The technological world has expanded to such a degree that almost anything is possible. People are talking about virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), but these concepts can only work if the devices are there from which they can operate. So just which five devices have changed the way we live?
Mobile phones
Where would we be without mobile phones? The first idea for a mobile phone service dates back to 1947, but the first call was made in 1973 by American Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher who phoned his rival at AT&T Bell Labs to test it out. But, now they are devices with which we can do everything. Contacting, photography and even gaming, mobile phones are impressive bits of kit. Gambling can be done at the touch of a button with access spreading far and wide. Online casino environments allow people to earn money through their mobile and join immersive groups such as the William Hill casino club on the go.
Walk down the street and almost everyone will be on their mobile phone, talking to someone, playing a song or playing a game, passing the time until they get to their next destination. They have truly revolutionised society – though whether that is in a good or a bad way is open to discussion.
Personal computers
Multiple laptops or Macs adorn nearly every household, but there was a time when computers were huge and required an intense cooling system to stop them from overheating. IBM recasted the desktop computer to become an office tool in 1983 whilst Apple brought out the Macintosh for everyday use a year later.
Whether it’s playing games, doing work, traversing casino and bingo sites, talking to people all around the world or simply browsing the internet, a personal computer is an essential gadget to possess in the modern world, but it’s also made the world more remote: people no longer need to talk face-to-face.
Broadband
Those days of pesky dial-up connections are now long gone with broadband providing people in their own homes the chance to stream movies and music, browse the internet, make video calls and download whatever file they want as quickly as possible.
Having a fast and reliable connection has changed the way both mobile phones and personal computers can function too. Both require connectivity at home and it’s the quality of broadband that determines how well they effectively work.
Virtual assistants
At the turn of the century, the idea of having a ‘computer’ in your house that can answer your questions and play the music you want just by responding to speech would have seemed a wild fantasy.
Now though, courtesy of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Google’s Home, virtual assistants are able to complete various tasks in many households. And, to put things in perspective, through using Google Home, users are able to control over 30,000 different connected devices – whether a household will ever need that many though is unlikely.
Robotic vacuums
An increasing number of robotic vacuums can now be found around the world with Dyson, Hoover and Miele offering an eclectic mix. These vacuums help clean houses, moving around and picking up dirt along the way.
Of course, with robotic vacuums, they can arouse suspicion. When a couple from North Carolina called the police after they heard a disturbance downstairs in the middle of the night, the couple were shocked to find it was their very own ROOMBA robotic vacuum.
Though this is unlikely to happen in the majority of households, it’s still comical to find a robotic vacuum doing the cleaning just after midnight. Whilst humans need sleep, a robot clearly doesn’t.
