NEW DELHI :
The coming year is a big one for technology. With 5G finally making its way to the market, a lot of things that were once considered futuristic are set to become reality. The footprints of some of these technologies that were seen this year will create even stronger ripples over the next decade.
No more game downloads
Take the cloud platform Google Stadia for instance. While it didn’t get the reception Google would have hoped for, the concept of cloud gaming is here to stay.
The sheer fact that you can play a console game like Assassin’ s Creed Odyssey on any device, be it your smartphone, computer or television (TV), without having to download and install a large file first, is groundbreaking in itself.
More pixels in all content
With the arrival of 8k TVs, monitors and projectors in 2019, the stage is set for the next big leap in visual technology. New games like Gears 5 have integrated 8k resolution as an option, while new graphics cards by Nvidia and AMD are compatible with 8k-ready monitors and TVs. Driving further adoption will be Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 865 chipset that will support 8k video recording on smartphones, ensuring there is ample user-generated 8k content for consumers from 2020. Next-generation consoles like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are also expected to support gaming in 8k.
The standard combines 7,680 horizontal pixels and 4,320 vertical pixels to deliver 33 million pixels on the screen, resulting in four times sharper images and videos in comparison to 4k, which provides 8 million pixels.
screens that can fold
Regarded as the next big upgrade in smartphone technology, foldable screens got both cheers and jeers in 2019. But while Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X may be too expensive for almost everyone, companies known for making more affordable phones are getting on the bandwagon.
Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is expected to bring a foldable phone to market soon, and reports suggest it will be priced at under $1,000 (around ₹71,000). Competitor OnePlus is also expected to showcase a foldable smartphone at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.
While the new Moto Razr, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X were the three biggest foldable phones announced this year, 2020 is expected to see wider adoption of such devices.
Hearables
The hearables category has been here for a while; but, according to a December report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), they account for almost half of all wearables shipped in Q3, 2019.
Hearables are essentially headphones, but they are shaped like tiny earbuds with no wires. They have voice assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant built in, allowing hands free operation to make calls, etc. Some of them can even track steps, workouts and more.
mainstream 5g support
2020 may witness the first steps in 5G, but the devices that will connect to these networks are ready. Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 865 and 765 chipsets for smartphones, both of which support 5G connectivity. While the 865 is meant for expensive, flagship-class phones, the 765 is for slightly more affordable phones, allowing 5G to go mainstream.
Competition MediaTek has also announced the Dimensity 1000 chipsets, which will support 5G connectivity and is expected to be available on smartphones in Q1, 2020. Among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), OnePlus has reportedly started testing 5G capabilities at their research and development centre in Hyderabad. Telcos in the US, UK and South Korea have even started rolling out 5G services in some places.
faster, better wi-fi
This was also the year when the Wi-Fi Alliance announced the next generation of connectivity standard Wi-Fi 6. It promises four times faster speeds and 50% more range (service area) over the previous version.
The new standard will play an important role in the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) by allowing multiple devices connected to one single network to deliver peak performance simultaneously. Devices with the new started are still very limited but that is expected to change in 2020.
Source: Livemint
