What to expect from tech in 2026
Tech Life
BBC
4.3 • 227 Ratings
🗓️ 6 January 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For our first episode of 2026, Tech Life looks forward to the rest of the year, and beyond. What are the latest consumer gadgets on display at a huge electronics trade show in Las Vegas? How will assistive technology, designed to help people with disabilities, change this year? What should we be looking out for in the world of gaming? And we ask a futurologist to predict how tech will help us buy things from retailers over the next decade.
Presenter: Chris Vallance Producers: Tom Quinn & Imran Rahman-Jones
(Image: A computer-generated image of a circuit board, with “2026” shown in neon numbers in the centre. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked. |
| 0:12.7 | But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes, |
| 0:18.2 | The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and comedy specials |
| 0:22.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffle and Rommasheranga Nathan. However, and maybe I'm |
| 0:27.3 | biased, it's really all about the traitors uncoaked. So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops |
| 0:32.3 | and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. Hello and welcome to TechLife, the program about technology and how it affects all our lives. |
| 0:42.1 | I'm Chris Valence and welcome to 2026. And as we cross the threshold into the new year, |
| 0:48.9 | we're looking ahead to some of the tech that might be making a difference to your life over the next 12 months. |
| 0:55.7 | Shona McCallum is in Las Vegas to get an early look at some of the gadgets that will be vying for your money. |
| 1:03.2 | Call your pet real time, your pet can pick it up, you'll be able to hear the surrounding |
| 1:08.6 | and then give voice comments, say like, hey, come back. |
| 1:12.0 | We're also looking at advances in assistive technology. |
| 1:16.3 | We're seeing AI come into the smart home more and more. |
| 1:20.0 | And what I love about that is it allows your environment and your home to adapt to you |
| 1:25.1 | versus you having to adapt to the technology. |
| 1:28.7 | And TechLife's favourite gaming experts, |
| 1:30.9 | Tom Gerkin and Laura Kress, |
| 1:32.9 | reveal all the games we should all be getting excited about |
| 1:36.0 | in the coming year. |
| 1:37.7 | I'm so excited about this game, Laura. |
| 1:39.2 | I'm so excited about this game. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.