The way that technology creeps into our lives seems kind of miraculous. You don’t know anything about a product or service, and then suddenly, you start to hear rumors about it. Maybe you read an article about it online, or someone mentions it on social media.
In no time at all, someone you know has one, and you get to try it out for the first time. Suddenly, you realize how fun or practical it is. You want to own one or have access to it if it’s a new service.
Let’s look at five of the more useful modern technology examples that are spreading throughout the globe in 2020.
Smart Wearables
If you went back in time fifty years, think how amazed people would be if you showed them something like a smartwatch. It would seem like something from out of a comic book or a sci-fi novel.
While smartwatches are very useful, you need to be careful with them. You should remember to only use them at appropriate times, and never when you’re driving. They can distract you, and in a recent year, distracted driving killed 2,841 people.
As long as you only use them at the proper times, though, there are a ton of useful features that come standard with smartwatches now. You can use one to:
- Monitor your heart rate and blood pressure
- Make a phone call
- Send a text message to a friend or relative
Many smartwatches can do lots of the same things that a smartphone can, but they fit snugly on your wrist. They’re not vital for modern life, but most people agree they can make your existence a lot easier.
Telehealth Apps
During the Covid-19 outbreak, one of the main problems for people has been seeing their doctors. If you have severe medical issues, and you need to see your primary doctor regularly, then you might be very nervous about doing so while there’s a pandemic going on.
Enter the telehealth application. The popularity of these apps was growing even before the pandemic happened. Now, more people are using them than ever, even some in the Baby Boomer generation that resisted them.
Some of the better ones include:
- Teladoc
- Talkspace
- Amwell
- Doctor on Demand
Unless you need a doctor to physically examine you, these apps can be solutions where you can stay safely at home, and still discuss your condition with a medical professional.
A doctor can talk about test results with you, review any medication side effects you’re having, or go over the best treatment plan that might work for you going forward.
Blockchain Technology
Blockchain technology is something that you might have heard about a little bit over the past few years, but now its time has truly arrived. There are so many practical things that you can do with it.
For instance, soon, voting technology might incorporate blockchain. President Trump has expressed fears about mail-in voter fraud during the upcoming election. Blockchain can be a way for people to cast ballots so that they’re virtually tamper-proof.
You can also use it to share medical data more safely. You can use it to make cross-border payments to other countries if you’re buying something from an international business entity.
If you have a company that needs logistics monitoring or supply train tracking, blockchain is ideal for those as well.
Streaming Services
If you grew up in the 1980s and 90s, then you probably remember what a big deal it was to have cable TV. Maybe you lived in a household that couldn’t afford it. Perhaps you had to visit a friend’s house after school or in the evenings if there was a show you wanted to watch.
That time seems almost quaint now, as dozens of streaming services allow you access to more channels and content than ever before. There’s Sling, Hulu, Philo, and others.
If you don’t care about streaming live TV as much, and you’d prefer access to a wide variety of shows and movies, then you can opt for Disney+, Apple TV+, Netflix, HBO NOW, and many more.
Cable TV still exists, but it’s hanging on by a thread. That’s because most streaming services are so much cheaper. You can get two or three streaming services for the same price as you’ll probably pay for cable.
The days of the cable TV conglomerate are on the way out, and it doesn’t seem like anyone will miss the monopoly it used to have.
Smart Homes
Another great technology that’s all over the place these days is smart home setups. There are lots of different ones, and they can do all kinds of things.
For instance, you can get yourself the Smart Things app. There, you can access all your home’s smart devices, like door locks, window sensors, door sensors, smoke detectors, or water leak detectors.
You don’t need to carry house keys anymore. You can install smart locks on your doors, which open via a numerical code. Just memorize the code, and you can press it when you approach the door.
If you don’t feel like doing that, you can instruct your Smart Things app to open the door for you with the press of a button on your phone.
You can monitor whether you closed all the windows when you go to bed at night, to make sure no one can easily break in. You can check the basement water sensor to make sure you don’t have a flood when it rains.
There are several other options, like the Amazon Alexa, the Wink Hub, Sentri, and the Samsung Smart Home. They have different prices and features.
It’s crazy to think how far technology has come over the past couple of decades, but it’s always that way. We might think sometimes that we’re living in Tomorrow Land, but in another half-century, everything we have today will seem antiquated.
That’s technology’s way. Still, there’s no reason not to enjoy the latest futuristic gadgets and marvel at them in 2020.
