Here’s one for the techno-geeks out there! Most of us are familiar with how new technology launches can be frequently hindered by delays and 2014 was a year in which the most noticeable story was….consumer hardware that didn’t ship! But amongst the no-shows, 2014 saw the introduction of some real gems with some staggering technological innovation that hit the streets. What may have seemed like a futuristic fantasy is now sitting on store shelves. Here is our list of the top 5 biggest technological innovations of 2014.
The hoverboard is both fascinating and exhilarating at the same time. While the enabling technology for its success already exists, it is only now that someone has been able to fine tune it to create a real-life hoverboard. According to the description, the hoverboard’s magic is in its 4 disc-shape hover-engines which create a unique magnetic field which actually pushes against itself. This generates a lift that levitates the board away from the ground. The Hendo Hover is expected to ship in 2015. We’re sure it’ll get off to a flying start!
After a series of false starts in previous technological eras, affordable yet highly compelling virtual reality has finally materialised, courtesy of Samsung. Samsung’s $200 Gear VR headset uses the company’s Galaxy Note 4 phablet as its ‘brain’ to display astonishingly believable wireless virtual reality. The Samsung Gear VR delivers the ultimate viewing experience as if you were in front of a mega sized screen. Samsung Gear VR really does allow you to step into virtual reality and feel the world beyond your peripheral vision like never before. We definitely want to go there!
3. SSDs Get Faster And Stronger
SSDs are data storage devices that use integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data as an alternative to a hard drive. They make a PC perform like lightening. Two innovations in 2014 have elevated SSDs to even higher speeds. Samsung’s special technology known as 3D V NAND was used to create the 850 Pro series of SSDs and the 850 EVO, delivering SSD longevity to the masses. And as if these speeds weren’t high enough, the super-fast M.2 PCIe also hit the shelves in 2014, with the ability to deliver respective read & write speeds in excess of 700MB/s! Fast just got faster!
4. The Future Of Wi-Fi
On the subject of high speed, the forthcoming generation of Wi-Fi, the 802.11ac, became the current generation of Wi-Fi in early 2014 when the standard was officially endorsed. The 802.11ac delivers significantly more than double the transfer speed of previous generation 802.11n routers. It is so fast that groups are scrambling to create new Ethernet standards just so wired networks can keep up.
We’re just loving the speed!
5. Apple: iMac With Retina 5K Display
Apple’s new 27 inch Retina iMac 5K display has four times as many pixels as the standard 27 inch iMac display allowing you to experience unbelievable detail on an amazing scale. The new iMac doesn’t stop at just an amazing screen. Housing a quad core Intel Core processor, an up-to-date AMD graphics and a whole host of other outstanding features, this is one extremely powerful Mac behind all those pixels. Check out those dazzling looks and see why it’s one of the biggest tech innovations of 2014 – and one of our favourites!
