2013 is almost over, and it’s been interesting to say the least – especially on the technological front. Many new gadgets surfaced this year, aiming to redefine the way we interact with our computers, our homes, and to one another.
It feels like the future is furiously turning into the past, as so many ideas from sci-fi movies keep integrating seamlessly into our everyday reality. And while we don’t know how long it will take before we got flying cars and teleportation devices, we do know about some cool new gadgets that should be cropping up no later than 2014.
Read through this article courtesy of Dom’s Tech Blog, and make a mental note towards some of the gadgets you should try during the next year!
Oculus Rift
At long last, a working, satisfying virtual reality kit. The Oculus Rift is a headset comprising two HD lenses that work together to make you feel like you’re inside the game. With its stereoscopic 3D capabilities and field-of-vision encompassing screen, these VR goggles could become a thing in many households – especially since the $200 price tag seems fairly reasonable.
Leap Motion
A new type of controller that feels like a combination between mouse and touchscreen; the leap motion is a tiny gadget capable of tracking your fingers’ motion in fully 3D space, with astounding accuracy. It allows you not only to control your computer by waving around your hands, but also raises some very interesting possibilities as a more organic way to create digital media.
3D Printers
While this year brought the initial appearance of the first slew of affordable home 3D printers, 2014 will be the time when everyone and their neighbor decide getting one such thing. There will be plenty of models to choose from at reasonable prices, and thus a new industry will flourish.
Smartwatches
The Galaxy Gear has already hit the market, the iWatch should come about anytime soon. Kickstarter is ripe with a myriad of smartwatch projects for suited every taste and specification. Everything is set for the great smartwatch race of 2014, when everyone realizes they need to get their smartphones attached to their wrists for maximum convenience.
PS4
Newly released and ready for your Christmas shopping rushes, the PS4 is here to hail a new generation in videogames. More graphical processing, stronger and faster than ever before; a couple new tricks up the sleeve and an eternal rival to watch out for.
XBOX One
And here’s the big rival to the PS4: a little more expensive, a little more futuristic with its integrated Kinect motion tracking, a little polemic over allegations of a supposed always-online demand. Love it or hate it, this will inevitably become a household name of modern entertainment in 2014.
Google Glass
Already on public testing stage courtesy of an elite group of “Google Explorers”, the infamous eyeglass-phone from Google will surely become a thing next year, when it’s officially released to the public. Many think it’s insanely useful, others believe it’s a scary first step towards the creation of human cyborgs. Whatever it is, we have a feeling it’s here to stay!
Pinch
Not really a gadget per se but actually a cool new technology; pinch is a project that aims to seamlessly unite any and all mobile displays. Can you imagine putting all your (and your friends’) tablets and smartphones side to side to create a huge impromptu screen? It won’t be long until that kind of thing is very much common practice.
Project ARA
A phone that’s genuinely made to last? With project ARA, Motorola drew from the genius Phoneblocks concept to come up with a new modular type of smartphone: comprised of different parts that can be put together like a puzzle and replaced easily to keep your terminal always on the cutting edge.
LG Flex
As rumor goes, this is already being produced – and will soon become the first smartphone featuring a fully flexible and unbreakable screen. The first among many for sure, since flexibility will likely become an evolution path for these types of gadgets.
Goji SmartLock
Meet the future of house locks. Why use keys, when you can just rely on your smartphone for secure wireless identification? Not only is this practical but allows for many interesting new uses, like setting a time to unlock the door to start letting your friends in for a party.
Nanostate FlashFlood
An industrial grade version of the “Neverwet” type of products that made market this year; this is essentially a nano-technological fluid that you pour on an object (such as a smartphone) to make it fully waterproof for up to 12 months. Can you think of any useful application for that?
Sonte Windows
And here are your future windows: elegant, slick, and dispensing the need for a curtain. Sonte is an ingenious coating that you will be able to add to your existing windows. This will allow you to control the transparency of the glass by controlling the opacity of the coating, which can be done over your smartphone.
Papertab
The beginning of genuinely electronic paper. These papertabs are a paper-thin and flexible e-ink display that may connect to one another and any other piece of technology via Wi-Fi. Here’s a quick video that will surely blow your mind:
