Picture a telephone conversation from the 1980s or 1990s, and there is a good chance it features a retractile cord. The iconic coiled cord was the conduit for billions of conversations, millions of faxes and eventually the first incarnation of home internet. Also notable: its remarkable ability to be underfoot and a tripping hazard.
Few would argue that the retractile cord is superior to the digital networking of today, made possible by antennas, frequency modulation and miniaturized electronics. Slowly but surely, digital networking has usurped physical wires and connections wherever it is convenient and possible.
Not only that, but latency is as good as a physical connection in some cases. Something like 5G promises a revolution in live, real-time data transceiving, to the point where it may be a linchpin technology for autonomous automobiles.
Digital technologies everywhere are increasingly wireless. We'll take a look at innovations and trends in
the world of 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more.
