Strange to think isn’t it that a mere fifteen years ago, technology was nowhere near as well advanced as it is today. Many modern devices simply didn’t exist or if they did, they were underdeveloped concepts and ideas yet to see the light of day.
Yet here we are in the twenty first century with some items that we probably only ever expected to see in sci-fi shows. While teleportation and time travel may well be vastly out of reach if possible at all, we still have some amazing gadgets that truly define our technological tastes in the early part of this century. Here are five top gadgets that are seemingly essential to twenty first century life.
Whether you favour Apple or Android, the chances are that you have one of these nifty little devices tucked away in your pocket. The mobile phone has evolved from a huge, monochrome device to an all singing, all dancing, smooth and sleek smartphone.
Packing more memory and hard drive space than most people’s computers back in the good old 1990s, the smartphone can be used to do practically anything. Whether you want to record the latest TV shows, switch out the lights in your home or check your pulse – there is an app to do pretty much everything you want.
Smaller than a paperback book and potentially smarter the smartphone is the top device on most people’s list of essentials.
Again, if you prefer an Apple product or are not fussy, laptops are immensely useful not only for work but their portability means that you can do just about anything online – no matter where you are.
You can sit in a cafe and type your latest screenplay or sit in the park writing an essay or if you wanted to sell your macbook and buy yourself another piece of technology; you can do all of this and more using online recycling sites like Music Magpie.
Even more portable is the tablet PC or iPad. Harking back to the statement about sci-fi devices; in the 1990s we watched films where people ran their fingers over touch screen devices and smiled fondly. It was the stuff of dreams.
Well, now this particular dream has become a reality and you can scarcely move around on a train or bus without seeing passengers laughing at the latest comedy shows or preparing an important presentation. The tablet PC has come on leaps and bounds and the most exciting thing is wondering what is going to come next.
Years ago, 3D films meant donning a pair of ridiculous looking glasses and while the glasses may have changed a little, 3D images have changed a great deal more. At the cinema or even in your very own home, 3D films are a true delight to behold.
A far cry from the heady days of Space Invaders and Pacman, today’s games consoles are packed not only with dazzling graphics but with components such as the Kinect and the Wii remote so you can get involved physically, leading to a truly interactive experience.