Could anyone have imagined, even just a few years ago, that we'd someday be talking about our "digital sixth sense"?
The incredible rate at which technology continues to move is bringing all manner of new phrases and words into our lives with the latest being this notion of a digital sixth sense. For those ot quite as immersed in everything tech as some, this particular sense has nothing to do with ESP and everything to do with connecting just about everything in your life to the mobile device of your choice.
It's part of another major plan from the big tech companies dubbed The Internet of Things (IoT), and even though those of us who feel a bit out of the loop may poke some fun at it all, the future for IoT is quite bright.
Apple, Samsung, Qualcomm, Microsoft and the like are imagining a not-to-distant future where a mobile device serves as the hub that controls just about every other piece of tech in your life. Turning on the car, lights in your home, controlling the thermostat, starting dinner and an endless list of other convenient tricks are just a part of the IoT equation.
In short, these tech and smartphone vendors, and many others, are working on a total device-to-device communication ecosystem that revolves around one central device - more than likely for most, your smartphone.
Perhaps the most recent evidence is Qualcomm's AllJoyn project, an open source project that aims to provide a universal software framework and core set of system services that will enable interoperability among all connected products.
While this news is exciting, don't expect all this to happen by the end of next week - or even next year. There are lots of moving parts before this project sees the light of day.
"I just hope that all of the folks working on this important IOT and digital sixth sense vision find a way to make all of their devices and software work together seamlessly," said tech industry consultant and Time contributor Tim Bajarin.
"If they do, the realization of a broad, interconnected, digital sixth sense-enabled could be only about three to five years away. If not, it could take another six to eight years to flesh this out before mobile technology truly unlocks our digital sixth sense."
So, the next time you take a check of your senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching), you may soon be adding a quick glimpse at your mobile device to the check list, to make sure it is connected to your digital life.
