Last year, we saw some truly exiting breakthroughs from the tech world. Microsoft, Apple, Google and others brought every idea and trick they could brainstorm to the table, and we all saw the great, the not so great, and the absolute bonkers.

In the midst of all the crazy pushing and shoving for the center stage, there were a few ideas that, while needing a little more time, are poised to be complete game changers in 2014. Here are the top technologies to keep an eye on in the upcoming year:

Wearable tech for the wrist (and maybe the finger)

Wrist computers have been a dream since James Bond and Inspector Gadget first showed us what our wrists were missing. One piece of technology to get rushed out the door that reminded us of the potential tech real-estate on our forearms was the Samsung Smart Watch. The idea is one that you can bet will be a quickly growing area in 2014. The first smart watch has made it on the scene, now if someone can increase that battery life, and give it a better processor it will absolutely own the market.

The assumption, of course, is that the wrist is the only place to squeeze a wearable computer. The new tech start-up, “Smarty Ring,” however is banking on a totally different–and tiny–appendage. Your finger. They have planned to put to market a ring that maintains a great charge, shows you status updates, and even takes calls. Insane. Watch these guys closely.

Smarty_ring_wearble_tech

Super-smart Phones

When Apple launched the iPhone 5s last year, all eyes were on the fancy new fingerprint scanner and shiny colors. However, underneath all the hype is a little addition that is going to become the defining characteristic of every new smartphone released in 2014. A 64-bit processor.

Yes, everyone who heard about the new chip in the new iPhone has mocked it, wondering why anyone would every need so much power. But the story is always the same: When a new powerhouse of speed and graphics is released, just wait and watch while the software follows. There aren’t many apps taking advantage of the new power yet, as it always happens, every app you download will be maxed out with features and graphics. Old phones will die off faster than they have since the smart phone’s first inception. Just watch.

Google (the wild card)

If we learned anything about Google this past year, it’s that you can’t guess which way they will turn next. Their Nexus has beaten Apple to the tablet punch in terms of spec twice already. And Google Glass is another creative piece of wearable tech that just may change everything. If they can just make it look about a hundred times less dorky.

Google_Pixel_Chromebook

Then Google threw us the Chromebook, which was a strange half-baked idea that got everyone thinking, “Can you actually do business with just a web browser?” That is a question the newer, more beautiful, and more expensive Google Pixel, which sports a fully touchscreen, high-definition display, hopes to answer in 2014 with a resounding “Yes!”

With all the next technology having just peeked out from the winter of last year, there has never been a year with more possibility. Keep watching.