Our Relationship With Reality: New Apps and Gadgets In 2020

With 2020 fast approaching, it's time to look at the apps and gadgets that will shape the year, and take technology further than where it is today.

Technology is an intricate part of life, with more and more people choosing to live a “Smart life” because it makes life easier. Companies and individuals are taking advantage of smart devices, which has gone beyond smartphones, to build a better business, offer better services, and improve the quality of life.
A digital report by Global Digital predicts smartphone usage to about 5 billion people in between 2019 and 2020; a 4% increase from 2017. It also means that more people would embrace the use of smart devices, making the world more digital and virtual than it is already.
To this end, as companies aim to capitalize on technological growth to stay competitive, and individuals to improve on what they already have, it’s essential to look at the apps and gadgets that are bound to shape 2020 and improve our relationship with reality.

Cloud Integration and Expansion

Cloud integration and expansion is one of the things bound to shape and influence innovations in the coming year. Although there are still some companies who use traditional servers to store data and information, they are fast ditching the old ways to make room for the new.
Business owners have discovered that it is more comfortable, safer, and more reliable to go the “Cloud way,” and as a plus, they get to run multiple servers simultaneously. Also, since business owners are always looking to save money and lower hosting costs, the cloud is more attractive than chunky traditional servers.
Thus, many will look to leverage cloud technology by creating apps and gadgets that will make sole use of the tech.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

In 2019, the world has seen and learned more about Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), and it is one area of technology that promises to grow exponentially. VR translates digitally overlaid content into the real world with the help of a device camera, while AR takes people to a simulated environment.
They were both introduced to create a more inclusive, immersive, and multidimensional experience for gamers. But they gained prominence in the business world, and now, more apps and gadgets are using the AR and VR technologies.
The usage of AR and VR will continue in 2020, leading to the creation of more apps and gadgets in that line. Already, there are filters on social media platforms that use this tech. A good example is converting faces to digital characters with the use of AR filters.
Also, with apps like Google Expedition App already setting the trend, and gaining more grounds in the coming year, there will be more development of similar apps and gadgets. After all, AR and VR are the future of reality, and there's a lucrative market for the tech.

Mobile Wallets and Payments

When you think about how much people would rather click on a button or use voice command to get their transactions done, rather than go to financial institutions, then it’s easier to understand why mobile wallets and payments will be the rage in 2020.
Financial institutions are constantly looking for ways to make life more stress-free for their customers; thus, they are coming up with more applications and improving on old ones to make this possible.
It means there will be more payment gateways with more secure alternatives. The level of encryption will equally go up to make transactions safer, and by 2020, trades carried out with mobile wallets are expected to get to an estimated $503 billion.
Mobile wallets will also make debit and credit cards go away very soon, and the best part is that business owners can also use it for transactions rather than going the POS route. Thus, 2020 is a prime year to see a lot of app development in this area.

Blockchains

The beautiful thing about “Reality” is that it exists in the virtual world, and in it, anything is possible. It’s a world of limitless possibilities that birthed “Blockchains,” another tech that is bound to grow exponentially in the coming year.
Blockchains are decentralized ledgers that are used to pass information from place to place. It is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, due to its fast and secure way of getting transactions done from different parts of the world in no time, and at an affordable rate.
However, while Blockchains are largely associated with cryptocurrencies, come 2020, it will get used in the creation of decentralized mobile apps, that is, apps that do not have a specific owner. This is because the mobile app industry is slated to become more decentralized, and as such, the use of smart contracts, and computer protocols, will become the norm.
Also, Blockchains is a consistent, secure, flexible tech; going forward, and beginning from the coming year; more apps will use it.

The Future is Reality

Technologies that deal with reality are the future, and companies and business owners who have realized this are leveraging on it to stay competitive and maintain their clientele.
Every tech discussed here, has a role to play in the apps and gadgets that will get released in 2020. So, as a business owner, it is wise and prudent to streamline your developments in these areas and take advantage of their numerous benefits. The future is tech, and tech is reality.