Geek Chic sports wearable computers in visors, glasses, etc. Services are beginning to look to new technologies, including wireless. Telecom networks have been designed to handle voice and do not handle data well. Redesigns are expected to handle various forms of data, of which voice is only one. Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days.
Telecom networks use circuit switches that incur a delay when making connections.
These delays are unacceptable for data transmissions that last a fraction of the connect time. The web can provide real-time access to a number of services, including photography and videoconferencing. Even in the home, a refrigerator equipped with bar code readers and bar coded stock can keep track of your inventory, produce grocery lists, and even automate the shopping transaction for you. In Finland, vending machines have been introduced that do not accept cash. Instead, consumers use their cell phones to activate the machine.