Technology Year in Review 2014

Technology Year in Review 2014

We have almost arrived to the end of this year, and in the techno-sphere, offerings were few and far in between. We see a definite change in the way of usage of technology. It is because of a shift that is happening in the minds of customers. Technology is now being viewed as not a tool but as an obligation, which the tech-giants, need to constantly evolve to keep the competition in check. It has further escalated into a needless exercise of over-pioneering services and products. All this happens at the cost of the end user, who has yet to find a steady ground to build upon a digital environment of familiarity and acquaintance. It is a practice that might soon reach its saturation and the developers will have to fathom out a way out of this dilemma. Let us take a moment to ponder about where we have reached. In previous years, convergence was the keyword everyone was chanting beneath their breaths. consequently, everyone became familiar with a device having a recognizable outlook; come six months it has now morphed into a device which has a familiar face but a different soul altogether. Progress shouldn’t come at the cost of “User Experience” (UXD). The industry has now driven itself into a corner, with the only way forward being, coming closer to the user and not the competitor.

Coming to 2014, having seen a sharp rise in the gadgets and devices which operate in the realm of healthcare and medicine, it’s natural to expect more of this trend. Take for example, the new fitness tracker wristbands which are a godsend for doctors who need constant and precise data from their patients. In an incident, an isolated group of Amazon tribes where discovered by a satellite using revolutionary technology, although extremely approvable, it becomes a very good cover for us to lookout to our next important concern- privacy.

Google glasses block peripheral vision with their wide rims but they show a lot more than they block; imagine knowing somebody’s digital persona with just a single glance of their mug through your glasses! The concerns for privacy are huge and legal ramifications are just around the corner, for anybody who daresay wears a Google glass and mistakenly walks into a restricted area.

Now, Mobile applications are a big part of one’s daily routine of digital life, the trends have now been established and mobile applications are becoming more and more scalable and useful, all thanks to cloud computing, which again is now a big thing in itself -to manage big data and to connect with consumer. Whilst on the topic of cloud computing, it has become imperative to stress on the fact that almost everywhere the onus of cloud computing is proving itself a boon to small and medium business alike.

Mobile strategy now presents a tangible path towards user engagement and businesses are using numerous vehicles to eagerly become a contact point to its dedicated audience. Mostly, they give the impression to show an increase in their footfalls or traffic, but regulating content online, is a difficult task, which makes us wonder who is caring about brand-dilution?

With so many tech innovations all ears, on providing the shortest path possible between two given points, the responsibility seems to be somehow, delivering customers to the business in a slapdash fashion, without taking in consideration- that technology somehow has made regulation a difficult task to control.

Moving ahead, to much happier news, we now have in our grasp, the new technology of screen-less displays (contact lens displays) and flexible displays, the increase of phone display sizes has only generated a new wave of aspiring customers looking for a change in the humble screen display. Things  get remarkable when body-adapted wearable electronics will open up a new market for the scramble of the tech-giants to begin again and further converge into a product with myriad capabilities proposed; and as usual, under-utilized.

Although, the promise of carbon nanotubes decreasing the weight of vehicles and bringing upon an increase in fuel efficiency and decrease in emissions is good news for those of us dependent on fossil fuels for general commute, which is again a large part of the global population. The news of clean energy source, in particular wind and solar, can be highly intermittent; instead of producing electricity when consumers and grid managers want, they generate uncontrollable quantities only when favorable weather conditions allow, still we have high hopes for it in the future.

Today’s Digital life needs use of many digital devices, which are run by batteries, promising news again comes from the people toying around with carbon fibers. The creation of very high density carbon-nanotube batteries, promise a quicker charge and 30% more electrical energy than today’s Li-ion batteries.

Then again, these high density batteries will come in handy to upcoming CryptoPhones and blackphones, these devices are encrypted and offer a window of private communication unseen by sleuths and investigating companies.

The recent news of NSA snooping, which has resulted in Brazil cutting of any and all usage of US internet networks, is only slightly smaller news than the discovery of fire, in tech-circles. The net connectivity uses primary lines of fiber optics strewn through a labyrinth of wires inside the ocean bed, connecting continents. So the news of Brazil, going to huge lengths to avoid US internet network makes sense, when we examine the fact that -privacy issue takes precedence over several billion dollar investment in laying of fiber optical lines. However time will tell, how much of importance this has been on a ground level as new tricks of tracking customers are emerging. One of those being -tracking potential customers over the cell phone id’s that are being broadcasted over Wi-Fi signals, in malls and shops. It is being exploited by retailers to find out patterns and behavior of consumers.

HD content was releasable way back in the 70’s, but due to lack of consumer excitement it got delayed by three decades, such is also the story of Oculus Rift, in a fantastic story of virtual world meeting real world, finally the technology seems ready and available for wide spread use. A more mundane but potentially useful application that Sony is exploring would let travelers visit virtual hotel rooms before booking the real thing. Assuming they ever want to take the headsets off. 

Already, there is a new technological leap in the bio-tech segment of genome mapping and engineering, Scientists say creating humans with CRISPR-edited genomes is “very possible”, but they concur that “considering the safety issue, there would still be a long way to go.” In the meantime, the team hopes to use genetically modified monkeys to “establish very efficient animal models for human diseases, to improve human health in the future.”

An increasing focus will be seen in understanding requirements and exploiting technologies to fulfill the gap of human need and techno-innovation. The promise of good things, remain to be seen in near future. Although as of now the future looks bright.