The evolution of technology has brought along a lot of changes for the consumer experience. One of these changes is saturation. The number of tech companies and the tech they offer can be overwhelming. This flooding of advancement makes it difficult to keep up to date on tech that you may actually want. Sure, this is a good problem to have, but nonetheless, it is a problem. This article will journey through some of the biggest tech companies’ newest releases.
Facebook has recently launched its Portal and Portal+. These devices are essentially stationary tablets with enhanced video chatting capabilities. The devices are perfect for video chatting because of the smart camera technology. The smart camera tracks the action, keeping everyone in frame. This means you can walk around, hands-free, and always remain on- screen. If someone else enters the frame, it will zoom in or out to keep all parties on-screen.
The Portal comes in two models, Portal and Portal+. The Portal is a 9.8 inches wide and 8.2 inches tall unit and the Portal+ measures in at 8.8 inches by 17.7 inches. If you need help envisioning a Portal+, just think of a rotating Tesla display. Both of the Portal units have been struggling to gain popularity, but if you are someone that video chats frequently for either fun or educational purposes, the Portal may be for you.
With Samsung having products in so many different categories, you might have expected choosing just one to talk about would have been difficult. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t hard at all. The runaway winner is the Q900, a QLED Smart 8K UHD TV, which deserves attention for one simple feature called “Ambient Mode.”
Before discussing the futuristic wonders of Ambient Mode, let's cover some of the TV’s impressive stats. The Q900 boast an impressive 8K real resolution. Worried that the TV’s resolution might be too ahead of the content that is out there? Well, fear not. The Q900 has 8K AI upscaling, which turns today's content into 8K resolution. This is a function is made possible because of the Quantum Processor 8K. All these things combine for an amazing viewing experience, but none of these features are why they earned this article’s nod.
That’s Ambient Mode. Ambient Mode is the screensaver options for your TV. These are far from your typical screensavers. The Q900 takes a photo of the wall behind the TV and uses that to blend seamlessly into the wall, just like a chameleon. Your TV becomes barely visible and is instantly out of the way.
Ambient Mode doesn’t just make the TV hidden, it can put it to use. You can select “Décor Lighting,” which gives your screen an interactive background and can be used to imitate lighting. “Décor Customizable Pattern” senses colors in the room and creates an on-screen pattern to accent the room. “Photo Matte” is another feature of Ambient Mode, where the TV turns into a realistic framed photo of your choice.
Samsung knows that they are selling more than just a TV; they are selling an interactive and decorative masterpiece. That is why the Q900 has an equally impressive price tag of $3,999.99. Good things don’t come cheap and Samsung knows they’ve got something great.
For years DJI has been the industry leader when it comes to personal drones. The Mavic, Phantom and compact Spark have been some of the highest-reviewed drones ever. With GoPro making efforts to take some of that business with their drone, the Karma, DJI came firing back with their new release, Osmo Action.
The Osmo Action is DJI’s attempt at stealing some of the GoPro-cornered action camera market — and they came out swinging. The Osmo Action gains no points for design creativity, nearly identical to the GoPro, but it does get points for video stabilization, HDR-quality imaging and battery life.
DJI was able to take its video stabilization technology from its drone production and apply that to its action camera. This results in an impressively smooth video, even when filming was rough. According to DJI, its “RockSteady” stabilization creates “shake-free footage no matter how heavy the action gets.”
In addition to a longer battery life than the GoPro, the Osmo Action sets itself apart with a large, front-facing screen. This large screen is ideal for vlogging, selfies and making sure the framing is correct. At $50 less than the GoPro, the Osmo is already making waves in the action camera market.
Now changing gears to something much faster, the Vector motorcycle by Arc Vehicles is taking technology to almost every aspect of a motorcycle build. This handcrafted motorcycle is tailored to each individual rider. The riding gear is just as technologically advanced as the motorcycle itself.
Arc’s HMI (Human Machine Interface) includes a Heads Up Display helmet. This advanced helmet has a rear-facing camera that will detect objects in your blind spot and display them in your helmet for you to see. Another product of the HMI is the riding jacket. This riding jacket has multiple modes. One mode, “Urban Mode,” is focused on safety and will give you vibrations to indicate any surrounding dangers. “Sports Mode” gives corrections for riding posture and position. Last but not least, “Euphoric Mode” actually plays music for you to enjoy while riding.
All of that tech and we haven’t even gotten to the motorcycle yet! The Vector can fully charge in 40 minutes, giving you a riding range of 436 kilometers. The bike sports some industry-leading names such as Brembo for brakes and Ohlins for suspension. A 0-to-100 kilometers-per-hour time of 3.2 seconds will fulfill any need for speed you may have, but they do limit the bike to 200 kph. This innovative, fully electric motorcycle companyis now currently accepting pre-orders but limiting the release to 399 motorcycles.
The way these highlighted products range in function shows how wide of a reach technology has and how it makes everything better. Keeping up to date with new releases is nearly impossible because of all the innovation, but like I said earlier, that’s a good problem to have.
Bahar Ferguson is president of Wasatch I.T., a Utah provider of outsourced IT services for small and medium-sized businesses.