The Best Tech That's Just Around the Corner: A Look at 2016's Hottest Trends

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a buzzword that has been growing in popularity for good reason. According to Gartner, there will be upwards of 6.4 billion connected devices used worldwide in 2016, up 30% from 2015. This number is expected to reach 20.8 billion by 2020. While this may seem like a good thing, not every IoT product is worth getting excited about. In fact, there are at least five examples of IoT devices that are utterly pointless, such as the Green IQ smart Garden Hub, which takes the hassle out of watering plants, and the $100 Vessel smart cup, which monitors how much water you drink for real-time. These types of products may be convenient, but they also represent a waste of resources and a lack of innovation.

On the other hand, there are many exciting developments on the horizon that promise to revolutionize the way we live and work. One area that is getting a lot of attention is virtual reality (VR). 2016 is shaping up to be an iconic year for VR, with Oculus finally set to release its Rift headset in March for $599 US. This is surprising, given that many people had expected the first-generation headset to cost significantly more. The Rift was considered to be the quintessential VR experience, but it has been a long time coming, and other VR platforms have already surpassed it and made their way to consumers.

Another area that is gaining traction is wearables. 2016 is expected to be the year when wearables move from being a niche market to becoming mainstream. The third wave of wear devices is set to arrive, with more options and less sacrifice, which means that more consumers will get on board with the wearable trend. We can expect new wearables from LG, Motorola, Huawei, and HTC, among others. One personal prediction for a breakthrough wearable product would be an earpiece or two earpieces in stereo that are very comfortable, discreet, and can be worn in such a way that you actually forget they're there. These earpieces would allow you to hear phone calls, music, podcasts, audiobooks, and all that kind of stuff, while still being able to hear the outside world.

Mobile payments are also set to make a big impact in 2016. According to Brian Joerger, an analyst at eMarketer, younger consumers generally have fewer apprehensions when it comes to experimenting with new technologies. Ultimately, mobile wallets will need to have a strong track record of security to attract more users across all demographics. The adoption rate for mobile payments may be slower among the older generation, but this is likely to change as more and more people become comfortable with using their devices to make transactions.

Overall, 2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year for tech. Whether it's virtual reality, wearables, or mobile payments, there are many developments on the horizon that promise to transform the way we live and work. As always, it's up to us to stay ahead of the curve and embrace these new technologies, rather than waiting for them to catch up with us.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enlet's talk about every geek's favorite topic and that's the best tech that's just around the corner The Internet of Things is a buzzword that's been growing in popularity for a good reason just about every tech company out there whether you're talking about smartphone oems or accessory makers have launched at least one connected product over the past 2 years according to Gartner there will be upwards of 6.4 billion connected did things to use worldwide in 2016 up 30% from 2015 the research company also says that the number of iot devices will reach 20.8 billion by 2020 but that's not necessarily a good thing for every good product that's a wearable or so-called Internet of Things device there's at least five more that are utterly pointless such as from the green IQ smart Garden Hub that takes the hassle out of watering plants or the $100 vessel smart cup that monitors how much water you drink for Real Every Time The Internet of Things Revolution looks like it's about to get off the ground it just stays the same and that probably won't change in 2016 it might in 2017 or 2018 but not this year now let's talk virtual reality or as my wife says the age in which Geeks do not leave their goddamn bedroom 2016 is going to be an iconic year for virtual reality this is the year that Oculus will finally come to Market with their Rift headset which will ship out to early adopters in March for $ 599 us which surprisingly isn't as much as many folks were expecting for the first generation headset to cost years ago the rift was considered to be the quintessential virtual reality experience but it's been a long time coming and other VR platforms have already surpassed the rift and making their way to Consumers we expect that 2016 will also be the Year where wearables are no longer a niche market in 2016 the third wave of wear devices will arrive there will be more options and less sacrifice which means more consumers will get on board with the wearable Trend as far as specifics are concerned we can likely expect new wearables from LG and Motorola and possibly even Huawei and HTC now my personal prediction for a breakthrough wearable product would be an earpiece or two earpieces in Stereo that are very comfortable discreet and can be worn in such a way that you actually forget that they're there allow you to hear phone calls music podcasts audiobooks and all that kind of stuff and still hear the outside world that would be fantastic who's going to do it and we also expect that 2016 will be an even bigger year for mobile payments we expect a slower adoption rate for mobile payments among the older generation but according to Brian joerger an analyst at e marketer younger consumers generally have fewer apprehensions when it comes to experimenting with new technologies ultimately mobile wallets will need to have a strong track of security to attract more users across all demographics longterm all right now it's your turn let me know in the comments below what you think will be right around the corner in 2016 or Beyond and back it up with some sort of evidence give us an intelligent argument and don't forget about my brothers and sister and Android who are working super hard to be your source for all things Androidlet's talk about every geek's favorite topic and that's the best tech that's just around the corner The Internet of Things is a buzzword that's been growing in popularity for a good reason just about every tech company out there whether you're talking about smartphone oems or accessory makers have launched at least one connected product over the past 2 years according to Gartner there will be upwards of 6.4 billion connected did things to use worldwide in 2016 up 30% from 2015 the research company also says that the number of iot devices will reach 20.8 billion by 2020 but that's not necessarily a good thing for every good product that's a wearable or so-called Internet of Things device there's at least five more that are utterly pointless such as from the green IQ smart Garden Hub that takes the hassle out of watering plants or the $100 vessel smart cup that monitors how much water you drink for Real Every Time The Internet of Things Revolution looks like it's about to get off the ground it just stays the same and that probably won't change in 2016 it might in 2017 or 2018 but not this year now let's talk virtual reality or as my wife says the age in which Geeks do not leave their goddamn bedroom 2016 is going to be an iconic year for virtual reality this is the year that Oculus will finally come to Market with their Rift headset which will ship out to early adopters in March for $ 599 us which surprisingly isn't as much as many folks were expecting for the first generation headset to cost years ago the rift was considered to be the quintessential virtual reality experience but it's been a long time coming and other VR platforms have already surpassed the rift and making their way to Consumers we expect that 2016 will also be the Year where wearables are no longer a niche market in 2016 the third wave of wear devices will arrive there will be more options and less sacrifice which means more consumers will get on board with the wearable Trend as far as specifics are concerned we can likely expect new wearables from LG and Motorola and possibly even Huawei and HTC now my personal prediction for a breakthrough wearable product would be an earpiece or two earpieces in Stereo that are very comfortable discreet and can be worn in such a way that you actually forget that they're there allow you to hear phone calls music podcasts audiobooks and all that kind of stuff and still hear the outside world that would be fantastic who's going to do it and we also expect that 2016 will be an even bigger year for mobile payments we expect a slower adoption rate for mobile payments among the older generation but according to Brian joerger an analyst at e marketer younger consumers generally have fewer apprehensions when it comes to experimenting with new technologies ultimately mobile wallets will need to have a strong track of security to attract more users across all demographics longterm all right now it's your turn let me know in the comments below what you think will be right around the corner in 2016 or Beyond and back it up with some sort of evidence give us an intelligent argument and don't forget about my brothers and sister and Android who are working super hard to be your source for all things Android\n"