Monday, January 4, 2016

Speculations--Tech in the new year?

Pictured: Once cutting-edge technology.
We live in a world where communication is instant, and everpresent, so much so that when we lose our primary contact with the world, we still have backups in the form of computers, TV, and even friends' and strangers' phones (ever forgot your phone and asked the world at large if anyone could look something up for you? Never been disappointed yet).

So what's next? Here at the beginning of a new year, it's a great time to speculate on what the future will bring. What new technology do you think is just around the corner to make our world even more strange and convenient?

Implants that couldn't be lost seem like an easy next step, but I'm not sure most people will want them. So maybe smart watches will expand to become smart jewelry in general, or shirts will come pre-wired for easier connection. We like screens; I don't see those going away any time soon, so ways to make screens of things that aren't should be pretty close. So how about bringing out flexible phones, or screen extenders?

Google Glasses didn't catch on, perhaps because the world has too few guards against misuse for most people to be comfortable with them yet. But what about ways to integrate your phone into three-dimensional games, turning your Candy Crush fix into a 3D Indiana-Jones adventure? Just attach an Oculus-Rift pair of goggles (steampunk-style, anyone?), the more obvious the better, and start playing.

What do you see right around the corner? And what technology do you thing won't happen as soon as people predict, because we're just not read for it yet?

No comments:

Post a Comment