Fake It ‘Til You Make It: Personal Technology
I put off getting a new phone for a long time because I actually didn’t want to learn how to use a new phone. Same thing with a new Kindle or TV. And gaming system? Forget it, I stopped trying to keep up with that after PS3 came out and everyone stopped playing Guitar Hero. All the new technology is a little scary.
Personally, I don’t know a bit from a gig. But in our ever-changing world, you need to know your tech stuff a bit. Like it or not, your entire world revolves around technology at all times. I mean, we are all probably carrying at least 2 devices on us right now. My fiancé is in tech and most of the time when he and his buddies get together, I am lost. They talk about 4K TVs, Google Glass and the next bubble and then I drift off and think about what it would be like to live in a bubble away from this conversation. But at the same time, I want to be able to engage… or at least pretend to engage.
Nerds of all shapes, colors and creeds need just a smidgen of interest from you to get going, so faking a conversation with a tech geek isn’t difficult… it’s following the conversation with a tech geek that’s the hard part.
Use any of these 8 tech tidbits and facts to get along with the nerdiest of your friends and family. Or maybe next time the IT guy comes up to install new hardware, you can talk to him about something more than the weather or the specials today in the office cafeteria.
1. I’m probably going to wait another year before I get a 4K TV.
Good move, smartypants. First of all what is 4K? A 4K TV is a type of Ultra High Def (UHD) TV. This means it gets like a ridiculous amount of pixels and super high-resolution. Until recently only a few companies were making 4K content. But Netflix, Hulu and Amazon are promising some content for 4K soon. Unless you have a super old TV, hold out on getting that 4K until the prices drop and the quality goes up. Remember how much people were paying for HD TVs a few years ago? Don’t you feel smart you waited on that, too?
2. Good thing Razer came up with a smart band that keeps your messages private.
I don’t need people seeing my best friends texts about her horrible date. Razer’s Nabu is a band (phone bracelet) that also tracks your sleep and fitness habits too. It isn’t particularly attractive though and that is my second biggest concern with most wearable tech. But don’t worry because someone is working on “smart” makeup as well. Soon you will be able to use your false eyelashes and blink to change the channel like Bewitched!
3. It’s only a matter of time before Google acquires Warby Parker.
Speaking of hideous wearable tech…Google Glass. Now, I get it, it just came out and it was originally designed as a sort of camera to essentially let the world experience what you experience. But now you can get prescription Google Glass. It seems like the logical next step is customized frames made by Gucci and Calvin Klein. And since Google is in the habit of acquiring successful companies (see below), I’d look for your shipment of 5 fashionable Google Glasses soon.
4. I can’t decide if Nest is the next step towards living in The Jetsons or 1984.
Nest is the newest company to be acquired by Google for billions of dollars. It’s a thermostat and smoke/carbon monoxide detector system that you control from your phone or the Internet. It got rave reviews when it came out a few years ago and people are loving not only the program itself but the sexy design of the device, which goes on the wall. So now Google is watching your house temperature… and it knows if there is smoke in the house. While this is all exciting, I’m not going to be impressed until I have one of those food rehydraters like in Back To The Future 2.
5. I just got my new phone, but now I wish I had held out for the Galaxy 5 in April.
Phones are a very personal thing. I’m an android gal myself. They aren’t the most trendy (that’s iPhone, of course) but I was a member of a network that didn’t carry the iPhone until recently, so I became hooked on the ‘droid. Microsoft Windows phones are creeping up in popularity though with their cool looking interface and amazing camera. And poor old Blackberry looks like it might go the way of the Laser disc and fax machine.
6. It’s about time that Apple had a manufacturing plant in the U.S.
I feel like I’ve heard so much on the terrible conditions in the East Asian factories. Add to that how downtrodden our own economy is and it’s a wonder why this hasn’t happened earlier. The factory will be built in Mesa, Arizona and will manufacture the “sapphire glass” that protects the iPhone 5. Apple has already begun producing its new Mac Pro domestically in a factory in Austin. Other tech giants like Google have also started producing certain products in the USA, like the Moto X smartphone.
7. Maybe I’d rather have a 3D Printer in my kitchen than the office.
Amirite? 3D printers are pretty rad. They take a 2-dimensional drawing and turn it into a real life thing! And until recently, it’s really only had industry uses… but that is going to change. At the Consumer Electronics Show a few weeks ago, some companies were showing home versions for as little as $5,000 (okay okay, it’s not completely consumer ready). One of these 3-D printers is devoted to printing on sugar and chocolate! Yea, it’s a food printer! I love the future!
8. Like them or not, Beats headphones changed the whole headphone game.
Music geeks and audiophiles will fight you for hours on the sound quality. Tech nerds will argue the overall quality of Dr. Dre’s stylish headphones. But no one is going to argue that making studio quality sounding headphones with a great design has improved the entire headphone market. Now you have great quality personal headphones available from not just the major brands like Bose and Sennheiser, but from new brands and manufacturers with musicians behind them. Now that all these high quality headphones are on the market, hopefully it will drive the price down from $200. But thank God I don’t have to jam tiny ear buds in my ear anymore.
FOR MORE INFO
Want to get inside the geek mind? Or just get creeped out by the totally insane technological advances that are out there?Check out these tech blogs.
TechCrunch – Tech news
Gizmodo – Design and tech branch of the Gawker empire
Slashdot– For the super nerdy
