Why does Technology excite so much?

Is it the magic it weaves around us..Is it the small and convenient things it can do to change our lives ...or Is it the element of novelty that exists, atleast so in some of the inventions of Technology. Being a self-confessed tech/gadget freak, new technologies and product launches have always excited me.  Though it was not a phenomenon I have had since my childhood days, I must have picked it up somewhere as life evolved. So much so that whenever I buy myself a new product, I usually spend the next 3 to 4 days exhausting the manual that comes alongwith the product and doing a thread-bare research to understand all the tricks of the product. Rest all things in the world can wait!!

The recent iPad launch was one such thing. Apple, for one, always has super-stylish product launches. Be it the Macbook thin air or the iPhone, their event launches have been defining moments. When Steve Jobs launched the Macbook thin air, I remember gaping in awe at the style in which he was opening an envelope in his hand and taking out the notebook, presenting to the world, its thinnest laptop EVER.

More recently, the recent iSlate launch happened on January 27^th at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, and millions of Apple fans like me followed it live over the internet (and a few fortunate ones, in person). After all, in the CEO’s own words, “if the iPhone was a dent in the universe, the iPad will be the big bang.”

As for the product itself which has since been named ‘The iPad” (YUCKKK!), it runs on the iPhone Operting System, has a 9.7-inch LCD display, a 1 GHz Apple A4 processor, built in speakers, microphone and 30 pin connector, weighs 1.5 pounds, about a half-inch thick, with an on-screen keyboard. The 16 GB/32 GB/64GB versions have been launched and Apple claims a battery life of 10 hours, with a month of standby time. The 3G version has been paralelly launched with the wifi version. The pitfalls are that the piece has no USB slot, no memory card slot, no camera and all the applications are priced.

Despite all of these, my take would be that the iPad would, slowly but surely, become a hit for the simple reason that its goddamn stylish with all the basic essential features and pushes the envelope a bit further when it comes people’s perception of a notebook. In other words, it actually bridges that little gap between a smartphone/PDA and a netbook/notebook. Plus, Apple has indeed managed to suprise one and all with its aggressive pricing. The basic wifi 16 GB version pegged at $499, half of its rumored price of $1000. Ofcourse, only time will tell if the product will be as endearing as the hype surrounding it and its super sexy looks!

Be that as it may, some of the advancements in technology that I would love to see some day and feel would be useful are:

1. Something that can print our text messages from our handheld sets/phones – it could prove useful when u reach the airport and realise that you forgot to print ur ticket or reach a movie hall and realise that you forgot to get a copy of ur movie ticket.
2. Playing live regional FM radio across the country – dont know its possible, but if it happens, it would do wonders to tamil music starved tamilians in Mumbai like me and to several others too!!
3. Live video streaming of the caller when we receive/attend calls on the handset – this can really turnaround our lives and make the world such a small place, after all. (I am told this exists in some places/carriers.)
4. Broadcasting live television end enabling mobile connectivity in-flights (I am told that the latter is in the offing and would be operational in the near future) – it could be a boon to frequent travellers to catch up with their favorite shows/people.
5.  An automatically controlled, driver-less, car that takes you around to your destination without the need for human beings enduring traffic related stress..(plus robots may not violate traffic rules, thus not cause choked roads and taffic jams :p)
6. A music player that understands your mood and plays a list based on the same, without you having to lift a small finger!!.

Technology, like all else, evolves.  Till such time the world is adequately wired to accomplish atleast a few of my above wish-list, wireless relationships between human beings and our societies shall prevail!!