There's a host of technology that would make lives easier, better, and just generally more pleasant. The world has made great strides in the last 10 years, our cars are more gas efficient, our appliances more energy efficient, and generally speaking technology has made life more enjoyable for me, but what about better? Here's a few thoughts on some technology that could really revolutionize the world.
Induction charging for everything
I have an iPod, I have a cell phone, I have a laptop. I also have a laptop charger, a cell phone charger, and an iPod charger (not to mention a remote charger, and a few battery chargers for cameras and other devices). Charlene has an iPod and a cell phone, both of which have seperate chargers so that they don't bogart my charge time. Why hasn't someone come up with a flat surface that just charges stuff when it's placed on it? This technology exists in some limited forms. My remote goes into a dock that kind of uses induction charging (a couple of electrodes touch a couple other electrodes), there are those LED balls that you put on a stand to charge. The trick would be adding the doohicky's to the electronics to make them do the power conversion.
The electric car
It gets 180 miles (nearly 300km) on a single charge, can be fully charged in 4 hours or partially charged in 1 hour, and costs the equivalent of .50 a gallon to fuel. It has no grease or oil, few moving parts, and the major replacable parts are batteries (about 5 years) or the engine (about 1 million miles). Oh yeah, it exists today…in Norway. According to the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” It existed about 10 years ago in the US too.
Better batteries
Batteries are better than they were 5 years ago, but if I make my laptop do anything harder than input text, the juice drains with the quickness.
A music download service that frigging works
You heard me iTunes. Give me everything I have with my CD's including freedom and nice liner notes (pdf's are good), and you have me at hello. Oh, and why can't I sync up my iPod at home AND at work?
A video download service that's good
Rogers on Demand is okay, but if I could download movies in HD, I would never go to BlockBuster again (have you heard about our rewards program? Yes, have you heard about my “just ring it the heck up” program?). iTunes, I'm looking at you and your stupid iTV crap which isn't in HD, and in most cases isn't even in widescreen (which is also moot because movies and TV aren't available in the third world country that is Canada). XBox is supposedly moving their marketplace up here, but I'll believe it when I see it.
Electronic paper
This one might put me out of business, but if I could have something that would allow me to download the Saturday Star, and flatten it out at the breakfast table, plunk it on the floor, and laze out on my patio chairs electronically…I would do it in a minute. I hate driving to the store to find out the Star is sold out (and I refuse to read the London Free Press on Saturday, I'm sorry but we live in a society here). LG has something that looks promising.
Fast commuter trains
London to Toronto in 1 hour? I'm there, just tell me where to sign up.
Flying cars
Seriously, it's 2007 and where's my flying car? Do you realize that Blade Runner is set in 2014? That's 7 years off. We don't have lifelike androids, and we don't have flying cars. Well played Ridley Scott. Well played indeed!