Tech blogs love to write about “bleeding edge” products that push the boundaries of what consumer electronics can provide. We see them as the gadgets of tomorrow, but many of these viral products are already the gadgets of today. Tech like wireless headphones, smartwatches, VR and self-driving cars are no long just concepts — they’re here.
So if you’re looking for tech to bring you into the future (which is really the present) these are four places to get started.
Go Wireless with Apple AirPods
For better or worse, Apple sure knows how to stir up controversy during new product launches. When the company announced that the new iPhone 7 would not have a headphone jack, people lost their minds. But Apple also knows how to play the long game, and they bet big on wireless headphones with the Apple AirPods.
AirPods aren’t the first bluetooth headphones on the market, but take a closer look and see that these are unlike anything else you can buy. The new W1 chip in the iPhone 7 (and likely coming to other Apple devices) makes pairing effortless. The case that houses the small earbuds is actually a battery and charging pack. And the controls are fully customizable so that every touch and tap enables a different command. The AirPods give us a good look at where Apple, and likely the industry, is heading with wireless sound.
Get Fit with Smartwatches
Smartwatches have been a niche product for several years now and were slow to find their place, but a new focus on fitness might change all that. Dedicated fitness trackers from companies like FitBit and Jawbone met their match when smartwatches started using heart rate and GPS to measure fitness activity. And now they even communicate with common gym equipment like treadmills, ellipticals and stationary bicycles.
The Apple Watch is the first to communicate with gym equipment in its new OS, but Android watches aren’t far behind and already use dedicated GPS and heartbeat detection to deliver accurate fitness tracking.
Immerse Yourself with VR
VR is not long the future, it’s the present. While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive still require a decently-powered PC to operate, Samsung Gear VR and Playstation VR can bring this tech into nearly every home. And the content for this new platform is catching up.
TV shows and movies are making VR featurettes and more video games are using VR. What was once a luxury is now becoming a core part of home entertainment.
Self Driving, Take the Wheel
Self-driving cars are not a matter of if, they’re a matter of when. We will see fully self-driving cars in our lifetime, and we could likely see a world where manual driving makes up a small percentage of cars on the road. We’re still waiting for the laws to catch up to the technology, and only a handful of cars can experiment with true self driving on the road. But there are thousands of cars on the road right now that could self-drive with the flip of a switch and there will be tens of thousands more to come in 2018 — the Tesla Model S and Model 3.
These cars have all the working parts to be fully self-driving, but Tesla is just waiting for the moment it can legally make it happen. And as far as affordability goes, the new Model 3 will start at just $35,000.
