People's interest in newly developed smart and mobile technology, and their willingness to pay top dollar for the latest and greatest laptops, smartphones, and a whole host of other gadgets of never before seen performance and design are the main drive behind the ever changing smart technology and devices.
Quick advancements in technology translate into new technological trends every year. If you are interested in learning the new tech trends for 2014, you'd better take a glimpse at the list below:
- Classic design laptops were expected to be dead and gone, or at least redundant as heck when smart mobile technology began to appear first, but as it turned out there is still a strong following of the classic laptop computer which prompted manufacturers to come out with the so called 2 in 1 laptops. The first wave of 2 in 1 laptops (meaning the laptop doubles as tablet PC) wasn't as successful as manufacturers wished it to be, and people weren't showing too much interest in such devices mainly due to their awkward design (performance wise - 2 in 1 devices were somewhat better than purpose built tab computers). It is expected that in 2014, Intel and Lenovo as well as Sony and Samsung to come out with improved, even completely new 2 in 1 devices with more refined design, and more intuitive use. It is also expected for such devices to be a little cheaper than their predecessors.
- On the same note, tablet PCs have received quite a warm welcome to say the least by tech fans around the world, but the highly anticipated large screen tablets (promised by some manufacturers) turned out to be a large flop. According to those in the know, problem with some of the big screen tab computers was that they didn't really do anything special compared to their normal sized counterparts, and weren't really able to capitalise on their large screen capabilities. It is expected that in 2014, major players like Samsung and Apple will reveal their brand new takes on large screen tablet computers. Toshiba having suffered from a flopped large screen tablet PC release two years ago is also expected to raise their game and release a new version of their tab computer in 2014.
- ‘Smart and on the go' is the name of the game these days, and smartwatches are the somewhat the epitome of this (marketing) motto. There have been many examples of multifunctional watches over the last decade or so, though things have really started to shape up during the last few years, and the result has been amazing in many respects. One company-Pebble have already released an exceptionally good example of a smartwatch and are now looking to build up on their head start with a new version of the watch, which will also be getting its own online app store in 2014. Nissan's smartwatch is another interesting example, though this device is meant to work together with a ‘smart' Nissan vehicle in order to use its full functionality.
- Fitness trackers in all their shapes and forms are taking the market by storm, and leading manufacturers like Jawbone and Fitbit are looking to improve their current model fitness trackers and make them even smarter and more ‘sensitive'.
- Home wireless technology is a little behind in terms of performance and functionality, but manufacturers are set to invest a decent amount of effort and resources in creating home smart, wireless technologies deemed to make home living more efficient altogether.
- Another trend to watch out for in 2014 is the HUD wearable computer device. Google were the first to release their own version of the device called Google Glass. Though the thing was pretty expensive and in very limited numbers available to the public, it did stir up quite an interest. Now, as expected other companies are also venturing down that road and coming out with similar devices. It will be interesting to see the 2014 HUD computer alternatives by Vuzix, Meta and GlassUp.
David Drasnin is a freelance writer for LeraBlog, who shares a passion for sports, technology, adventures and movies. He is currently involved in a number of projects, among which is one that he works alongside the team at Reliant Computer Service.
