2000 Vs 2022

It can be somewhat surprising to compare how things were just two decades ago. Indeed, when one considers what tech we used in our typical lives back then, 2000 looks like the dark ages. Today we are in the realm of science fact, rather than science fiction, with artificial intelligence ubiquitous, driverless cars waiting for the green light, and approximately 20 billion connected sensors contributing to the Internet of Things. Undoubtingly today’s internet is lightning fast compared to the internet in the 2000s. More than that, it has forever changed the way businesses operate and how people communicate and stay in touch. However, the inception of social web and mobile phone technology enhancements have made it an integral part of most people’s lives.

Television

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Back then in 2000s top television shows were used to be watched at DVD box sets. This device plays DVDs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to watch the DVD content, which could be a movie, a recorded TV show, or other content. The medium can store any kind of digital data and has been widely used for video programs.

When one considers what tech we used in our typical lives back then, 2000 looks like the dark ages.

Home theatre is provided with a set of speakers which gives theatre experience at home. The 4K screen and cinematic sound from your home theatre setup can fill every corner of your home. Not only the digital streaming services, but also movies on demand and popular cable shows or even the Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. The ability to enjoy your favourite movies at home has also become increasingly affordable and gratifying. In these 22 years technology has evolved being a blessing itself, and offering us the comfort of theatre at home.

Mobile Phones

The early 2000s were a golden era for cell phones. Every new phone had some exciting and special features to offer. There were a lot of phone options to choose from phone cases and accessories to buy, and games of Snake to play. The one that had a tiny screen, stayed almost fully charged for a whole week on standby mode, and you needed two hands to hold as it was so heavy was a cell phone in the 2000s. The cell phone was notable for its quirky keyboard revealed by a sliding screen.

Rapidly expanding software titles, better screen resolution, and constantly improved interface made cell phones the new smartphones easier to navigate, an expanding capacity that can hold as much memory as a computer, access the internet with the touch of our finger made it more fun to use. Earlier cell phones were just for talking. But in the recent years, the purpose of the cell phone has shifted from a verbal communication tool to a multimedia tool. The cell phone has changed and developed so rapidly in the past decade that it seems almost anything you can expect is possible for the future. It’s not just the technology of the cell phone that has evolved over time, but the physical design has also gone through a rollercoaster of changes.

Music

Twenty-two years ago, portable company disc players were there with some MP3 players on the market, with players of varying sizes, colours, and specs to fit any kind of user. They were plugged and playable on any computer operating system, and you were able to transfer music easily even without software. It’s a pretty little thing with adjustable volume sliders, buttons to fast-forward and rewind, and two headphone jacks, in case you wanted to share your favourite tunes with a special friend.

Nowadays the latest songs are streamed in incredibly popular applications: Apple Music, Spotify and many more – the same number of tracks it has available. Today most of us consume music via our smartphones by connecting audio devices. Wireless headphones/earbuds are the progress of technology for offering high quality music. Earbuds also have a power bank allowing you to charge your earbuds on the go benefiting people who travel often. The wireless earbuds aren’t just more convenient, they’re actually now full-blown necessity.

Gaming

In the year 2000 the PS2 was launched, which marked a turning point for gaming culture – it was the first console that looked ‘grown up’. Prior to then, gaming consoles were mostly aimed at children and teenagers, with popular games being classics like Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, played on N64, Xbox, PS1 and Sega consoles.

Gaming systems nowadays are more portable than ever – which allows you to stream games over Wi-Fi and play them on a desktop, smartphones and tablets. Gaming graphic capabilities have also advanced hugely in the last 22 years, moving from colour blocks through pixelated images, arriving at the near lifelike quality of imagery we know today. As we head into 2022, a huge number of different gaming consoles are available, with features such as motion tracker technology and virtual reality headsets that make you feel like you are actually in the game rather than just playing it! This is aided by the advancement of realistic 3D graphics and game physics that occur just as they would in real life.

From the January 2023 issue of FHM India.