Hong Kong: the tech
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
Hong Kong is a city where technology and gadgets make a part of everyday life. People cycle through mobile phones multiple times per year, and there are over 100% phones in use per person! In fact, the elevator in my hotel proudly boasted cell phone service, per the photo on the right.
Stores in Hong Kong abound with cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, and that doesn’t even start to include the “little” pieces of technology. I went to stores with practically nothing but webcams and mice. Others had keyboards and LCD screens. It’s like going to the butcher, grocer, and dairy shop separately, except with more electronics. I must admit, it was fun seeing literally dozens of different shops carrying the Slingbox!
One technology that’s done a lot better in HK than in North America is from a company called Fon. If you haven’t heard of them, go check them out – think of it as a worldwide, peer to peer wifi Internet service. You buy a Fon router, install it at home, and sign up to the service. Then you basically share your Internet connection with all other Fon subscribers, and you get access to their Internet connection when you need one. Nice idea, I hope they find some success here soon.
