A certified astronaut in addition to his knowledge of computer science, Lon Seidman traveled to the Florida Space Coast last November to witness the launch of Artemis I to the moon. As with the launch of the show, Seidman couldn't help but marvel at the footage he was able to capture with his smartphone.
Originally from Essex, Lon Seidman is the host and CEO of Lon.TV, a YouTube channel he launched in 2012 for reviews of gadgets and technology. Now Lon.TV has about 320,000 subscribers. We spoke with Zaidman about the latest technology coming in 2023, from home gadgets to mobile devices.
What gadget do you consider necessary?
The video capabilities of the iPhone have improved more than incrementally with each generation. I carry fewer things with me because it does what I need. Another thing for me is the Apple Watch. It started out as a fitness tracker for me a few years ago, but now thanks to the Apple Pay integration, I use it a lot.
What new gadget or service has already disappointed you?
The big idea that isn't here is virtual reality and augmented reality. The last thing most people want after two years of Zoom hell is to have a screen on their head and see people virtually. In terms of fun, I think this is the closest approximation of a Star Trek holodeck I've ever seen. But will people walk around with something boring on their heads? They are not yet close to consumer acceptance. It should have the same appearance as the glasses.
With the supply chain disrupted last year, what are your thoughts on speeding up purchasing decisions?
What I've noticed [this fall] is that low-cost stuff -- things that people really need during the pandemic, like cheap Chromebooks, cheap laptops and stuff like that, and webcams that weren't possible to take with you, — suddenly became available. only in quantity, but was sold. This was several months ago. This is the downstream side of the market, but everything goes upstream. And during the Amazon Prime Early Access sale in October, there were better deals than on the first day of summer. I think that this year you will see the availability of electronics that we have not seen in years. Even special items are already available.
Fiber, cable, fixed wireless - how should people feel about their internet capabilities?
Depending on where you live, you have gone from one choice to many options. It won't be the same everywhere - for example, where I live, my cell tower is far away and I have a very slow data rate, so wireless isn't really an option. If I live downtown where there is an ultra broadband tower, this would be a really good option because I get gigabit from my phone. The best advice I would give is if anyone is thinking about going wireless and has a new smartphone download the Speedtest.net app and run it and see what you get as it will tell you what you will get from these devices. Services.
Most of all, fiber provides significant download speeds - it can download at the same speed as uploads. For me this is a big problem.
I don't think satellite will ever be able to compete with fiber because they are radio waves and they can't provide that much bandwidth on a small dish. But if you're in a rural area with poor cell coverage and no hope of fiber to your home, SpaceX's Starlink service is roughly comparable to a cheap cable internet connection.
What product or service is rumored to be of most interest to you in the next year or two?
There are rumors that Apple is working on the release of augmented reality. Based on history, they usually sit back and let those markets flatten or mature and then turn off the mic, right? It has a very good history; if they are developing an AR product, you can see the technology being implemented. They won't until they're ready and the market is ready for it.
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