For the Tech Innovators Series, supported by Lenovo, Mashable uncovered eight groundbreaking innovations that are changing the landscape of business.
From Google to Powermat, businesses large and small are embracing these innovations to rise head and shoulders above the competition. These companies have recognized areas in their own industries that can be improved with tech, and are reaping the benefits of their own bold thinking.
This roundup showcases the innovations from the series. To read more, click through to get the full story, and follow the series to learn about even more innovations.
1. Why Digital Medical Records Could Save Your Life
On average, an individual has 19 different doctors over the course of a lifetime. When patients see new doctors, they often spend a chunk of the appointment explaining their ailments and medical history. They may even have bloodwork done, even if they had it done recently at a different doctor's office.
If the medical records system was digitized and all the information was in one convenient place, visits to the doctor would be quicker and less redundant. That "convenient place" is the cloud.
2. How Powermat Is Leading the Charge for Wireless Electricity
What's worse when you're on the go -- your smartphone running out of battery life with no power outlet anywhere to be found, or having to carry around a charger?
Frankly, both these situations are the pits. That's why wireless power pioneer Powermat is doing all it can to solve the on-the-go charging problem and make wired charging a thing of the past.
3. How Super-Strong Glass Keeps Your Smartphone Screen From Breaking
So many consumer electronics have touchscreens these days, and we tend to take them for granted. Sure, they might break or crack, but they've gotten considerably more durable over the years. That's thanks in large part to innovation by a team at Corning, manufacturers of Gorilla Glass.
That’s not to say that Gorilla Glass is shatterproof, but it’s definitely more resilient in the face of tumbles and general clumsiness than previous glass displays.
4. How Virgin Galactic Plans to Open Space Travel to the Masses
In the 50 years since the former Soviet Union sent the first man into orbit (Yuri Gagarin), a total of 517 people have flown in space.
With the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet now retired, private companies are finding a way to make space exploration accessible not just to the wealthiest few, but to all mankind. It's up to these companies to turn space into a legitimate business.
5. Location & Privacy: Why Flickr’s New Feature May Change Photo Sharing
Does the era of the always-on location-aware device demand a new genre of privacy settings? More robust geo-privacy settings, perhaps?
That's the motivation behind Flickr geofences, a newly added precautionary and practical feature that allows users to map out zones and set distinct location-sharing settings for those areas.
6. Connected Cars: The Fine Line Between Innovation & Distraction
The truth is, the auto companies are gun shy about adding too many social media hooks into their vehicles. The main reason is that they could distract drivers. Opposition by transportation secretary Ray LaHood doesn't help, either.
For four years, though, Ford and Microsoft have offered a middle ground with their Ford Sync technology.
7. How Google Is Leading the Way to a Voice-Activated Future
Speech and voice recognition technology have been around for half a century, but it’s still far from mainstream. Where are the machines that write down what we say? Where are the appliances that simply work based on voice commands?
That's changing, though, thanks in no small part to Google's efforts in developing voice recognition tech. Since 2008, Google has been steadily releasing products that turn voice into text -- and commands into action.
8. How Starbucks Is Paving the Way for Mainstream Mobile Payments
While near-field communication and QR code marketing campaigns are all the rage, the 2D bar codes pushing mobile payments are a little less sexy. Starbucks Card Mobile is a three-part system that includes 2D bar codes, scanners and mobile phone applications for iPhone, BlackBerry and now Android.
This seemingly simple system -- especially when stacked up against Google's pending NFC mobile payments program -- allows Starbucks customers to pay with their phones at roughly 9,000 locations in the U.S.
What's your favorite tech innovation? Let us know in the comments below.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, VisualField
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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