TECH TRENDS: A Look Back – 2020 Tech Review

What a year it has been! Technology in this year of COVID is all about designing new ways to socialize, new ways to work, and new ways to go to school. We are spending more time online and demanding faster internet speeds and more bandwidth. We’re working from home at the same time that our kids are learning at home. Who ever thought that we’d be talking to our insurance agent and hear a baby cry in the background?! 2020 Tech has been an adventure!

2020 Tech:

When I asked Chris what was new in Tech this year, he reminded me, while there have been few new things, it has mostly been a year of learning how to better use the tech we have.  For example:

Conference Services:

We’re using more face-to-face calling than ever. Between work and school and family – we want to SEE the people we’re talking to. But, because the technology is so new to many of us, we think it’s our fault when something goes wrong. Before you start tearing out your hair, check Downdetector.com to see if Zoom or Google Meet to see if they are the ones having a problem.

WiFi:

This year, it’s been a struggle getting adequate WiFi at home when everyone needs to use it at the same time! Some things you can do include:

• Check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to make sure your home is getting the highest rated speed for your area. (Yes, your monthly fee will probably go up.)
• If your Smartphone comes with a personal hotspot, turn it on and tether your computer to it. That way, you’re not competing for WiFi resources with the rest of your family. (Keep an eye on your usage, though. When you reach certain thresholds, your cellular provider may start to throttle your coverage.
• Check into getting a separate hotspot. I have a Jetpack from Verizon that can connect up to 15 devices.
• If your home is large, consider a mesh router to reach every corner of your home. (Check out our Parts page for Chris’ recommendations.)

Streaming Movies:

We’re watching more movies and TV series too. Some of the streaming services let you download a movie or several episodes to watch later. Do that downloading late at night for the next day. That way, you’re not interrupting the workflow of someone else in your family.

2020 Tech – What Technology was new in 2020:

Battery Life:

After five or six years with the iPhone 7, Chris and I decided it was time for an upgrade. We are THRILLED with the battery life on the iPhone 12. We can go a full day and still have more than 50% of battery life left – even without an external battery case! 2020 Tech rocks!

M1 Chip:

Apple has developed a new chip for their MacBooks. Reviews so far are mostly raves.

5G:

The 5G network has been big in the news this year. It’s been touted as the next great thing. But right now, 5G is just a number. On my iPhone, I see “5GE,” which is very similar to (and might be identical to) 4G LTE. According to macrumors.com:

“Real 5G networks offer much faster connection speeds and better performance. … Actual 5G networks, when up and running with full coverage available, may be anywhere from 10 to 100 times faster than LTE networks …. 5G technology requires new modem hardware, so until there is an iPhone with a 5G modem chip, no iPhones will work with 5G networks. Your current ‌iPhone‌ will not connect to 5G networks and will be limited to LTE.”

So it might be a while before we get real 5G service.

Want to read more?

• Here’s our article about why NoScript should be on your computer.
• We have seen a lot of Facebook hacking lately. Here are our suggestions.
• And here are the 10 Password Mistakes you don’t want to make!