Future technology - A review of what's coming in 2012

Back in 1968, the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey was released. This bizarre futuristic epic featured a scene where astronauts aboard a space mission appear to be using something suspiciously resembling an iPad (related: Our run down of the iPad 2). Nowadays, the tablet is a common sight, and goes to illustrate that today’s bizarre ideas may just be tomorrow’s everyday item. That’s not to say, however, that they won’t end up on tomorrow’s pile of useless junk. e2save investigates 2012’s line up of future technology, and invites you to decide for yourself.

Future Technology you can wear

The future technology of 2012 seems obsessed with answering a question that nobody had bothered to ask; ‘Why don’t we combine portable media with headwear?’

The first to respond to this was the Vizix SMART glasses, as they team up with Nokia to provide this futuristic bit of kit. The glasses place a small viewer at eye-level, which allows the wearer to see both the image, and through the image. Although the machines have yet to rise, this bizarre piece of headgear takes us one step closer to the Terminator aesthetic, and is hardly likely to become everyday wear.

If your cranium is crying out for extra future technology to strap to it, there’s more headwear in the shape of the Golden-i, which is a fully interactive hands-free computer. The Golden-i provides information via voice recognition and gesture sensing, which is useful if you find it more efficient to fail your arms around like a loon. According to the official website, it was designed for ‘spontaneous information snacking’… whatever that is. Sounds tasty.

Future Technology for your mobile phone

It seems that there’s a certain number of us prone to spillages around our mobiles, and rather frustratingly, many insurance companies don’t cover against water damage. Liquipel to the rescue then, which provides waterproof protection for your smartphone without the need for a case. You’ll still need to be careful on nights out, however, as waterproof doesn’t necessarily mean vodka-redbull proof.

Also dedicated to protecting your handset is the Case-Mate Phantom for the Apple iPhone 4 and 4s. The Case-Mate is a heavy-duty, two-layer protective case made from materials we’ve never heard of such as DuoFlex and PolyCore. It’s designed to provide impact protection alongside an easygrip feel, while providing clear access to all your ports. Why not combine both these examples of future technology, and employ both the CaseMate and Liquipel for the most hardcore, heavy-duty handset on the face of the planet?

Future Technology for your tablet

For all your culinary needs, French manufacturer QOOQ (pronounced ‘cook’, obviously) have released a tablet with the intention of producing a fully kitchen-proof item. It’s free standing, so you can follow recipes on its 10.1” mineral glass screen, and it’s also heat resistant to 60C (140F), presumably in case you leave it in the oven by accident.
Paradoxically, not all future technology has the future in mind, as two of our featured items prefer to look to past.

The Padintosh case caters for those pining for simpler times, allowing you to dress your iPad 2 to resemble a mid 80’s Apple Macintosh. In a similar vein, Ion have tweaked their popular iCade model, to provide the iCade Core. Simply insert your iPad into the iCore slot, and enjoy a gaming experience with buttons and joystock in true arcade fashion. The funky designs of both items add a certain retro chic to our rundown of future technology. Hmmm… not to sure about future tablet tech, how about checking out our beginners guide to tablets.

Future Technology: The Weird and the Wonderful

In 1891 Karl Elsener produced the first ever Swiss Army Knife, and the company Victorinox followed shortly after. In 2012, Victorinox are still the manufacturer of the true Swiss Army knife, and have taken the item to its logical conclusion. Imagine the setting; you’re surviving in the harsh wilderness, your Swiss Army Knife is your trusty companion, providing a knife, a mini saw, a tin opener, some tweezers… but you still feel something is missing. This is why Victorinox’s new model features a USB flash drive, for all your survival file transfer needs. And not just any flash drive – an incredible 1TB flash drive that can fold up and fit in your pocket. Unless you’re on Bear Gryll’s salary, however, you may find the price tag of $3000 (£1958) a little off-putting.

While the Victorinox Swiss Army USB is an (albeit expensive) little slice of awesome, the same cannot be said of the Tosy mRobo, which is a dancing robot with an unfortunately placed speaker. If its bizarre dance moves aren’t enough to send you running for the hills, the fact this this was unveiled and endorsed by Justin Beiber may be. This awkward looking musical robot, as well as the future of technology he’s endorsing, aren’t exactly up our street.

We’re going out on a limb, and predicting this is one example of future technology that may not catch on.