Tech Updates

Tech That Packs a Punch, Wrapped In A Small Package

 

Sometimes we get stuck in the idea that the advancement of tech is all about the big flagship products like TV’s and computers, but there is so much more out there that really packs a digital punch and fits in your pocket. I want to take a moment and shine a light on those smaller heroes.

I think the first one that comes to mind is the WiFi hotspot, you know like this Solis X. We’ve all heard of them, and have all used one at one point or another, but this device really does quite a bit for its size. It sets up an entire network of computers literally anywhere, using cellular data. You could create an entire office in the park, complete with a wireless printer… with something no bigger than an apple.

I think in the spirit of good design the AirPod Pros should be in the conversation. There is nothing superfluous about this beautiful piece of technology. They are active noise cancelling and are true wireless. The sound is almost studio monitor level professional, and the voice commands alone make them a very powerful tool. The only regret here is the two models before hand that they shoved down our throats before giving us these… which we all know they had since day one.

Alexa Dot and Google Home make the cut as well. These are very small devices that essentially turn your home into a person. There is not better way to explain it really. My Alexa controls all of my lights, and tells me the weather, and helps me with recipes, and remembers things for me, and shows for me. All of that power packed in such a small and simple device. It’s a perfect execution, and the variations in sizes is a great way to add useful variety to a great base product.

This list would be incomplete without a mention of GoPro cameras. They have become the gold standard for capturing breathtaking videos in 4K, and designed to attach to anything, go in water, and survive a heavy fall. The availability of this technology, to make such a small yet powerful and durable camera, is what made drones more viable and easier to make for public use. The propellers no longer had to lug heavy DSLR’s around, but just a tiny almost weightless cube.

Wearable Technology as a whole should be on this list because the sorts of things this technology is able to do in conjunction with your cellphone is limitless. It weaves your vitality in with your technology by constantly measuring and updating you with assessments of your health. The steps you’ve walked and the heart rate you have had. It’s all available next to the worldwide web, and any music you could ever dream of… oh and a phone, and text, and email messenger.

So let’s raise our digital glasses to these slightly smaller unsung heroes of the techno-sphere and wish them more and more attention in the coming year!