|
|
| Waiting on innovations |
July 6, 2006 |
Five everyday improvements we'd like to see now.
By: Peter Wolchak
In this issue’s cover story we examine 10 wide-reaching disruptive technologies that will soon shake up both our business and personal worlds. But what about today? Below are five practical implementations of those big tech innovations. Each could be rolled out now.
Real-time product information: It’s Sunday. You need to repair a leaky toilet, so you’re searching the cavernous aisles of a big-box home renovation store for a new overflow pipe. You’ve seen roof shingles, deck stain and outdoor extension cords, but no toilet repair products.
What we want: a small kiosk computer that will let you click through a list of products and then direct you to the correct aisle. This could be done today with inexpensive, off-the-shelf technology. If the item is out of stock, the system should direct you to a nearby store. Companies are already implementing Radio Frequency Identification-based inventory systems; this simply adds a customer interface to that system.
Digital home: Our computers store music, photos and movies; our portable media players store music, photos and movies; our TVs and DVD players handle broadcast television and box sets of 24; and our high-end stereos blast Shaggy or Schubert. But wouldn’t it be nice to store all your entertainment content in one place with one point of access? Well, you can’t.
What we want: digital homes. Vendors talk about this—Bill Gates makes speeches and a Dell commercial shows Sheryl Crow wandering through a media-rich home—but today there is no integrated way to tie digital content together. Companies like HP and Creative Labs make individual products, but the market is open for a company that can provide an integrated vision and product set.
Even more digital content: Song downloads on Apple’s iTunes music store passed the one-billion mark in February, so clearly consumers like downloadable content.
What we want: an even broader digital landscape. Movie downloads will have to wait on faster broadband connections, but consider libraries: they are a critical public service operating on stretched municipal budgets, so how do libraries expand their collections? Introduce electronic books to the mix. If a library buys 10 paper novels it could also buy five “copies” of the e-book for online distribution to card holders. Digital versions do not have to be trucked around, reshelved and manually checked in and out. They can be borrowed just like a paper book, with access automatically expiring at the end of the loan period.
Government support for green technology: Democratic governments are not known for long-term planning, and this is one reason green initiatives have not received strong and practical government support.
What we want: government programs that help individuals buy environmentally friendly products. This means rebates or tax breaks on energy-efficient cars, appliances and home-construction materials; financial incentives to retrofit homes and businesses; and an energy system that rewards those who install ground-source heat pumps, solar capture systems, etc.
Green technology will not eliminate the need for coal and nuclear plants, but it can reduce the load on them.
Telecommuting: Toronto transit was shut down briefly in May by a wildcat strike. The job action set approximately 700,000 people scrambling to find other transportation and Eric Ascella, a strategist at Toronto-Dominion Bank, estimated in a Globe and Mail article that the first day of a transit strike could cost $10 million in lost productivity. This underlines the potential economic benefit of a workforce that does not have to commute to the office every day.
What we want: better managers. Telecommuting is not a technology issue. With VoIP phone and teleconferencing systems, remote access to desktop computers and corporate networks, and fast broadband service, workers in many segments can be at least as productive at home. The problem is insecure managers who believe lurking in employee cubicles is their core job function.
|
|
|
| Top 300 Issue |
 
|
| Gadget of the Week (Canadian) |
|
Make your iPod look even better
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin iPod dock
It’s pricey at US$599 but if you need big sound and a great-looking home for your iPod then take a look at the Zeppelin. It’s a three-way stereo system with two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a woofer.
more>>
|
| Gadget of the Week (Japanese) |
Sounds of Japan
Why record just the visual when you can capture the sounds as well.
more>> |
| Backblog RSS feed |
Click to subscribe  |
|
sponsored by 
