Five of the hottest tech trends ahead in 2018, from virtual assistants to laptops with batteries that last all day
More gadgets with elaborate functions will be on the market next year, from a smart home with universal remote control and programmable light settings to 4K high definition video for cameras or even dashcams – welcome to the future
Tech gadgets with new capabilities are released all the time, but what are the technologies that will shape – and improve – our lives in the coming year? We take a look at trends from 2017 and identify five of them that are set to make a difference in 2018.
Virtual assistants
Voice assistants aren’t new, but expect their popularity to skyrocket in 2018 as the technology makes its way into an increasing number of homes and consumer gadgets. This will be driven by the increasing presence and easy accessibility of assistants in our smartphones, such as the Google Pixel 2 XL’s “squeeze to speak” feature, and an increasing number of “smart speakers” with built-in support for platforms such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant. Global sales have already reached the tens of millions in 2017.
Who do you want on your iPhone? Siri, Alexa or Cortana?
Despite its comparatively late start, growing production in China, be it JD.com’s DingDong, the Mi Ai from Xiaomi, or the Tmall Genie mean that Hongkongers are spoilt for choice when it comes to voice assistants. Importantly, developers are working overtime to build voice support into a host of network-enabled appliances and gadgets by tapping into the APIs of the various voice assistant platforms to create compelling new products that can respond to your voice.