New inventions we will all own....

Sunglasses Ron

A slightly vague title but it was something that hit me reading the Reeling in the Years and the "when do you wish you had been a teenager" threads.

If you asked me five years ago were there any major inventions left that we would all be using, I would have said there were none of enough importance to imagine everyone having one. iPhones have been around since what, 2007 odd, but until 2011 were purely n Apple fanboy toy. It was only in 2011 that the average Joe suddenly thought it was worth spending an entire weeks wages on one.

The last decade has been the most rapid in terms of everyday technology take up. Yet I still can't think of anything left that I can imagine will become an essential part of our lives. Projects in their infancy like Google glasses and Apple smart wristwatches to me just seem like complete rubbish that will never catch on. In the sixties people were predicting the year 2000 with wildly impractical every devices like jetpacks and moon colonies.

TouchingVirus

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Projects in their infancy like Google glasses and Apple smart wristwatches to me just seem like complete rubbish that will never catch on.

A bit like the iPhone around 2007/8, no?

Amirani

iPhones are still an Apple fanboy toy.

People don't consider the price/performance when buying them.

Sunglasses Ron

TouchingVirus wrote: »

A bit like the iPhone around 2007/8, no?

I am a Samsung Galaxy man myself That thing has been dropped on the ground and opened itself I reckon once per month for a year now and there is not a mark on it! You could talk an Apple screen into cracking, for the cost of them they are useless really.

Point I guess is, 20 years ago anyone who owned a mobile phone who was not a doctor, businessman or other high ranking professional was generally regarded as a gob****e trying to project themselves s some sort of big man. There is a clip on Reeling in the Years where Dennis O Brien claims in 1996 that within five years every man and woman, and even children will have mobiles, something that back then seemed like a pipe dream.

krudler

NiallSparky wrote: »

iPhones are still an Apple fanboy toy.

People don't consider the price/performance when buying them.

Yawn

Gummy Panda

Google Glasses could be cool in that you could record scobies being scobies in the public without taking out your phone. Then you can upload it to facebook for likes and admiration.

Joe Exotic

I think cash will be very rare. most people will use mobile devices like phones to pay for goods i.e the phone will link to your bank account via a pin.

The banks are already trying to cut down on cash and this technology is already being developed.

about half way down the page

castletownman

A make-up shotgun!

TouchingVirus

My point was that today's rubbish invention nobody wants is tomorrow's must have item. The mobile phone is a prime example, in its infancy they were big, expensive and looked shíte. Mobile networks weren't widely available and everybody back in the 90s got on just fine without them. Then came the refinements; smaller phones, the injection of non-phone stuff like games, marketing that drove demand (hello Eircell) and suddenly there was an explosion in mobile phone uptake. Then came the smartphones, same story really. So I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss current inventions like Google Glass

Amirani

krudler wrote: »

Yawn

They don't? It's a branding or aesthetics issue.

You can't argue that iPhones are the best hardware around, they're not. You also can't argue that they're cheaper than the alternatives. they're not.

Sunglasses Ron

murphk wrote: »

I think cash will be very rare. most people will use mobile devices like phones to pay for goods i.e the phone will link to your bank account via a pin.

The banks are already trying to cut down on cash and this technology is already being developed.

about half way down the page

I dread the day, I hate buying on card. I hate being forced to buy anything online being honest. Having said that could there really be a day when people who despise mobile phones (there are still a handful out there) and who do not hold a bank account would be forced to acquire them?

I can't see print newspapers lasting more than a decade. I used to buy them to keep me occupied on the bus, since I have all the news on the phone I haven't bought a paper at all.

krudler

NiallSparky wrote: »

They don't? It's a branding or aesthetics issue.

You can't argue that iPhones are the best hardware around, they're not. You also can't argue that they're cheaper than the alternatives. they're not.

Yeah but saying their purely for apple fanboys is ridiculous, iphones are no longer a status symbol they're more common than nokias now. I have both an android and iphone, both have their advantages and disadvantages.

krudler

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

I dread the day, I hate buying on card. I hate being forced to buy anything online being honest. Having said that could there really be a day when people who despise mobile phones (there are still a handful out there) and who do not hold a bank account would be forced to acquire them?

I can't see print newspapers lasting more than a decade. I used to buy them to keep me occupied on the bus, since I have all the news on the phone I haven't bought a paper at all.

Bertie Ahern? what kind of grown adult doesn't have a bank account? why should things be held back because of some yokels who still live in the past? technology makes life easier I dunno why people are so slow to adapt in this country.

Sunglasses Ron

TouchingVirus wrote: »

My point was that today's rubbish invention nobody wants is tomorrow's must have item. The mobile phone is a prime example, in its infancy they were big, expensive and looked shíte. Mobile networks weren't widely available and everybody back in the 90s got on just fine without them. Then came the refinements; smaller phones, the injection of non-phone stuff like games, marketing that drove demand (hello Eircell) and suddenly there was an explosion in mobile phone uptake. Then came the smartphones, same story really. So I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss current inventions like Google Glass

But there are a long list of predicted must have items that just never took off. Hovercrafts were once touted as replacing passenger ferrys, I haven't heard of them in years now. Same for the Segways, holidays on the moon and flying cars and all that they predicted 60 years ago, often the impracticability of an idea kills it off.

Sinfonia

krudler wrote: »

Bertie Ahern? what kind of grown adult doesn't have a bank account? why should things be held back because of some yokels who still live in the past? technology makes life easier I dunno why people are so slow to adapt in this country.

I dunno, Google Glass makes me sad for some reason.

krudler

Sinfonia wrote: »

I dunno, Google Glass makes me sad for some reason.

Not just even google glass but things like laser (outdated too) cards or doing things online like paying bills. Sending half your day or lunchbreak standing in a bank or post office paying things with paper? no thanks, pull out phone or tablet and do it in seconds.

Sunglasses Ron

krudler wrote: »

Bertie Ahern? what kind of grown adult doesn't have a bank account? why should things be held back because of some yokels who still live in the past? technology makes life easier I dunno why people are so slow to adapt in this country.

I am fairly sure bankrupt people in the UK are not allowed to hold a regular bank account.

limitedIQ

I would say the google glasses is the start of something, in the future it will in the form of a contact lense (like charlie brookers Black mirror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImbpjWRMy2k).

also an implant in your hand linked to your bank so you can just swipe it to pay for stuff.

Agricola

Oculus Rift. Its being developed primarily for gaming, but it will snowball into something massive. The technology works well, even at prototype stage. Its the beginnings of Star Trek's holodeck.

Sunglasses Ron

krudler wrote: »

Not just even google glass but things like laser (outdated too) cards or doing things online like paying bills. Sending half your day or lunchbreak standing in a bank or post office paying things with paper? no thanks, pull out phone or tablet and do it in seconds.

Personally if you could book the likes of Ryanair flights in person, given a choice between going into an office and letting a girl behind the counter find the cheapest flight for me and throwing her a few notes, versus going onto their site, finding the cheapest options myself, entering my name, address, card number, expiration date, then having to try and work out one of those Captcha security codes, logging into my email, then having to make my way to an internet cafe to re open and print the emailed ticket, well, you get my meaning! I only use internet shopping if really necessary, I find it much more of a pain in the arse than face to face buying.

kneemos

krudler wrote: »

Bertie Ahern? what kind of grown adult doesn't have a bank account? why should things be held back because of some yokels who still live in the past? technology makes life easier I dunno why people are so slow to adapt in this country.

Technology consumes peoples every waking hour by the looks of it.

Outkast_IRE

Agricola wrote: »

Oculus Rift. Its being developed primarily for gaming, but it will snowball into something massive. The technology works well, even at prototype stage. Its the beginnings of Star Trek's holodeck.

Have to agree, I do think Oculus Rift is going to be massive. Im not bothering to upgrade my pc at the moment because im waiting for Oculus Rift to properly launch and see what specs would be best to run games using it etc.

Agricola

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Have to agree, I do think Oculus Rift is going to be massive. Im not bothering to upgrade my pc at the moment because im waiting for Oculus Rift to properly launch and see what specs would be best to run games using it etc.

Yeah I think they said a 1080p version is launching at some point, so rendering that twice will require a bit of grunt alright. Im very tempted to sign up for the dev kit even, but I can't be bothered with the hassle of it. I don't see how the finished version won't be a day 1 buy though.

krudler

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Have to agree, I do think Oculus Rift is going to be massive. Im not bothering to upgrade my pc at the moment because im waiting for Oculus Rift to properly launch and see what specs would be best to run games using it etc.

if Half Life 3 ever comes out and is compatible then Valve will have all the money.

nocoverart

OP, I'm more concerned about the fact that you watch that utter sh1te Reeling in the Years.

EDIT: oh no it was a thread you were reading

o1s1n

After getting an Oculus Rift VR developer kit, I can safely say that is the future of entertainment. It's bloody amazing.

nocoverart

o1s1n wrote: »

After getting an Oculus Rift VR developer kit, I can safely say that is the future of entertainment. It's bloody amazing.

Did it make you queasy? can you use it in long stretches? I'm not great with that kind of thing.

Jimoslimos

3D printers I guess may be the next big thing. I know you can get them today but I'm more interested to see how the technology develops in the next 10-20 years. Price should drop too.

Of course it could just end up as an expensive automated Airfix model maker.

krudler

Jimoslimos wrote: »

3D printers I guess may be the next big thing. I know you can get them today but I'm more interested to see how the technology develops in the next 10-20 years. Price should drop too.

Of course it could just end up as an expensive automated Airfix model maker.

I can finally download a car!

krudler

krudler wrote: »

Yeah but saying their purely for apple fanboys is ridiculous, iphones are no longer a status symbol they're more common than nokias now. I have both an android and iphone, both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Not necessarily true. It's been reported in the news quite a lot that iPhones are losing out to Android phones now, as their sales have slumped quite a lot.

I cannot wait to try the Oculus Rift. Can you imagine how great it would be to play FPS or horror survival games on it? Absolutely terrifying. This is a great video that demonstrates how much fun it would be!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoQ0OXJCbaE

And when it's combined with something else, like the Omni, then.. woaahh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpHWJMytx5I

visual

krudler wrote: »

Bertie Ahern? what kind of grown adult doesn't have a bank account? why should things be held back because of some yokels who still live in the past? technology makes life easier I dunno why people are so slow to adapt in this country.

This has been the biggest con ever and now a cash cow for the banks.

Wages paid dirrectly in so you need account then every company providing a service either wants DD or the charges are hidden in the price.

It was much cheaper not to have a bank account.

Price of technology but who really benefits

krudler

Deleted User wrote: »

Not necessarily true. It's been reported in the news quite a lot that iPhones are losing out to Android phones now, as their sales have slumped quite a lot.

Yeah I know that's my point, this idea that iphones are still some sort of status symbol or everyone harps on about owning one, they're just phones now. And yeah android is getting more and more popular, see it all the time at work iphone users are moving to samsung s4 instead

Sunglasses Ron

Really this last decade must have the fastest uptake of new technology for everyday use in history.


Forms of radio have been around since the late 19th century yet it was only in the 30's that the average Irish household would have acquired one. From then there were no major uptakes in everyday used technology until the man on the street got TV, a family car and electricity, all from the mid 50's onwards, even though the technology had been available to the upper classes for some time before that. Landline telephones by the late 60's to nearly 1980, even at that I remember on my uncles street in the 90's a few people did not have a phone because there was a coinbox at the end of the street. Electricity, television, telephone, radio and cars were all available to the wealthy from the early 20's, yet it took the best part of 60 years for them all to become commonplace.

Contrast that to the internet, which was being used by a vast majority of us within about 10 years of it having become available to the public. Mobiles, about 18 years. Smartphones, three or four years.

o1s1n

nocoverart wrote: »

Did it make you queasy? can you use it in long stretches? I'm not great with that kind of thing.

Depends what I'm running on it. Most of the software to use with it at the moment is prototype stuff, so it's not optimized and can get a bit laggy on my PC.

You need to be able to get 60fps in both eyes with Vsync enabled for proper performance. Anything under that can begin making you queasy.

I found I can handle down as far as about 30fps - anything under that though and your eyes/brain/stomach really start not liking it!

First night I got the thing and spent a good 5 hours or so without any ill effects...until I decided to give HL2 a go in VR.

Here's what buggered me up - the loading screen is static. So you move your head around but it stays dead centre. Made me instantly feel ill and I had to take the thing off.

Only other things which have made me ill are one which are meant to - there's a rollercoaster demo which does make your stomach get that 'dip' feeling when leave the top of a high point.

Really amazing piece of tech though, people are going to love it once it goes mainstream. Seems easy enough to port games over too - was playing Quake VR there the other day. Absolutely insane being in the middle of the environment. Can be quite terrifying when one of those dogs runs at you :eek:

shleedance

Smartphones are quite beneficial to me. For example, If I'm out and about, I can use the GPS to find specific shops or help me out if I'm lost. If I see something that interests me, I can quickly google it on the spot and find out what people thought of it.

Technology is moving fast, but people need to keep up. That does not mean buying the latest and greatest every time, but if you hold back then you're missing out on a potential social necessity (same way it's almost essential for people to have a computer and the internet now to cope in today's society) and just end up becoming backwards and redundant.

An example is this: a lot of office jobs require basic IT skills, ie. word processing and such. If you hold back because you don't like the technology, you're not getting that job.

Jimoslimos

krudler wrote: »

I can finally download a car!

You could. But if the technology matches the development of the standard inkjet then the cost of resin/manufacturing material for printing would cripple you!

Outkast_IRE

Oculus Rift is going to redefine scary games, and result in a lot of broken objects and computers from panicking.


I remember a good few years ago playing Doom 3 with the lights down low, and surround sound, at this point it was the first game I owned that truly utilised surround sound. I remember being scared ****less hearing noises behind me and moving around etc.

Oculus rift will be the next level, someone will die of a heart attack

kneemos

Jimoslimos wrote: »

3D printers I guess may be the next big thing. I know you can get them today but I'm more interested to see how the technology develops in the next 10-20 years. Price should drop too.

Of course it could just end up as an expensive automated Airfix model maker.

Don't see how they could compete with mass production.

o1s1n

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

Oculus Rift is going to redefine scary games, and result in a lot of broken objects and computers from panicking.


I remember a good few years ago playing Doom 3 with the lights down low, and surround sound, at this point it was the first game I owned that truly utilised surround sound. I remember being scared ****less hearing noises behind me and moving around etc.

Oculus rift will be the next level, someone will die of a heart attack

There's a Rift demo called 'Alone in the Rift'. Think walking through a dark forest with a torch like in Slederman but you're actually there in person.

The interesting thing is, you're controlling the torch with your mouse but what you're seeing is controlled by your head movements. So you're constantly looking around you into the dartkness and then slowly moving the torch towards it afraid of what might appear with the light.

I have no qualms in saying there was a point where I scrambled to hit the ESC key on my computer, was unable to find it and promptly tore the Rift off my head

krudler

o1s1n wrote: »

There's a Rift demo called 'Alone in the Rift'. Think walking through a dark forest with a torch like in Slederman but you're actually there in person.

The interesting thing is, you're controlling the torch with your mouse but what you're seeing is controlled by your head movements. So you're constantly looking around you into the dartkness and then slowly moving the torch towards it afraid of what might appear with the light.

I have no qualms in saying there was a point where I scrambled to hit the ESC key on my computer, was unable to find it and promptly tore the Rift off my head

Awesome imagine something like Condemned or Amnesia in that environment.

Cale

I think we'll all own our own DNA identification modules for the simple reason that we'll be infiltrated by aliens and we need to know it's our friends we're actually talking to.

You can't put a price on safety, folks!

Agricola

o1s1n wrote: »

There's a Rift demo called 'Alone in the Rift'. Think walking through a dark forest with a torch like in Slederman but you're actually there in person.

The interesting thing is, you're controlling the torch with your mouse but what you're seeing is controlled by your head movements. So you're constantly looking around you into the dartkness and then slowly moving the torch towards it afraid of what might appear with the light.

I have no qualms in saying there was a point where I scrambled to hit the ESC key on my computer, was unable to find it and promptly tore the Rift off my head

Came across those horror games on the Rift lately with this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L65fPvrrSuQ

That sort of immersion in a big budget survivial horror game? Hole -eee -- fúck!

The Mulk

Watching Top Gear a while ago and the new Merc has built in night vision, looked pretty cool, should be standard on all cars c. 10 years.

runawaybishop

kneemos wrote: »

Don't see how they could compete with mass production.

They won't, the idea is that they will be used for once-off projects with low runs or to replace components in devices.

You can walk in and get a case printed for your raspberry pi, for example, for 40 gbp from a printing company, or if you had the printer yourself it would cost maybe 1 euro in materials.

Similarly, you could print off replacement parts for things etc - no more playing monopoly with the hat missing

o1s1n

Agricola wrote: »

That sort of immersion in a big budget survivial horror game? Hole -eee -- fúck!

That's the one that got me! Was very lucky my laptop didn't end up smashed on the floor

the purple tin

Tiny wireless earphones implanted directly into the ear canal. It will make it nigh on impossible to tell if someone is on the phone or just a nutter talking to themselves.

Outkast_IRE

The only thing that will screw occulus rift, is if they don't set out rigid guidelines for specs for computers, i would just be waiting for all the idiots giving it bad reviews cause it stutters on their laptops.

They should be working in liason with graphics cards manufacturers too to cards are launched "Rift Optimised" etc. It would help a lot of people with little knowledge of components.

Duggy747

Yea, pretty much the only device coming in the near future that I seriously want is the Oculus Rift.

I normally wait a while for the dust to settle on something new like this but so far it's really sold itself with the good feedback, big names attached to it's development and the huge amount of possibilities it has.

Was very tempted to getting the dev kit but I'm going to hold off until final release.

Outkast_IRE

Duggy747 wrote: »

Yea, pretty much the only device coming in the near future that I seriously want is the Oculus Rift.

I normally wait a while for the dust to settle on something new like this but so far it's really sold itself with the good feedback, big names attached to it's development and the huge amount of possibilities it has.

Was very tempted to getting the dev kit but I'm going to hold off until final release.

The internet will be in meltdown the day pre-orders are allowed for the final kit.