Technologies We Hope To Encounter This 2014

There’s no denying that 2013 was a big year in tech following evolutionary steps in mobile, console gaming, wearables & pocket photography. However, there a lot of things we didn’t get to see yet and things we’re still hoping to see. As 2013 ends, we take a peek at what we’re hoping to see in 2014.

Customizable Smartphones in the PH

When we say customizable, we’re only pertaining to you Motorola. While it’s reported that the Moto G is coming here very soon, we hope that phones like the Moto X arrive too along with MotoMaker so we Filipinos get to have that experience. In addition, if it fits your release schedule – we’re also hoping to get a taste of Project Ara too.

Full Google Play Support

Nexus devices, Chromecast, Chromebooks & other Google products – those things should come to local shores! The local prices of Google products in the PH have huge differences when compared to other countries, and even if you have them shipped from abroad, shipping costs & taxes will make it very expensive as well. In fact, we can’t even view some Play Store items through internet. Also, while most Filipinos aren’t going to use it just yet, it’s sad not to have access to some features like Play Movies & TV.

This is probably one of those hopes that many people have too – to see Google Play support here in the PH.

A larger iPhone 6

Not everyone will agree with this as some people prefer compact smartphones, but we can’t deny that the market for larger screens is getting wider; even ‘mini’ versions of Android flagship phones are bigger than the iPhone now. We think it’s only right for Apple to out at least a 4.5-inch iPhone. That isn’t too big for today’s standards, is it? If Apple can pull off the iPhone 5C, then we surely think they can pull off a bigger iPhone as well. Maybe that they can call unapologetically huge (no, that’s not what she said).

A metallic Galaxy S5

Like the iPhone, love it or hate it, the Samsung Galaxy S series is one of the most successful smartphones on the planet. It played a huge part in the rise of Android and it’s now defending its place as the king of the Android hill. However, while Samsung has strengths in hardware, we can’t deny that their plastic design language is one of their key weaknesses.

We had an article earlier this year tackling the issue of Samsung’s use of glossy plastic and our best guess was it’s all for brand recognition. Now, we’re hoping that they step up their game to compete with the likes of HTC’s & Apple’s flagships – all because now we think they can pull it off; you just need to see something like the Galaxy J.

Better battery life for mobile

Only very few smartdevices can achieve two or more days of battery life, and it’s been that way for years since the invention of the smartphone! While it’s very unlikely that manufacturers will turn their attention to better batteries this 2014, we’re still highly hoping that it will happen.

Improved 4G options in the PH

It could be in the form of more multiband LTE, it could be in the form of more affordable postpaid plans, or it could be in the form of better signal, fast data speeds & flexible prepaid promos. The point is, 4G LTE has a lot to improve on at this specific time, and it’s inevitable that it will get better; it’s just that we’re wishing that our local telcos will actually deliver to this promise & not be anti-competitive.

A smartwatch worth buying

The Sony Smartwatches, Pebble, the Galaxy Gear & the MotoActv – these are cool new devices under a new product category that most people or even geeks aren’t willing to buy just yet. It’s probably because they’re still very useless for their prices.

This 2014, we hope to see something different: maybe something that doesn’t always need to be connected to your smartphone, something that will last long similar to your ordinary wristwatch, or something that just offers features that people really need. Maybe Apple, Google or Microsoft can start on that.

Higher internal storage, at least 64GB on smartphones

We’re seeing lesser phones with micro SD card slots every year, not to mention flash storage is becoming a norm with new technologies. With this, we think it’s time to bring in higher internal storage options on mobile devices without the much extra cost. 8GB on high-end smartphones are now extinct, 16GB variants are following. Before the end of 2014, we might finally see the standard of 64GB already.

Less MediaTek, more Tegra 4 & Intel Bay Trail

We have yet to see how MediaTek’s new octa-core CPUs perform, but even so, we have to say we’re not big fans of what the company is doing – more cores doesn’t always translate to better performance. We can prove this many times with our experiences with MediaTek devices – and they can definitely do a lot better with graphics, radios & overall performance. Anyway, we don’t think we’ll see any changes with that as their aim seems to be to sell more through more cores, so we’re just going to keep our hopes up that phones would start using better CPUs even at low costs.

More cores doesn’t always translate to better performance – Intel seems to know this very well; that’s why we wish to see more of their powerful yet battery efficient chipsets the following year. Now, if you’re still that person who would prefer more CPU & GPU cores for performance, Nvidia’s Tegra 4 can definitely deliver. Sadly, we weren’t able to see much of the chipset’s computing prowess this 2013, so we’re hoping to see more of that this upcoming 2014.

More NFC appliances to pair with phones

Be it with TVs, speakers, headsets, tablets & other appliances, we think connecting each would be much more convenient with less button pressing & cables. This 2014, we hope that aside from sending files & launching applications with tags, NFC finds a way to be much more widespread in the Philippines. Starting with audio equipment & payment systems would be nice.

Less ‘flagship’ phones from companies such as Samsung & Cherry Mobile

To see our point clearly, take this for an example: You just bought your Samsung Galaxy S4, the company’s flagship phone, and you feel very contented and excited. A month later, Samsung decides to release the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Zoom Mini Plus 6.3 & it features the next version of Android! News came out now that your Galaxy S4 won’t get the update. How does that make you feel?

The scenario above isn’t only a problem found with Samsung & their plethora of S4 variants; this also a problem with other manufacturers. In fact, I don’t even know what Cherry Mobile’s flagship phone is – one has the 1080p screen, one has an updated OS & 4G LTE capable ones are coming soon – how are people supposed to feel happy with that? To cut short, it would be really nice if they didn’t flood us with phones having a new and unique feature every month with a high price. That would be really nice.

What about you? What do you want to see in 2014? Do you agree with some of the things we mentioned or would prefer something else? Feel free to leave your hopes for 2014 in the comments section down below.