We’re not unreasonable people. As official citizens of the
future, we have just a few things that we absolutely have to have in order to
not cry shenanigans on science for cheating us out of the gadgets we deserve
for our future citizenship. Oh, and we also want to do it all on Android,
because why not right?
Well we might not have all of these things yet exactly, but
there are a few equivalent gadgets on Android that can get kind of close
sometimes-
5) Replicator
On Star Trek, Picard would always go this replicator, say
“Earl Gray, Hot” and presto-the device would just make it for him seemingly out
of thin air. Just imagine if you
could fire up the “Replicator” app on your Android, wait for the little mic
icon to come on, and then say something like “Money, lots of it.” Then money
would just shoot out of a slot on the top. Or, in a slightly less economy
destroying move, maybe you’d say “A new house!” and bricks would then start
flying everywhere in ordered chaos around you.
Here’s a start to the
dream anyway:
The 3D Printer
So this won’t let you actually print anything you want, like
money, or food. And you need access to a 3D printer, such as at a college lab,
for it to work. But you can draw anything you want on the Android app, and the
app will let you use a 3D printer to print it out on a three dimensional
medium- like wood. Essentiallly, you dream it up, and science gives you a real
object, just like that.
It’s not quite getting tea from nothing, but hey, we’re
getting there right? And quick side note- scientists are using 3D technology
printers right now to experiment with doing stuff like actually printing out
human organs for transplants, so maybe Earl Gray, Hot- isn’t as impossible as we
might think.
4) X-Ray
Glasses
Why not right? You could just activate the
camera on your phone, click the “X-ray” button, which would be like right next
to “low lighting” and then look around and look right through walls. Why would
you need to do this?
Because it’d be awesome.
How about-Google Glasses-
These are like an Android phone except on your
face. They aren't available to consumers yet, but
soon.
No, these won’t let you perv out looking under people’s
clothing, (come on X-rays don’t work like that anyway), but just think what you
could do with them? For example, you could use a
public camera phone app to look in the direction of a building, switch to the camera app, and then see live video of what's inside. It'd be exactly like being able to see right through the walls. And even better than that, you could monitor a bunch of different ones all at the same time, all live in your glasses vision. And if you can't wait, there are other options as well. Such as these cool wrap-arounds-
Vuzix Wrap 920 Video Eyewear
which I desperately want myself.
***
3) Holographic
Assistant
So you press a button, and bam, standing before you is a
holographic person, ready to do whatever mundane activities you’re too busy
playing video games to do. You know, like call your mother, take out the trash,
stitch you up from laser burns, you know basic stuff.
Close Enough?
Android Voice Assistant-If you haven’t yet, you should meet
EVA.
It’s a loose equivalent of Evi for the iPhone, and it is the closest the world
has to offer currently for your very own artificially intelligent computer
assistant. You can hit a button on your bluetooth, and just ask it questions directly, or have it schedule meetings, set alarms, activate phone calls, and a hundred other things. Finally, a slice of the future that isn’t lame.
2) Sonic Screw
Driver App
Your phone is pocket sized right? And it can do…
frequencies, and stuff. So why can’t you use it just like a sonic screwdriver
from Doctor Who? You know-any time you encounter a locked door, lights that
needed turning on or off, or really any other electronic wizadry, just whip out
your uh, gadget, and one whirring noise and a blue LED light flash later,
presto it makes stuff work. No uncouth walking across the room to flick a light
switch, or actually knocking on a door for you! You’re from the
future.
While obviously the phrase “sonic screwdriver” makes about
as much sense as “magnetic hammer,” there’s got to due the same kind of
interfacing with another gadget right, like your Android phone. Imagine firing
up the apps on your Android and click on “Sonic Screwdriver.” How cool would
that be right?
This actually exists-
OK, it’s not really the same. You
have to do a bunch of set up and get the right equipment and all that- and you
can’t just magic on gadgets you don’t own willy nilly like in the show- but
come on, details.
The point is,
SmartLinc
will make you feel like a techno wizard. You need to use it in connection with
Insteon devices listed on the SmartLinc site- but if you do, you can control
your home entertainment, remote cameras, lights, and anything else Insteon
compatible with just a click from you phone. And if you have a fetish for
unlocking doors, there’s a comparable app called
Lockitron.You can also pretend to be a techno weather wizard with a wireless thermostat like this one-
Nest Learning Thermostat - 2nd Generation T200577
1) Portable Flying Car
Jetpack
aside, it’s practically the biggest anthem of futurism detractors- “Where’s my
damn flying car already?!”
The Jetsons had a suitcase that could turn into a flying
car, so why not an Android app? Just imagine you push a button on your phone, and it transforms into a giant metal flying car that looks like an oversize Android phone! You'd get out of that traffic jam then, for sure.
Closest Thing –
Zipcar-While
you can’t quite create a car from your Android, or summon one, how about
summoning a normal car? No matter where you are, once you sign up for Zipcar
you can trot down or get a ride from a local buddy to a zipcar, drive where you
need to go, and then “unsummon” it by bringing it back to its original
location.
Not quite as good as carrying it around in a suitcase, I
admit, but you will seriously fee like you are made of pure science magic when
you approach a car you reserved on your phone, and then unlock the doors by
pressing a button right from the Android app. Not quite a remote control car-summoning power, but pretty close, you
have to admit.
But I want a flying car.
Easy there, Mcfly. One thing I should say is that insting on
a flying car is kind of like insisting on a submarine train. Think about that
for a second, do you find yourself pining for a submarine that can leap out of
the ocean, and then run on railroad tracks? This is kind of like what you’re
saying when talking about a “flying” car. So my question is-
Why? You have a car, you have planes, why does it have to do
both?
But OK, OK. You win. If you just want something that can go
from place A to place B in the air without messing around with landing
runways-how about
a personal
helicopter? It’ll only set you back 100k, and you don’t even have to
wait for red lights.
, a Moto X, or one of the other phones I desperately want, is checking out really weird Indiegogo projects. And god knows that there are a lot of them.
at some point, which would look super fantastic.
. Just kidding-everything costs like crazy. And to be honest, I hadn't even heard of this service myself until relatively late in the game, so I'm just emerging from the past time travel cave myself. Pandora markets itself
as the perfect way to find new music. The service is free, but you can upgrade to
$3.99 per month, or 3 dollars per month with the contract.
