Gadgets that'll make you go gaga

As this year progressed, technology became more personal - tracking your every move, devices talking to each other and uploading details to the cloud to interpret the data in multiple ways. A look at

A connected home
From the Nest thermostat to the Philips Hue lighting system, connected security systems to the June connected oven, the past year has seen the launch of several such devices, though many haven't reached India yet. Next year still might not see the refrigerator ordering milk when you run out of it, but your oven would detect what food you put in, weigh it, and suggest a recipe. Fiction? The June oven does the first two, while you can look for recipes on its app. It shouldn't take long for someone to make it all automatic, should it? If you're a fan of hosting barbecues, but hate standing by the grill and missing out on all the juicy gossip, your prayers might be answered in the coming year. The iGrill2, a grilling thermometer with a 200-hour battery life, allows users to leave their meat which can be monitored from a smartphone. The thermometer can be connected via Bluetooth and comes with a free app which can monitor up to four temperatures at a time

 

 

 

Connected fitness bands/smart watches

This year, we saw a few smart watches which could connect to one's phone over Wi-Fi or even over the internet. The new year would possibly see fitness bands join the party, with the data being collated on the cloud and then the analysis pushed to the phone; all automatically. Smart watches should, hopefully, not need to be tethered to a mobile phone for all times; and more marquee watchmakers would come out with smart watches (there are rumours about Fossil also joining the bandwagon, after Tag Heuer unveiled its first smart watch late this year). The beloved Apple Watch will also see its successor come out next year. And, although not a fitness band in the strictest sense, Quell is one product to look out for in 2016. It is a band designed to provide drug-free pain relief through wearable intensive nerve stimulation. Those suffering from conditions such as fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and sciatica can make use of this band and get some pain relief. The band can also connect to a smartphone to keep track of therapy sessions, monitor quality of sleep and store data on the Quell HealthCloud via its app

 

Accessories for every need

If this year made the mobile lifestyle mainstream, next year could make it de rigueur. Obviously, such a lifestyle has to be supported by all-purpose gadgets, which, with a little external help, could be transformed into the required device. Enter accessories for every possible need - from wireless boom boxes to docking stations. And the bane of a commuter's life is the device's battery getting exhausted. So enter solar backpacks and car charging stations. This year saw this space seeing a number of launches. Since we don't see any earth-shattering changes in commercial batteries yet, expect to see better battery banks and charging stations, such as the Targus APV018AP (pictured). Accessories to make the commute easier might also see better integration with smartphones

 

Premium cans

We've seen jewel-encrusted watches and phones embedded with precious stones. But the next year could see construction of devices using premium components, purely from a technological perspective. The Sennheiser Orpheus is a case in point. Priced at $55,000 this is possibly the priciest pair of headphones in the world. But the premium is for the hand-made device using close to 6,000 components to provide sampling rate of 384kHz and frequency response between 8 Hz and 100 kHz - in other words, aural nirvana

 

Smart entertainment

Connected TVs have been around for long; 4K set-top boxes debuted this year; and network media players and media servers have been popular with geeks for half a decade. With the advances in streaming technology, better broadband speeds and microcomputers becoming more powerful, expect a lot of devices which could be called smart media players. Better still, some of these advancements will be built into your TV or audio system. Plus, 4K could well become mainstream, with prices falling. Add phones and cameras with 4K recording to the mix, and you're looking at a revolution in home videos

 

Robots to your aid

We're still far from putting into practice Asimov's all three laws of robotics, but we're getting there. Robots already perform surgery, work on assembly lines and have been surprisingly good with menial jobs such as cleaning windows, floors and even swimming pools. There has been a number of launches in the space in India, from multinationals to the home-grown Milagrow. Robotic vacuum cleaners have got quite a few working couples and senior citizens interested. The coming year could more traction in this segment, especially since some of them can be programmed to clean the house while you're away

 

Personal transportation devices

Pollution, the odd-even rule, not to mention traffic woes. The modern motorist has a lot to contend with. But help is at hand. And they're available in various shapes - boards, pods, bicycles and even roller skates. Yes, we're talking about personal transportation devices. Some companies entered the segment in the later part of this year. These devices are available across price segments and the coming year should see more people going in for these devices, at least for short distances, and hopefully prices would come down