Our tech habits are getting more complicated by the day. We now have to buy products for our products. Since their release, AirPods have been one of the hottest-selling consumer products. They come with a strangely compelling case. One of the most popular add-ons to AirPods is a case for the AirPods case. You heard it correctly. It is a case for a case. That is what we have devolved into.
Smartphones used to be considered accessories. Now, they are the center of our accessory world. Styluses for tablets have accessory holders. Earbuds have decorative skins. Smartwatches have screen protectors and protective outer cases. Apps can be themed. Is there no end to the madness?
Even so, it is not all bad news. There really are some very useful and interesting tech that makes our existing tech more interesting and useful. It is not all like wearing a hat on top of a hat. Here are some examples of tech that work with or for your current tech to make it all better:
Tech to Inspect Your Tech
We don’t often think about the technology that powers the military, law enforcement, and industry. That technology far outpaces what is available for consumers. We can only speculate about the tech hidden behind layers of national security nondisclosure. What we can know is that those technological assets have to be inspected and maintained. And the tools commissioned to do that work can be as interesting as what it maintains.
One such example is a pipe inspection robot that can move over difficult terrain, traverse stairs, fit into tight spaces, and give the operator a clear view of whatever they need to see. These low-profile machines are also discrete. That makes them ideal for remote surveillance in the appropriate settings.
We often focus on the end product. But sometimes, the more interesting piece is the tech that inspects, maintains, and supports other tech.
Tech to Sell Your Tech
You can use the same tech solutions for selling your home to sell other tech. If you like to finance your new gadgets by selling your old ones, you are going to need a good camera for that all-important product photography. You are going to want a big smartphone or tablet to keep up with all the bids. And you will need a money-transfer process to take payments.
There is also the matter of logistics. If you do this sort of thing a lot, you might need one of those postal scales small businesses use to save money and time on shipping. Your Etsy business can be made or broken by logistics. Gadgets to help you sell other gadgets are a good use of your gadget budget.
Tech that Connects Other Tech
The new iPhone 12 models would not have made for much of an announcement had it not been for 5G connectivity. Apple talked about Verizon 5G as much as they did their own technology. It is an acknowledgement that even the most popular tech in the world is nothing without top-flight connectivity.
It is not just smartphones. The internet connection in the home is the most important connection in the world right now. More than ever, people are stuck at home. They work from home. They use that same work connection to play games, watch TV, educate their kids, and keep in touch with friends and family.
The medium-speed connection that you were getting by with a year ago, the one with data caps, is simply not going to cut it. You can’t run your internet-connected toaster with that old connection. You thought it was hard to turn on and off your lights with a switch? Try doing it from your smartphone with a spotty connection. You can’t do it. If you don’t spend the money on a good connection for your tech, you just as well not spend the money on the tech.
For the love of all things sacred, don’t buy a chain for the case that holds your AirPods case that holds your AirPods, which themselves, are accessories to an accessory. Just make it stop! That said, be sure to pick up the tech that inspects the tech, that sells the tech, and that connects the tech.
