Tech Roundup: The Best and Worst Tech Innovations for 2013

Techies like to imagine themselves as part of the future. No matter how much interest the hottest tech tools of today may generate, loyal tech soldiers need to be a step ahead. What's hot today can be eclipsed in a Silicon Valley nanosecond by what's being developed.

But how many of these tech changes are anything more than just pure hype? Will any of these "next best things" truly take us through the rest of 2013 as paragons of tech success?

MyWhat?

Justin Timberlake may have been able to bring sexy back, but the same can’t be said for the new MySpace. The interface, while aesthetically pleasing, is largely difficult to use, and the entire network still doesn’t really have a point. Is it for music lovers? Is it a sharing platform? Is it a Facebook alternative? We're already tired of trying to figure it out.

Google’s Talking Shoe

You probably already know about Google Glass, but have you heard about Google's Web-connected sneakers that serve as your personal trainer? They feature a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a pressure center, all of which are linked to an app on your smartphone. Besides tracking your workout, these shoes give you feedback and motivation. Google unveiled them at SXSW this year, but they're not for sale, at least, not yet.

Go Fast or Go Home

Also hot at SXSW this year: 4G communication. Touted to provide 10 times the speed of existing 3G coverage, 4G networks enable blazing-fast social networking, Web browsing and streaming video on your smartphone. T-Mobile announced they will be joining the LTE party March 26 at their “Uncarrier” event in New York City, making them the last of the four major carries to launch their own 4G LTE network. This is just one of the steps they are taking to compete with Verizon and AT&T's iPhone. With the T-Mobile LG Optimus, users will now be able to send movies and videos to their big-screen TVs, combating the iPhone's Airplay capabilities. Today's mobile devices are all about speed, so look for 3G to become old school real quick.

What’s in Your iPhone?

As everything moves toward mobile, you will literally find an app for anything. While some of them are really clever, others fall flat when it comes to practical application – and some magically do both.

Such an example is Lemon Wallet. The app itself is a great concept; store your credit card information, loyalty cards for the supermarket, identification cards and more all on your phone. Lemon Wallet isn’t far off in terms of what would be convenient, and it's essentially a take (or even an expansion) on Apple’s Passbook. But it comes at the expense of the convenience that being in a partnership with one of the largest companies in the world affords you.

And what’s a bigger issue? Since when can you show a police officer, a bouncer or a customs agent your smartphone as proof of identification? While we may be headed toward a sci-fi future where such will be the case, 2013 isn’t the year.

Security In the Sky

Cloud computing for business will continue to grow in popularity among organizations, to the point that by year-end, it will simply be the accepted way to get IT services. Forbes.com's Joe McKendrick even predicts we'll see the term “cloud” fade from the lexicon, because we'll no longer need a differentiating term; using it will just become de rigueur in business circles. So if you're sick of hearing about it, there's good news and bad: Everybody should stop talking about it, but it's not going anywhere.

And Then There are These

For starters, there's the poorly named, not-Star-Wars-themed YotaPhone. With its e-reader screen on the back for energy conservation and a fully functional smartphone screen on the front, this piece of tech is perfect for someone looking for the battery life and presentation of a basic Kindle, yet the functionality of an iPhone or tablet.

Equally entertaining? Any of the 4K TV developers who think making a screen more HD is somehow going to change people's minds about spending $12,000-plus on a television or redesigning their entire house to accommodate an 84-inch screen. Then there’s the USB fork that vibrates when you’ve eaten too much; they literally developed a product to call you a fat-ass.

In the end, tech prognosticators know it's hard to tell what’s coming next in the digital arena. However, it’s certain that there will be innovations that help change the world forever, as well as plenty of flops along the way.