Busy Year

Looking back over the last twelve months makes me realize two things, the first is that time seems really to be flying, and the other is that this past year has been filled several technology WOW products. The WOW products, as I like to call them, are technological advances that provide a real platform for progress that can be seen in the average technology users’ life verses simply slapping a new coat of paint on the same old product. Three technologies lead off my WOW list for this year.
Heading up the WOW list is the iPod generation five, also known as the video iPod. Contrary to popular belief, Apple was not the first company to create and market an all in one MP3, Picture, and Video player. I reviewed a player by Archos a few years ago, and Creative has a media storage and player unit on the market. The video iPod made the WOW list because of the total package that it offered. In addition to playing music, Apple provided the infrastructure for their users to download T.V. shows. This is what set iPod far above the rest, while relegating their market competition to a position of envy.
Next on the list is the emergence of Wi-Max networks. I have lauded the benefits of Wi-Max in previous articles, and with good reason. Wi-Max is the future of the Internet and Communications. Wi-Max is a Wi-Fi network on steroids, only without a congressional hearing and the side effects. Wi-Max provides a wider net of Internet coverage without the frequent dead spots that can be found in Wi-Fi networks. A properly deployed Wi-Max network can enrich an entire community by allowing more citizens or users to get more out of their technology. A user would no longer be limited by geographical boundaries in regards to the usage of their laptops, PDA’s, and cell phones. I see Wi-Max becoming more of a common phrase to computer users as many local governments and companies choose it as a means to provide Internet connections.
Telemedicine is next on the list of WOW technologies. Telemedicine is the use of technology by medical professionals to assist patients when they are separated by distance. Telemedicine has been around for years, but recently it has experienced a serious growth spurt. Some doctors use a robot with a screen and camera mount to make their patient rounds in hospitals. Telemedicine can also be seen in some emergency vehicles, where a screen, camera, and network connection allow doctors to start working on an ambulance patient, with the help of the paramedics, before they arrive at hospital.
No WOW list for this year could be complete with recognizing the monstrous advancements in Internet phone calls. The sound quality of the phone calls themselves has improved greatly in just a few years. The inclusion of video capabilities that allow families separated by distance to reconnect will become a staple of the industry and a crowd favorite for some time to come.