How fast things change

I have been thinking about the past and the present lately and how fast technology has advanced in the past 10 years. The following items are now considered part of every day living – Cell/smart phones, Digital camera’s, MP3 player’s, DVD media and players, Broadband and Wireless internet, Laptops, USB Flash memory sticks, portable hard drives, Hard drive (Tivo) and DVD recording, LCD computer monitors and Televisions.

If you were to look at the 10 year period between 1988 and 1998 there was great change but not as much as the past 10 years. Yes there was the internet in the mid 90’s and cell phones were becoming more available but we were still using the same technology.

In 1998 technology like MP3 and DVD were still relatively new things. Now both are part of everyday lives. MP3 is now advertised as being available in cars, cell phones and of course the ubiquitous iPod. DVD has replaced VHS as the medium of choice for viewing movies and TV show.

MP3 was the first major technology to have an impact of physical media. Instead of a CD you had files that could be listed on a PC and small portable players. Slowly that is also being adapted for movies and TV via services like iTunes and other download services. But this is mainly for people who want to view content on the go on their portable iPods or media players.

Cell or mobile phones are so cheap that everyone in a family has one. Not only does it make phone calls but text messages, games, music (MP3) and radio. Add to the mix the smart phone for email, web browsing, GPS, contacts, calendar/appointments, viewing or creating documents such as word and spreadsheet.

In 1998 there was the Web and fast broadband connections of 512 and 1MB were just starting to take off. Now standard broadband ranges from 1.5-5MB in speed and really fast broadband anywhere from 8mb – 24mb.

With the reduction in cost of laptops and wireless technology getting cheaper and easier to use, wireless access has taken off and can now be accessed in Library’s, Bars/Pubs, coffee shops and your home.

With all this data we need to move and store it. USB Flash memory sticks have replaced the floppy drive with sizes ranging from 128MB to 16GB. In addition we now have other media cards such as SD, Compact Flash and Memory Stick that are used to store our pictures from our digital camera’s. Now we can take thousands of pictures and choose the best to print at your local electronics store or chemist with digital printing booth that accept a variety of media types.

CRT or cathode ray tube TV’s are now longer sold by the big TV manufactures. Instead they sell LCD’s TV’s ranging in size from 20 to 60 inches. Sporting terms like - High Definition, 1080P, HDMI and 30000:1 Contrast ratio. The same for computer monitors, it's all LCD, slimline and light weight.

Hard drive and DVDs are starting to replace VHS for recording TV shows in the mainstream. I got my first one in 2003 and love the fact you don’t have to look for tapes to record to.

10 years ago I did not own an MP3 player, Digital camera, mobile, USB memory stick, a portable hard drive, laptop with wireless connection, LCD TV, a DVD player, hard drive/DVD recorder. Now I wouldn’t know what do without the above.

I wonder what’s in store for me and the rest of the world in 2018. The 2 things I am really looking forward to are more Hybrid and Electric cars and more content in high definition, hopefully Blu-ray!