WORLD NYC

Technological advances come at a blistering rate. Just think of how many times you’ve upgraded your cell phone in the last few years, and how quickly it turned into an MP3 player, type pad and camera. Chances are one of these top 10 tech cities had something to do with it. Thanks to their culture of technological research and development, and their residents who are tech crazy, our future’s looking more and more like science fiction. Might a flying car be around the corner!?!

10. Tel Aviv
A population that spends more time online per capita than any other country, it appears the city is in a good spot to experience even more growth in the future.

9. Munich, Germany
One bold elements of the city’s tech culture include airport wireless connections that let you use your own ISP and in-flight broadband services for long-haul flights from Munich.

8. Bangalore, India
Thirty-five percent of IT talent works in Bangalore and generates a massive chunk of India’s overall GDP.

7. Helsinki, Finland
Finland claims that 70% of its population uses the internet. Also with the Helsinki University of Technology readying thousands of students for its high-tech market, Helsinki is considered the second fastest growing urban area in Europe.

6. Seattle, Washington
is widely known for two things: tech companies and coffee shops. Bill Gates set up Microsoft here with offices throughout the city and its suburbs, but he’s not alone. Amazon.com and T-Mobile are two other big companies in Seattle’s white pages. In all, the popularity of tech companies in Seattle was so big in the ‘90s that close to 50,000 people moved in.

5. San Francisco bay, California
Known as Silicon Valley, the area got its name in the ‘70s because of a number of computer companies developing silicon microchips there. The area’s residents get to reap the rewards, like access to a “connected bus” service with free Wi-Fi and touch-screen maps. It looks like Rice-A-Roni isn’t the only treat in this town.

4. Hong Kong, China
You can place an order with a robot waiter in Hong Kong. This is just one example of this tech city’s gadget-crazy life, which also includes extensive cell phone coverage and the fastest residential broadband in the WORLD.

3. Singapore
Singapore, a city state of just under four million people, is a tech utopia. Wireless broadband is available to everyone free of charge. The government also promises to increase wired broadband speeds to 1gig a second by 2012.

2. Seoul, South Korea
Samsung and LG Group are based in Seoul, and are the backbones of the country’s strong mobile phone industry. Seoul is also considered one of the most connected tech cities; people have wireless access on public transportation, even underground in the subway.

1. Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is the ultimate canvas of high-tech living. You can find everything here: techie gadgets, next-generation cell phones, a high-speed public transportation system, advanced electronics, smaller microchips, and the highlight — digital toilets. While some of the big tech companies in Tokyo include Sony, Nikon and Panasonic, the city is a marketplace for every Japanese product from Nintendo to Epson. In Tokyo, the majority of residents have ketai (mobile phones) glued to their hands. They use them for texting, e-mailing, talking, and shopping. When they’re not on them, they’re using broadband with speeds several times faster than anything in North America.

Proud day for all of us. We did it WORLD.