had their own email address. Today, with 300 members now in the club, it is rare to find anyone who isn't communicating by email. 

"The use of technology has exploded among seniors; Facebook and Twitter is really phenomenal," said Haley, 87, a retired technology analyst who began working with computers in the 1950s. "It now takes seconds to transmit news. Many of our members now have iPads and iPhones. Many people are getting into this and they are learning from their grandchildren."

With the great interest in technology among seniors, Verizon New Jersey President Dennis M. Bone visited the Rossmoor Computer Club on December 5 to discuss where New Jersey is headed. He said technology is moving faster than most people recognize and creating enormous business opportunities. But state officials must be vigilant in ensuring that New Jersey remains competitive by supporting policies and regulation that allow the telecommunications sector to thrive, invent and create well-paying jobs.

"Change is happening quickly and the force is so powerful," said Bone, who sponsored the club's luncheon and was keynote speaker. "There are now hundreds and thousands of 'apps' for smartphones. Software programmers graduating college in May who know how to program apps can earn more than people who have been in the field for 10 years. The field is that hot right now."

Bone outlined the impact of wireless technologies, the Internet and social media in such areas as health care, entertainment, safety, education and breaking news.

Bone pointed to three innovative companies, all of which had humble beginnings just a few years ago and are now internationally known and driving global technology: Facebook, Apple and Google.

"Steve Jobs referred to the iPad as the first post-PC device," Bone told the seniors. "Think about that: The PC-era is referred to in past tense. It's rapidly being replaced by tablets, which have tripled in sales to 55 million this year and are expected to surpass 200 million by 2014. Tablets are having as much impact today as Gutenberg's press did in the 1400s."

Another key evolution has been cloud computing, which is expected to be a $140 billion industry by 2014 and could lead to the end of the hard drive. "With a cloud, you don't need to keep a server, storage, network and full-time virtualization experts on staff," Bone said.

Bone noted that Verizon is heavily invested in cloud computing, having recently acquired Terremark Worldwide for access to server farms around the globe.

The Verizon president also said that smartphones are now dominant, with 1 billion of them expected to be in use within the next two years.

Online videos are also a growing sector of technology, with the average person spending 22 minutes a day watching Hulu, YouTube and other websites with video. Google is pushing to offer videos on YouTube, which generates about 2 billion downloads a day, Bone said. It is expected that more people will watch TV online than on traditional televisions by 2020.

Another major growth area is the development of apps, which was a $6 billion industry in 2010 and is expected to reach $18 billion by 2015.

Bone described a recent visit to a Starbucks where people watched in amazement as smartphones, rather than a wired credit card machine, were used to make purchases. Grocery shoppers will be able to access coupons, which will pop up on smartphones as the shoppers move from aisle to aisle, he said

All of this "disruptive technology" has been wreaking havoc among traditional business streams, Bone said, noting that Blockbuster, the video rental chain, was acquired in a bankruptcy-court auction; book retail chain Borders Group filed for bankruptcy; Sony's CD-manufacturing plant in Pitman, N.J. closed its doors; and the U.S. Postal Service continues to struggle.

Smartphones are now being used to monitor energy management in the home and online learning is now available at approximately 2,500 colleges, Bone said. E-books, which are cheaper and more portable than a typical book, have become the "textbook" of choice.

Landlines are also becoming relics, Bone said, noting Verizon has lost 60 percent of its traditional landline business in the past decade. Meanwhile, Verizon is heavily investing in its broadband network, pumping $3.5 billion in New Jersey into the network over the past five years. The future also includes the full roll-out of the 4G wireless network by 2013, offering up to 10 times faster connectivity and less latency than current 3G networks.

While phone lines are being phased out, Verizon is focused on installing fiber cable lines, as part of FiOS, now in 349 towns in New Jersey, with 24,000 video on-demand titles available every month. Video continues to evolve, Bone said, as holograms "popping up from a coffee table" will ultimately replace high-definition 3-D televisions.

"Technological change has world-altering consequences that continue to improve our lives," Bone said. "New Jersey businesses will need to evolve to accommodate and take advantage of these changes. An innovative economy is critical to New Jersey's future and we can't let other states get in front of us."

Paul Pittari, 74, president of the Rossmoor Computer Club for the past five years, said many members retired from their careers before computers were commonplace. But now, he said, there is a huge and growing demand for technology among seniors, as they learn to communicate in new ways.

Verizon has played a key role, he said, providing donations for the club's computer labs and inviting members to listen to Bone's "State of the Company" presentations. "I'm invited every year," said Pittari, a retired aerospace engineer. "But this is the first time Dennis has come here. It's great to have him."