What problem does this solve?

Increasingly, the answer to this question guides whether I dismiss a shiny new technology out of hand.

You see, there are two types of problems that technology is meant to solve.

• Problems we know we have.
• Problems that we did not know we had but ones that are obvious once the solution comes along.

Far too many products coming to market these days don’t appear to meet the former and the later is so non-apparent it might as well be fiction. Make sure the technology (device, app, service, etc.) you allow into your life meets the criteria and can give a clear answer to that question. If not, pay it no mind and move along.