There seems to be a deluge of technological devices on the market and it seems hard to sort all of these devices out to know which is best or more suitable for your needs.

There is the iFamily (Jobs Obsession Syndrome?): iPad, iPhone, iTunes, etc. Then there are the competitors: Google Phone, Google this, Google that… Then there is Microsoft.. the arch enemy of Google and Apple, that has now come out with Microsoft Office in the Cloud.

For consumers, we just want to know what, how and especially how much it will cost us… The iPad seems like a winner with consumers, but who is telling me the new version of iPad will not appear next year?

Internet seems to have won over the hearts of millions as the preferred tool of communication and Wifi and other wireless fibre optic networks have made internet and mobile communications that much easier as time goes by.

So what now? ... M2M—that’s machine to machine (máquina a máquina) technology. This is the first of many software versions to hit the market with all sorts of domotic capabilities: controlling the air conditioning, the oven, the stove, the thermostat, the furnace, the DVD player, the lights in the living room, the temperature of the water, the garage door, the home security alarm… (Can it flush the toilet too?)

Many skeptics – like myself, wonder whether or not we have complicated our lives to such a point where technology is no longer a tool, but an addiction and a costly one at that.

Sure, we can save money on energy by turning off the lights we left on at home, by avoiding a fire with the temperature sensors or thermostats, and feel more “in control” of our lives. Hell, we could probably check to see if we left the coffeemaker on.

I can already imagine a menu on my mobile: a coffeepot icon, a microwave icon, a dryer icon, a washing machine icon an air conditioner icon, a water temperature icon (for the shower, of course), a light switch icon (for the lights at home), a computer icon (to turn on the home computer before arriving home), a security system icon (for homes, garage, even businesses). Forget Securitas Direct – who needs it any more!! We have it already available from our mobile phone! But where do we draw the line?

Technology seems to have no end. Unfortunately, the impact of technology on our personal lives has yet to be measured: does our brain function better or worse, do we suffer technological side-effects such as radiation and sleep deprivation? Do our children learn how to live and learn the buttons to push to make their lives easier? Are our children safer in a social media environment or in a family face-to-face, personal atmosphere?

These are some of the ethical issues that technology gurus must face in the future if consumers are willing to invest in their virtual world. Gates, Jobs, Zukerberg / Facebook and Google fanatics beware of the all-knowing and blood-thirsty legal profession.