Because it is so obvious that the technology industry has reached an inflection point, that phrase has basically become an inside joke at The Verge. The smartphone has dominated attention for so long and spawned so many other industries that it felt that’s all there would be. Everybody had a one-track mind, even if that track has led us into beautiful and strange new vistas.
But eventually, the track hit the coast, and now we’re looking for where to go next. We spent so many years creating the pieces that made the smartphone possible, but it turns out those pieces can make so many more things — things that we’re just now beginning to figure out. Tablets came first, but now there are electric skateboards, intelligent thermostats, flying cameras, virtual reality headsets, and wrist-mounted computers.
Back are gadgets. And they are messy, complicated, and sometimes terrible. But they’re also wonderful; full of potential that everyone can see and nobody has achieved. That’s why we’re launching Circuit Breaker: it will be fun to keep up with all the strange new developments in technology every day. We don’t have to wait for the slick and integrated Next Big Thing, we get to watch it get built together in real time.
when more data is being collected, transmitted, and analyzed than ever before, wearable devices are the ultimate expression of that data collection. And because the sensors in wearable tech not only go on our bodies, but can also fuse with them, or possibly exist within them, it is arguably the most personal form of technology at the moment. Wearable tech is certainly still defining itself — but it’s usually the undefined spaces where things can be the most exciting.
Smartphones
The smartphone reigns supreme among gadgets. It is frequently the device that we use the most and that has the greatest impact on our lives; I cannot think of a device that has had a greater impact over the past ten years. Beyond its own necessity, the smartphone enables countless other gadgets in our lives. That hot new smartwatch on everyone’s wrist? Without a smartphone to connect to, it cannot exist. Want to use a smart thermostat in your house? You’ll be programming and controlling it with your phone. The same is true for the infotainment system in your car, which will probably be powered by your phone in your next vehicle. Smartphones are now so ingrained in our lives that they may even appear uninteresting. Changes from model to model are incremental at best, and the smartphone you bought two or three years ago likely does most, if not all, of the same tricks as the one that came out a week ago. You could argue that the software that powers the smartphone is more important than the device itself, and you’d probably be right!
However, if you push past that monotony, you will discover that the smartphone is still an extremely fascinating and potent device. Smartphones are so important to the business of most technology companies that more resources are devoted to improving them than anything else. The screen, processor, camera, and design of a modern phone are all packed with cutting-edge technology and novel concepts. We have phones with curved screens, phones that can react to how hard you push on them, phones that can keep pace with nearly any compact camera, phones that can be virtual reality headsets, and so on. If you’re not thinking of the smartphone as a gadget anymore, well, it’s probably time to reconsider.
Drones
A drone was the last thing I expected to see at this year’s Facebook developer conference with Mark Zuckerberg. Yet, there it was: a small, white quadcopter streaming live video of the billionaire CEO from above, hovering stage left. It was a striking reminder that while drones may never be as ubiquitous as smartphones, there is something uniquely compelling about the possibilities they open up for filming and photography, and we should never underestimate the appetite humans have for new ways of looking at themselves.
China’s DJI is by far the most well-known consumer drone manufacturer in the world. No other drone company is getting special retail placement from Apple or appearing onstage with Zuckerberg. Its Phantom line of camera drones has long been our favorite model, and the latest iteration, the Phantom 4, puts DJI’s drone in a class of its own.
