2016 was an exciting year for tech.

    For the first time ever, the U.S. presidential debates were live-streamed* to Twitter and Facebook. Augmented reality* went mainstream* in a big way, thanks to the runaway success of a smartphone app called “Pokémon Go.” And Amazon made good on CEO Jeff Bezos’ pledge to deliver orders by drone*.

    Here we take a look back at some of 2016’s best moments in tech.

    ‘Pokémon Go’

    Augmented reality has existed in some form or another for years.

    But it wasn’t until San Francisco developer Niantic released the wildly popular “Pokémon Go,” that augmented reality became mainstream.

    The free-to-play smartphone app asks players to go to locations in the real world where they can see and interact with Pokémon and Pokeballs.

    The app rapidly became a global phenomenon, skyrocketing* to No. 1 in the Apple iTunes’ free app category.

    Hyperloop* a little more real

    The super high-speed transportation system raised by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk aims to quietly transfer passengers and cargo at speeds rivaling* airplanes — over 600 mph.

    Hyperloop One performed its first public test run in Nevada in May — an early proof of concept that saw a sled* accelerate to 116 mph in 1.1 seconds. The test run helped usher the system out of the realm* of sci-fi fantasy into that of possibility.

    Delivery by drone

    2016 was the year when several businesses actually delivered on promises of packages dispatched by drone. Google X delivered Chipotle burritos* to Virginia Tech students this September. And in December, Amazon announced a small pilot program in Britain where shoppers can now order goods by drone. The first delivery: an Amazon Fire TV and a bag of popcorn, transported in just 13 minutes.

    Amazon’s Echo Dot brings A.I. to the masses

    Alexa is Amazon’s voice-activated robot assistant. Earlier this year, the tech giant released Echo Dot, a puck-shaped* speaker powered by Alexa at just US$50.

    Alexa does a lot, like answering questions, reading the news, playing music and setting timers. Its smart home integration made the so-called “Internet of Things” a reality, connecting and controlling disparate* devices with simple voice commands.

    (SD-Agencies)