One of the reasons that computing is such a fascinating field to be in is the speed at which things change; personal computers themselves have only become available within a lifetime, and in that time have shrunk massively in size and become globally and instantly connected. When we have already achieved things that were the subject of science fiction just twenty years ago, thinking about what comes next becomes really exciting.

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas coming up, many futuristic gadgets which may – or may not – take off in the home and workplace will be on show, and some of the biggest players in the field will be showcasing their plans and visions for the future.

One of the biggest trends looks set to be wearables; a trend which has already begun with the Google Glass and smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Gear.

The main issue many consumers have with such devices is that they currently still look too obvious; if you’re wearing a thousand pounds worth of obvious technology on your face, it can make you feel like something of a target.

However, wearable technology is already progressing to other areas. A company called Sensoria have already produced smart socks – yes, that’s right, socks – for fitness training. They come with sensors in the soles to measure your stride, cadence and speed, with the electronics housed in a cuff that mounts at the front of the ankle. While this sounds like a great idea for a running enthusiast, however, they’re only guaranteed to last through 35 washes – and for anybody that keen on running, that’s only a couple of months’ use.

Alongside the trend for wearables inevitably comes voice control, a necessary step when your gadget is too small for touch controls. Aficionados of the iPhone are already used to asking Siri for assistance, Android phones have offered voice control for some time and now Windows phones have Cortana. Speech recognition has come a long way in a relatively short time – only a few years ago systems often struggled with Northern accents or even female voices, whereas today most people, on average, find their requests understood. There’s still a way to go, however, as there are still plenty of words that can be misunderstood and background noise continues to present a significant issue.

Here at Tristar IT, we’re looking forward to seeing what else may be announced and talked about at CES, and to seeing how they influence the future of IT in everyday offices. We keep on top of the latest developments in IT technology so that you don’t have to – we offer IT support contracts in London and the surrounding areas at affordable prices so that you can focus on your business. For more information or a quote, contact us on 01707 378453.