You've just purchased lottery tickets for the US Powerball online. If you win, what are the first things you'll purchase? More than likely it'll be some of the gadgets and technologies on this list.
We've collected some of the most life-changing, mind-blowing gadgets that will continue to astound in 2016.
Smartphone payments
Both Apple and Google have their products, but Apple Pay is a little bit more popular, thanks to the extreme success of the iPhone. It simply means the end of plastic money, as you add a credit card to your phone's database and swipe with your device to pay. Easy, simple and extremely difficult to hack. Best of all, it's totally free (if you have a smartphone).
Self-driving cars
Have you seen these on the road yet? You may not even have noticed them as they drive as well (or even better) than the human counterparts. Audi, BMW, Hyundai and practically every other large car maker has thrown in with the self-driving car craze. While Google has some prototypes out there in the US, self-driving cars are only expected to make it into the mainstream later this year. Also, you may not be able to purchase them until 2017.
Free internet for the world, thanks to Google and balloons
Google has high hopes on this one: named Project Loon, Google will be sending balloons high into the atmosphere to turn the world into one giant 3G modem. To connect, you'll simply need an antenna but this means no more cables, and easier internet for wherever you may be. Who wouldn't want to buy this? Internet from any place on earth!
Drones
Those little flying toys will truly revolutionise our world, so get them while they're cheap! Drones are not only excellent fun to fly, but you can attach a camera to them to get a bird's eye view of your surroundings. One day, these flying devices will be delivering your parcels to you plus, they are easily controlled from any smartphone or tablet.
True VR
Back in the Nineties, virtual reality was all the rage, but thanks to the lack of computing power at the time, all VR products ended up being extremely useless. Today, we have HTC Vive, the Oculus Rift, Sony VR and so much more. Plus, the graphic and hardware technology use in modern VR is truly incredible.
"Hover" boards
See what we did there? The current craze of Hover boards is nothing but a marketing scheme to sucker in the gullible. Confined to the ground, they certainly don't hover, but they are quite special. They are essentially affordable Segway's, giant electric scooters from the early 2000's, but stripped down to the barest components. For quick, affordable transportation, these devices are ideal (and the more expensive ones can reach speeds of up to 60-80 km per hour).
Real hoverboards
You can blame Back to the Future for making us so obsessed with this technology, but they do exist, but only in a rather constrained environment. Car maker Lexus created the Slide Hoverboard that really hovers, but only within a special steel hoverboard park. The price is also the sort of thing only a lottery winner could swallow.
