If there is one trend about technology that remains current and predictable, it’s that it will forever be changing. Phones are getting smarter, cars are becoming easier to drive, computers are becoming smaller, lighter, and faster. Coding and computer skills are being taught to children as young as 2 years old. Keeping up with these trends is not only relevant to improving your everyday life but your career, as well.
1. Personal Interface Development
Last year Samsung released a smart watch that connects to a Samsung Galaxy phone. Smart watch owners can communicate through their watch, and do most everything they can do on their phone, without getting it out of their bag. Other companies are taking this approach when designing interfaces, by including it in their arsenal of gadgets designed to make our lives a little easier and a little bit cooler. Portable media players pack tons of music and video in a device as small as a quarter while exercise devices that look like a wristband analyze the wearer’s biometrics and provide vital statistics regarding their workout.
2. Enterprise Apps
For the longest time, mobile device applications were reserved for the likes of Angry Birds, Twitter, or Instagram. Which, in their own right, are a fun way to kill time while waiting on a train connection, but these applications are considered productivity killers in the workplace. A handful of companies are trying to change that with the creation of enterprise specific applications for their employees to use on their phones. Office communicators and messaging systems are commonplace by using email servers as their protocol but applications are being developed to be able use this function even when outside the office. This is just one example of the beginning of enterprise applications.
3. Expanding the Cloud
For IT professionals, the concept of the ever bewildering “cloud” is nothing new. For the end user, the cloud is irrelevant until they realize that their files are being stored in some server farm on the other side of the country. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of the cloud concept is moving along with the introduction of managed hosting systems and remote IT. It’s only a matter of time until all of the world’s IT departments will consist of a 20-man crew working in a warehouse facility in Colorado.
4. Socially Conscious Social Networks
A decade ago, accessing your MySpace account was a major no-no for IT. It was simply too difficult to regulate what was coming through the feed and it was much more simple to block the social network prototypes off completely. Now, enterprise has embraced these sites as a viable factor in generating business. Some even have social media specialists whose sole and complete purpose is to post updates and maintain the company’s Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. Other networks such as LinkedIn are rising up as the preferred social network for professionals looking to network with each other.
5. Moneyless Money
With each year passing, more and more people are using less and less cash. Long existing money transferring services like PayPal have shown that it’s completely feasible to exchange money electronically. In 2013 we saw the launch of BitCoin, a monetary value system that wasn’t dependent on the transfer of cash. Rather, buyers and sellers used credits that they have received on previous transactions. Other niche websites are jumping onboard the trend as well proving that the reign of King Cash may be coming to an end.
No matter what our childhood outlook of the future was as children, technology has indeed come a long way since those days. With every year passing we see more exciting things to come and 2014 will prove to be no different.
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- License: Creative Commons image source
Zoe Chanel is a Colorado native and a lover of words. She is interested in travel, career development, and education.