It is quite hard to imagine a world without technology. We’re well past the point of doing anything without it. To be honest, I don’t really feel like standing in long queues to pay my bills, or even buy something (no exception for a pizza either). These are the days when even my cat has to take lessons in computers to get a grip on his mouse (!). Pun, of course, is intended.
Technology has always evolved at a good pace. The past few years have seen it rise exponentially. We’ve seen the rise of the Internet of Things, cars that can drive on their own and even ‘smart’ cities – capable of performing numerous tasks on their own. How can mere mortals like us cope up with this growth?
Well, here are a few notes I made during my travels in the digital realms.
It’s only a Phone if it’s smart.
The world and everything in it have changed a lot over the last decade. It is hard to remember a time when the internet could only be accessed via PCs or laptops. I could go on to say that it was a simpler time – easier to understand and describe. However, then came the smartphones.
Apple’s iPhone, Samsung’s Galaxy series, OnePlus 5 and even Motorola are household names these days. If I was to go into figures, 44{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} of the world’s population owns a smartphone.
We’ve become so used to them that we can’t really go without them. In ways, they’ve made life much faster. You can now connect and control different aspects of your life from your phones. Have a bill to pay? Do it on your phone! Need GPS navigation? Your phone’s got you back.
There have been concerns over the security of our phones, as well as the classic case of “all eggs in one basket.”Nonetheless, Smartphones are an essential part of our lives now – and they’re here to stay.
The IoT Revolution
One of the few ‘fad’ terms that really caught my eye a few years ago was the ‘Internet of Things.’ I had my doubts tough, for I’d heard about too many ‘game-changing’ new technologies to hold my breath. The more I read about IoT, the more useful I found it.
How good would it be for your home to know when you’ll be back and have your water heated up? Seems too futuristic? Well, it’s already here. We can now control almost any gadget that can communicate.
Essentially, anything that can be connected – will be connected. Almost 8.3 billion things will be a part of this ‘revolution’ by 2020. IoT enables you not only the ability to control appliances but also monitor your health. The wearables can track all your movements and then provide you with analyzed results. Even the toasters are now able to make breakfast for you, without the physically touching part.
Feeling like a Jedi, yet?
IoT has affected us as consumers in a great many ways and will continue to do so. Amazon’s Alexa is probably the best example of IoT and how it is changing our homes.
Even our cities are smart
These are the days where smart meters and grids are used quite a lot. The US is one great example of this. Almost 50{ed162fdde9fdc472551df9f31f04601345edf7e4eff6ea93114402690d8fa616} of their 150 million endpoints are covered under this ‘smart-grid.’
The grid essentially prevents voltage theft and saves energy – helping us save our own money. Long have we paid extra cash to the electricity company. However, that is now changing with the introduction of smart meters – that enable a pay-by-usage model.
As a consumer, this is value for money. Even healthcare is improving, with sensors alerting nearby hospitals about any accident. Effective traffic monitoring using satellites not only enables us to save time but money as well. Google Maps are one such technology that smart cities incorporate a lot to find out about street clogging, traffic jams, and even accidents. Traffic Detection using the RUT9 routers enables a better road efficiency across the entire city.
Better services to us
Big data analytics have picked up their slack over the past couple years. As consumers, we generate a lot of data on a daily basis. Collection of this data and its successful analysis enables companies and firms to provide us with a better service.
Knowledge is power, they say. We can know about a company and the products it offers – all from the comfort of our homes.
Is it worth it?
Definitely, yes. Grown and change are the only constants in this world and technology is a superb instrument for the same. As a consumer, I want comfort, as well as the best goods and services that I can afford. A better tech-savvy world will amount for us to have more time pursuing what our heart desires. One can only hope though, that this doesn’t’ lead to a Terminator-type scenario.
Source
-None, original article and ideas.
Keywords: Internet of Things, IoT, Smart meters, digital consumer, value for money, wearables, M2M
