It’s pretty amazing when you stop to think that just 10 years ago people were carrying around Nokia brick phones and using dial-up Internet. The age of information technology is here and the advancements are coming almost quicker than we can keep up with them. It’s strange and exciting all at the same time. Innovation is driving technology to forefronts that will likely to wow society even further in the coming years but here are a few current bits of tech that are productions or are slated for near future release.

One of the newest and most exciting innovations out there today is the research and development of nanotechnology. This is an impressive front in, not just the world of cell phone technology, but for the science world as a whole. Nanotechnology, in essence, is the science of very small things. This is being haled as nothing less than a breakthrough in powering many of the devices we use. Apple is hoping to use nanotechnology to power the future generations of cell phones. They will, hopefully, completely bypass the need for replaceable batteries. Nanotechnology can harness energy from movement or vibrations and it’s the hope that, in just five years, we’ll be able to power the devices we use by nothing more than movement or the vibrations of our heartbeat. It will allow us to do everything from a reverse phone lookup to browsing the Internet. Many scientists feel that nanotech is the future of science and it’s likely to have broader applications than we’ve yet to realize.

We’ve seen a lot of breakthroughs in the world of gaming technology but before now it’s been primarily in the field of improved graphics performances. Now there’s a whole new market opening up for movement based games and platforms. We’ve seen several versions of these movement-based games but it hasn’t been until recently that it’s been advanced enough to be a viable market product. The Wii started using movement-based games but its application was somewhat limited. Now, on the market, there are completely hands-free systems that respond totally to the movements of the user. Microsoft has the Kinect and Sony is using a motion sensor controller. By recording the user, these devices allow you to manipulate an onscreen avatar that responds to the slightest moment. It’s not clear if individual platforms will be released on this central concept but chances are the console/controller system will be around for at least a few more years.

Every now and again entertainment takes a huge leap forward and “Skinput” is one such leap. It’s currently being designed for the Xbox 360 and it will allow users to have an interactive experience that, to date, has only been seen in Hollywood. It effectively turns the human body into a joystick. A two dimensional image of a series of options and commands are projected onto the user’s skin and would, basically, turn your arm into a joystick or remote. This tech is based on the science of specific vibrations that move through the body which are acoustically distinct from one another. Depending on the location, the area of the skin that a command would be applied holds a specific resonance to allow users to control a game through touching their skin. It’s likely that this will be applied in many ways but Microsoft is currently the only company with current designs using this new tech.

Similar innovations have totally streamlined the way media and information is consumed. No one could have imagined how the iPod would change the way we look at music and movies. From there we saw the evolution if the iPhone and the iPad. Similar devices are being seen on the market all over the world and it’s amazing to ponder all of the possibilities for computing software and its various, real world, applications. These initial innovations aren’t just changing the way we are entertaining, they’re changing the world.

Everyday technology plays a larger role in our lives as investors and companies push for products that increase convenience and accessibility of services. This has especially been true for computer technology, which has undergone a metamorphosis from a large desktop to portable handheld systems. In only a few years, cell phones evolved from simple screen capabilities to touch screen technology with Internet access. The increased usage of technology has caused many to rethink other inventions, which have barely changed since their inception.

Here are a couple of products that have received a technology-based makeover, thus changing the way they are advertised and used,

Cigarettes

Cigarettes, specifically tobacco smoke, have a long history in religious ritual, medicine, and recreational usage. Usage of tobacco can be dated back to 3000 BC when the substance was cultivated in South America. Tobacco found a home in the US in Jamestown around 1612 as a cash crop. The usage of tobacco was re-popularized upon the advent of advertising media and subsequently movie film. As smoking bans increase across the US, technology has served an alternative method for smokers, which is the exception to the smoking ban legislation – electronic cigarettes. The e-cigarette mimics the taste and nicotine content of a cigarette without the smoke.

Books

Writing systems can be traced to ancient civilizations, particularly the writings from ancient Egypt on papyrus scrolls, around 5,000 BC. The first recording of a book format was around 2400 BC. From their birth in ancient history, books have been created on wax, wood, clay, and metal. Book underwent a metamorphosis in consumption when Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press in 1450, which fueled education, book availability, and increased literacy across Europe. The development of digital printing began a new age for the consumption of reading material. Although electronic books or e-books were invented in the 1970′s, they weren’t widely available or affordable until the wide release of e-book readers, such as the Amazon Kindle, in 2009. The pageless “book” changed the way books are bought and stored, since hundreds of books can be stored and bought through one e-reader.

Music

Although music has seen many forms over the last few decades the change from the CD to mp3 changed the way most music is stored and bought. Using the increased popularity of personal computing systems, music stores and music labels have found another market for selling the music of musicians by song or album though availability online. Technology for portable storage of music in mp3 form has also become more affordable with the ability to hold thousands of songs.

While some technology will eventually lose relevance to the daily lives of consumers, other invention will benefit from a technological makeover that will refuel an interest in its benefits.

Google has begun testing simpler and cleaner models for the search engine results page. The designs vary, but they all have more white space between results, fewer secondary links, like cached and similar, and no underlining in common. Another version of the search engine model has dashed lines between results, as well. These models have been filtered around the net, presumably to test which are easier for users to navigate.

Some critics of the filtered designs have complained that the designs are too similar to other search engines, such as Bing, and the new designs are too different from the comfort of the original model. Some users have started using Twitter as a vehicle for opinions about the separate test pages. The test is apart of a plan called the bucket test, where changes are shown to only a small amount of viewers can see the changes.

The models have less information per link and fewer results on the page. This allows a cleaner, streamlined look, but many users are not pleased with the possibility of these changes. Some users say the results pages with less information is counterintuitive to Google’s reputation for the amount of information from results. Fewer results per page will force users to scroll more often and click through to more pages than before.

There is an agreement between users on two possible reasons Google is choosing to test this type of layout, including:

Provoke a Feeling of Accuracy

By limiting the number of result on a page and clearing the rest of the space of most secondary links, user will have the illusion of a more accurate and considered search.

For example, if you were to search for medical assistant schools, Google would only list a few of the most relevant keyword specific sites found online, without linking to a myriad of other different secondary sites.

For More Advertisement

There is a section of the critical pool that believes Google is opening more white space for new forms of advertisement. This might also allow them to insert multimedia formats of advertisement, instead of the usually text or photo-based ads.

However, Google has made no other statement, except that the model were a part of a test, but not necessarily the final set-up. User found, if they deleted cookies from their computer, the screen display would return to the original format. Google will be collecting data from user in the test group to get a sense of the parts of the designs that worked or didn’t work.

In an attempt to combat the influx of online games that have become popular in every computer lab across the US, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has announced a new system for rating games through a computer automated network and questionnaire. Digital gaming growth placed a strain in the self-regulated organization, and it has made the process of assigning age ratings to games an antiquated model. Since several game platforms won’t release games without a rating, the former system was a problem, but the new system should solves some of the former qualms.

The new system would place a lot of trust on the game publisher. With the help of the questionnaire a computer program will evaluate every aspect of the game, including violence, sex, profanity, drug usage, and bodily function. Publishers will be expected to fill out detailed questionnaires on these categories to help the machine with the rating process. Once the game is evaluated, the computer gives the game a rating, and the game will be available for release. Some distributors will require a follow-up evaluation by a human of the computer’s rating, but the computer will do most of the work.

The questionnaire begins with eight basic questions about the content of the game. Based on the yes answer, there will be more detailed questions. For example, if you answer yes to sexual content, the questionnaire will then ask about the context of the content, etc.

The publishers will also be expected to submit a video with the example graphics detailed within categories on the questionnaire. The ESRB is relying on the publisher to submit each scene that could affect maturity ratings, but there is no system in place when a publisher does not disclose portions of the game. Presumably, game sales would halt until the case is evaluated. Most publisher would benefit from complete honesty in regards to the questionnaire process, since game ratings are more strictly enforced than movies and music, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Although, this system only applies to digital releases, eventually box releases and casual gaming environments may have the same process. The perk of this system is it’s a more cost-effective way toward a game release for the publisher and ESRB.

This new ESRB system is more of an experiment, until the organization has a better idea of the effectiveness. If the program is successful, there may be an expansion of the process within the next few years.

Once a niche market among a select few, gaming has grown by leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings. As various role playing games and more mainstream console based games grow in the popularity, the Internet has encouraged the change in the way our society views and uses these brands. Online gaming has become the dominion of no single market, and has pervaded pop culture on an epic scale.

As the number of personal computers grows, so does the online gaming world. It is fueled by this massive influx of potential users. Everyone remembers World of Warcraft and it’s staggering figure of 1 million registered online users. This was a watershed moment for online gaming, yet the figures continue to grow and has long since dwarfed WOW’s boastful number.

The reason why online gaming continues to remain popular is the way in which it continues to grow and redefine itself. Online gaming is anything but static. Online gaming has found safe harbor in the world of social networking where, one of the world’s largest gaming companies, Zynga, has continued to captivate the market and users through games, such as Farmville, YoVille, and Mafia Wars.

Zynga, for example, remains committed to the idea of introducing gaming to the world. Their company’s mission, as stated by founder Mark Pincus, is designed to create an interconnected world using gaming as the vehicle in which to do this. This is a bold statement, yet the company seems to be making good on their promises. They have been able to do many things to enact real world change through the use of online gaming.

American Banking and Market News recently reported on the impending Zynga Pokercon event to be hosted at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s expected to gain a lot more traction for this company that’s already proven to be a powerhouse. The goal of this tournament was born out of the company’s mission statement: to bring the world together though gaming. The company wanted to bring all of the players that currently partake in the increasingly popular world of online poker, and bring them to the real world, together under one roof. The convention hosts a lineup of celebrity poker players and regular users. It’s expected to have a huge turnout, but Zynga didn’t stop there. The events will also have appearances by celebrity musicians, such as rapper B.O.B. of the #1 hit song, “Magic.”

The company has begun a campaign using its vast financial resources to enact social change. The website, Zynga.org, discusses how the company has been collecting money for a while, through their various gaming platforms, for donations and funds in order to assist in the preservation of wildlife, habitat conservation, and third world aide. Each year will have a different theme – 2010’s theme was water. The goal of the donation is to bring the world together through gaming and to contribute to efforts to raise awareness on various global and social issues that impact us all.

Gaming has come a long way since the days of dingy dark basements and one bit graphics. Ever since online gaming came to the forefront of pop culture, it has continued to captivate audiences and surprise us in all in a myriad ways. One can only guess at how much further the gaming industry will grow, but only time will tell.

Techcrunch recently posted a post about music sites called “Your Guide to Music on the Web — Part 1“.  Here are the sites it includes:

• Pandora
• Last.fm
• Deezer
• Finetune
• Amie Street
• Jamendo
• SoundCloud
• TheSixtyOne
• Project Playlist
• Jiwa.fm
• Jogli
• MixTube
• Lala
• Musicovery
• CitySounds.fm
• Jango
• RadioBeta
• TheRadio
• Aupeo
• Tun3r
• Play.fm

Some of the sites/services are very similar and some are naturally better than others, but all are worth briefly checking  if you admire tuneage.  Or you can read the TechCrunch article if you’d like a description/write up on each.

In approximately 19 hours, We Choose The Moon will enter “stage 2″ and the Apollo 11 moon mission will be recreated in real time.  I’m not exactly sure of the recreation details, but from what appears on the site currently, it looks like there could be a audio stream between the astronauts and mission control, unfolding as it happened.  I’m also banking on more pictures, graphics and a possible video or two.

A related note: Slashdot comes with word of NASA restoring lost Apollo 11 tapes and is holding a briefing tomorrow to announce their release.  It would be nice to see this greatly improved quality of the moonwalk on the We Choose The Moon site.

Kickstarter is a fairly new way to fund various ideas and undertakings.  People who wish to fund a project — say a musician, a filmmaker, an artist, etc. — sign up on Kickstarter and anyone who wishes to pledge toward it can do so and may receive “rewards” (such as products, services or other benefits) in the process.

The site is not an investment mechanism.  Those using Kickstarter to fund their projects — the project creators — keep 100% ownership and control.

It’s all or nothing.  A goal of “x” amount of dollars is set and after “y” amount of days, if that goal is not met, no money is sent to the Kickstarter project creator and no “rewards” doled out.  On the other hand, funding goals can be exceeded so there is no limit to the amount of money that can be raised.

And there are embeddable widgets, (after the jump):

I chose the above project to widgetize solely based on my like of the Kinks.  The project blurb is as follows:

Last May, I created my mission: To reunite the brilliant but (in my opinion) under-appreciated band, the Kinks. I decided to make a documentary about the quest, wherever it took me. And it took me… To New York, to Los Angeles and to London. Along the way, I scored choice encounters with fellow Kinks fans named Paul McCartney, Sting, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Weller, Brian Wilson, Robyn Hitchcock and Clive Davis. I also headed to London to search out the original four: Ray Davies, Dave Davies, Pete Quaife and Mick Avory.

So where do you come in?

We need to raise just $5,500 largely to finish the editing. (That’s after already raising about $65,000 to make the film – and what we put in from our own pockets.) The good news is that we’ve already filmed everything we need and I’m confident, from looking over our rough cut, that we’re on the way to creating an innovative, inspiring, exciting film. Did I succeed at my mission? You’ll have to wait and see.

Project location: Boston, MA

Also check out the FlavorWire write up and interview.

Now to find something to pledge towards.

Google Latitude, a web and mobile phone service that shows where your friends are on a map, has gone live.  However, it seems to have a few kinks left in it as the above iPhone screen grab shows.  Right now it doesn’t seem to work at all on my iPhone.  And, even after I installed Google Gears on my iMac, Google Latitude would not detect my location automatically despite the numerous wi-fi networks around to grab my location.  I had to set it manually.

Read more about how the service should work on the Official Google Blog.

For streaming music on demand, Rhapsody reigned supreme for a long time.  That time, I believe, is now over.  For one thing, Rhapsody has no downloadable client for Mac.  You must stream from their site.  But the biggest letdown is the cash money it costs.  Sure, it is a richer experience with artist bios and reviews and navigating from tune to tune, but why pay when you don’t have to.

Enter:

• Just Hear It
• GrooveShark
• SeeqPod
• Songza
• Last.fm
• Pandora
• Lala

I haven’t done extensive testing on any of the newer services, but the more established Last.fm and Pandora while not exactly set up like Rhapsody still offer free tunes.

Last.fm is geared more toward a social experience with the ability to play some music.

Pandora takes a different approach — more like a radio.  Choose an artist, song, album or genre and a custom station is created related to this choice.

It looks as if seeqpod and songza may scrape for music that already resides on various websites.  Just Hear It, GrooveShark and Lala implement a more polished interface for searching and playback.