24 Technology Advancements You Probably Forgot About

2019 has been a year of many digital advancements. As of June 2019, the issued the 10 millionth patent number, according to a press release from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

10 million brilliant ideas, 10 million different inventions, and millions of technology evolutions. What an interesting and forward-thinking time we are in! Though we don’t have hovercrafts and we can’t teleport yet, it’s safe to say that we have made far we have made far advancements since the birth of the internet and mobile devices. 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in daily life and forget about just how much technology has shaped our world and how much we rely on it. And as a result, it’s easy to discredit how advanced we have become.

What would our modern world be like if we were stripped of all our technology? That’s some food for thought.

We’re saying goodbye to 2018 with these brilliant, yet everyday technological advancements that are so easy to forget that they didn’t even exist 20 years ago!

1. Smartphones – Many of us rely on these portable lifesavers. In 2018, there’s not much that they can’t do. From paying bills, finding your forever love match, to biometric authentication, they can truly do it all. And, you can own this device for an average of $300.

Remember when phones didn’t even have touchscreen capabilities?!

2. Watches – Our watches don’t just keep track of time anymore. That would be too boring. Now, our modern day watches come packed with app features such as text messaging, the ability to take calls and so much more.

When can we see Rolex releasing their version of a smartwatch?

3. If you’re reading this and under 30, there’s a pretty good chance that you have never used a standard paper map. Thanks to GPS technology and apps like Apple Maps and Google Maps, it’s harder to get lost!

4. Gone are the days of accidentally bumping into miscellaneous objects that were behind your car. No days, most cars are equipped with a rearview backup camera. Reversing just got 100x easier.

5. Since Toyota unveiled it’s Prius in the early 2000s, most cars produced now are operating on completely electric power, or partial.

6. Rideshare is becoming increasingly more popular – especially among those who live in urban cities. Platforms like Lyft and Uber have taken the stigma of getting in the car with a stranger away.

7. Headphones now are so much more condensed and attractive than the headphones of … well, anytime before 10 years ago. Nowadays, it’s hard to tell if pods are even in someone’s ears.

8. Bluetooth isn’t just used for call center headsets anymore. Now, Bluetooth can be used to sync cellular data, speakers, security systems and more.  

9. Goodbye snail mail, hello email tracking.

Not only are we able to instantly send messages through the interwebs, but there’s also cool tools that you can use to see if the person has read the message or not.

10. No more using sites like LimeWire to illegally download or stream new music. Now, there’s plenty of music apps to choose from that are either free or of very little cost.

11. When was the last time you went to a movie theater? Netflix is challenging our past behavior and persuading us to just stay home on the couch with our own popcorn to watch a new movie.

12. Rushing home to catch your favorite TV show is over. With the help of DVR, we’re able to record live shows and watch them at our convenience.

13. What does your grandparent’s TV look like? I’m talking about the old, bulky screen (Cathode Ray Screen) to be exact.

Thankfully those have been replaced with modern, sleek screens that serve more purposes than just playing static.

14. If it weren’t for the progression of WiFi, we wouldn’t have the ability to connect our devices to the internet without an Ethernet cable.

15. Personal, political and social news travels fast, all thanks to the use of social media. Now, it’s hard to contain spoiler alerts with the way word travels across social platforms.

16. I’m sure some of you carry cash, but most of us out there only pull cash out of the bank if necessary. Otherwise, we rely on our debit (or credit) cards to quick transactions.  

17. Knowledge is power, and with search engines like Google and Bing, we have a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips – literally.

18. Whether it’s changing the volume or dimming the lights in another room, all of this is made possible by modern technology.

19. Some of us might be overly annoyed at the accidental awakening of Siri or Alexa, but voice-activated software is only something we could have dreamed about years ago.

20. With the increasing popularity of remote work, it’s only natural that platforms like Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts and FaceTime operate over the internet.

In addition, work messaging like Slack and Basecamp have allowed employees to connect – regardless of location.

21. The “cloud” has also been a gamechanger for those who can remotely access information instead of having to use a physical hard drive.

22. Virtual reality has taken us to a whole new world.

23. E-Readers such as Kindles have digitized books and presented them in a small, slim tablet.

24. Before your smartphone came with an installed front-facing camera, taking that perfect selfie shot was a lot harder to do.