MP3 Players Everywhere

MP3 players are being integrated into all types of gadgets. There's plenty of cell phone choices that double as MP3 players, and now you can get a watch that plays MP3s also. For $160 you can get the Macgyver 512MB MP3 watch that plays MP3s, stores files, and records your voice. Soon MP3 playing capabilities will surround us in everyday technologies. There won't be a need for a gadget that simply plays MP3s, MP3 players will just be added to existing technologies to make life as simple as possible.

Human Body for Broadband Networking

A Japanese communications company called NTT claims they can send data over the surface of skin at speeds equivalent to a fast broadband data connection using a technology they call RedTacton. IBM pioneered the idea of the human body as a conduit for data in 1996 with a system that could transfer small amounts of data at low speeds, but RedTacton is the first practical system because it doesn't need transmitters to be in direct contact with the skin. The transmitter can be built into gadgets or carried in bags and work within 20 cm of your body. The supposed benefit to body-based networking over radio-based personal area networking technologies is that the body-based networking is more secure. I'm interested in seeing how this technology plays out, and if it will become an important technology in everyday life.

iPhone

“We want to reinvent the phone,” Jobs said. I think Apple did just that. The new Apple iPhone is the latest breakthrough in cell phone technology. It combines three top-selling products into one device: a mobile phone, an iPod with touch controls, and an Internet communications device. Young adults are going to be dying to get the iPhone, so they can update their cell phones and MP3 players simultaneously. I think the iPhone will also be popular with adults of all ages who are looking to have an all-in-one device that can be used for work as well as for exercising at the gym. Now it will be a race to see who can create a better mobile device with newer and improved technology. I'm sure it won't take too long for Apple to outdo themselves again.