A few weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal posted the article, “The Tech That Will Change Your Life in 2015: Gadgets and Ideas With the Best Chance of Making an Impact … and What You Can Do to Prepare for Them.” It offered predictions on cutting edge tech trends for the new year. Here are some of the highlights:
- Windows 10: Scheduled for release in the fall
“The beloved Start menu is resurrected and modernized, and multiple virtual desktops will improve multitasking.…you may want to wait for the great assortment of new Windows 10 PCs that will appear in late 2015.”
- Apple Watch: Debuting in the coming months
“It will undoubtedly kick-start a new wave of ideas about how to stay connected with your friends, work and fitness through a device that’s literally always on you. How to get ready: Don’t buy one of the smartwatches already on the market. Most don’t look great and aren’t especially useful. Even if you favor Android, Apple’s entry will likely stimulate the competition to build better, sleeker wrist-tops.”
- Online TV Streaming For Less: Traditionally cable only channels (like HBO) will be available online without a cable TV subscription.
“How to get ready: Find a home broadband service that offers downloads of at least 5 megabits per second. (Yes, you might have to make a new deal with your cable provider.) Then buy a streaming box or stick for your TV.”
- 4K TV: Will become standard at 65 inches or higher.
“These Ultra HD TVs pack four times the resolution of HD, so you can see every bead of sweat on the actors’ brows. The cost of making these TVs has fallen dramatically, and 4K video has arrived via streaming from Netflix, Amazon and others. Those extra pixels aren’t worthwhile on smaller TVs, but if you’re finally buying a big set, you’d be mistaken not to consider 4K.
How to get ready: By next fall, quality 4K TVs will be available for laughably low prices. (But since the tech is evolving fast, never ever buy last year’s model.) And for better color, keep an eye out for “quantum dot” technology.”
Wallet, ID, Keys- All in Your Phone: Services similar to Apple Pay expand other product categories like door keys, loyalty cards and even your Drivers License
How to get ready: You’ll need a recent phone with a technology called NFC to use Apple or Google mobile payment services. And since your phone contains even more sensitive information than ever, be sure to secure it with a screen lock and remote-wipe capabilities.
Biometric Readers: “The coming year will bring 007-style gadgets that scan your eye, listen to your voice or just recognize your heartbeat.”
“How to get ready: Start with a fingerprint scanner, available today on a number of phones including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6. Apps for iOS that already accept finger scans include American Express, Amazon and Mint; if you have a new Samsung phone, try PayPal and the password manager LastPass.”
