Gadgetory

when you think about Google you probably think about search and Android that's not how people will talk about Google ten years from now behind the scenes Google is tackling some of the most ambitious projects in tech like Willy Wonka level out their stuff I'm Donna Bell and in today's top five I'm counting on the five special projects that will shape Google's future and yours starting off at number five Google Fiber now I know that speeding up your home internet connection doesn't sound like the craziest out-there tech dream but if Google doesn't do it no one will the broadband monopolies have no incentives to improve things or lay out the money to install fiber without the fear of Google beating them to the next generation of high-speed Internet the US will be left in the dark ages of overpriced bundled cable deals that will just get more bloated and sadistic once the connected home becomes a reality if Google Fiber is the cure for Comcast heartburn I'm all for it at number four project ara this is Google's concept for a modular phone that you can upgrade and customize bit by bit because let's face it the pace of smart phone hardware innovation is slowing down basically buying the same phone over and over again just for little incremental improvements it's a waste of money and it's an unsustainable waste of resources there's something sort of beautiful about a truly personalized phone that adapts with you over the course of your life I want to live in that world coming in at number three project tango you know how the Microsoft Kinect can map out your living room in 3d but what if your phone or tablet could do the same thing everywhere you go Google is selling hardware to developers right now that will do just that and it's opening up all kinds of potential for developers it means you can sell an app that tells you exactly where to locate the quinoa your grocery store but for Google has the potential to help them fill in that last mile of Google Maps going inside the buildings a logical and somewhat frightening step but if it means Google now can help you figure out where you left your car keys maybe it's a fair trade at number two Project loon appropriately titled since it is the craziest idea on this list Google is obsessed with connecting the next billion people to the Internet people who live in areas of the world with practically no way to get online now Google always sounds so altruistic when they talk about it but they're basically trying to figure out how to get banner ads to the third world how do you get high-speed Internet to the Himalayas well how about floating balloons by floating giant weather balloons in the Earth's stratosphere at the edge of space Google can create a mesh network of radio signals that can bounce the internet down to even the most remote corners of the globe it's the kind of crazy ambitious project that only Google could pull off which brings us to the number one Google project that will make the future a more interesting place the Google self-driving car not everybody needs an Android phone but everyone needs a car if Google gets it right they could save lives ease traffic congestion and free us up to watch Game of Thrones in the comfort of our cars but the payoff for Google is huge they'll have the best 3d road data updated constantly by us putting them at the unreachable top of the navigation game because they'll know everything you do and every move you make they can target their ads with uncanny accuracy you get a hankering for some Pad Thai and your car's already warmed up and ready to go of course when you realize that you got that craving after seeing an ad in Gmail and you have to admit to yourself that you no longer have any kind of privacy your autonomy that Google doesn't have some influence over you might get a little depressed so there you go the five fold path for Google's ultimate plan for benevolent world domination telling you the Google of 2024 is going to be far removed from the debates over Android versus iOS they'll be too busy driving you to work and scanning your home and providing your internet for more top 5 videos like this visit top-5 cnet.com and Donald Bell thanks for watching