Technology Over the Decade

After clearing the world of Y2K mass hysteria, civilization stopped fearing a Maximum Overdrive dystopia and began to trust technology again. At the end of 2000, it was reported by Nua Internet Surveys that the number of people connected to the Internet passed 400 million.

Since 2000, we have seen new uses for technology that have forever changed the way we work and play. The evolution of how we interact with music alone could fill a novel, but we would like to note a few other high points in technology over the past 10 years.

2001: The AbioCor artificial heart, an artificial liver, a fuel cell bike invented by Aprilia, and digital satellite radio were introduced.

The year 2002 turned out to have some surprises… and robots! Her name was CoWorker and she was a 3 foot tall, Pentium-powered office robot. She had a built in digital camera, which sent a live feed of pictures directly to the boss. CoWorker moved at one mile per hour and had sonar sensors preventing her from running into people or walls.

2002: The wind up cell phone was invented and the Mars Odyssey found ice on Mars.

Between 2003 and 2006, the social network phenomenon began. In 2003, MySpace led the way, followed by Facebook in 2004, and Twitter bringing up the rear in 2006. Twitter and Facebook now dominate. MySpace, the only social network out of the three giants which lets users manipulate the look of their space, has fallen short by comparison.

The camera phone emerged in 2003, but its reception was not unanimously positive. The Saudi Arabian government outlawed the devices completely. In the U.S., camera phones were banned in health clubs and corporate headquarters.

Time.com reported that 80 million camera phones were sold by November of 2003. At that time, most stand-alone digital cameras were only around three to four megapixels. Today, Apple’s iPhone 4 has a five megapixel camera with an LED flash built in.

It was in 2007 that Steve Jobs wowed the world with the first iPhone. Lev Grossman wrote on Time.com that the iPhone was the year’s best invention for five reasons: It’s pretty; it’s touchy-feely; it will make other phones better; it’s not a phone, it’s a platform; and it is but the ghost of iPhones yet to come.

With the launch of the iPhone 4 in June 2010, the iPhone is considered by many to be the smartest phone. New features include FaceTime (video chat), the aforementioned camera features, HD video recording, video editing, and much more.

2007: The Electro Needle Biomedical Sensor Array and Functionalized Nanoporous Thin Film were invented.

User generated and commercial video became virulently popular online over the past decade. Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim struck gold when they launched YouTube in 2005. In May of 2010, YouTube passed the two-billion views per day milestone. In 2008, Hulu launched, allowing users to view network shows and movies online.

2008: The retail DNA test, the time eater clock, and the Nexi MDS Robot were introduced.

Between 2009 and 2010, the cult of the social network continued its undaunted growth. Facebook surpassed 500 million users. The online and offline worlds began to mingle with services like Foursquare, a network of users who post updates about real-world features of cities. Users earn rank as they help people find the best things to do in their area through a live feed.

Developing in tandem with online environments were platforms to access them. The iPad was launched in April of 2010. Like the iPhone, the iPad offered a touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and 3G. With 16, 32, or 64 GB flash drives, a 9.7 inch screen, and 1024 × 768 pixels with LED backlighting, the iPad delivered a new way to compute. It also spurred on the progress of the tablet computer, which is expected to be one of the technology milestones of 2011.

2009 and 2010: The first consumer jet pack, the first synthetic cell, the straddling bus, and hologram pop stars made their debut.

The past 10 years have delivered too many innovations to mention. We didn’t even touch on eBook readers or the next generation of 3D entertainment. We can only imagine what will come in the next decade. What do you think we’ll see over the next 10 years?