As noteworthy company Research In Motion is struggling with keeping afloat and preventing more people from selling used BlackBerrys for something better by considering split-and-merger options and thereby diminishing its size, another prominent company is looking to expand into other ventures that just scream “future-tech.”
Google showed off its Google Glass Explorer Edition last week at the Google I/O conference. The gadget is the first official prototype to come out from Google’s Project Glass R&D program, which aims to develop Augmented Reality devices worn as, well, glasses.
These AR devices are designed to let a user interact with the world while at the same time staying connected to the World Wide Web; or at the very least – and if plans push through – allow users to do things they can do with PCs offline (the now more possible eventual appearance of Virtual Reality video games particularly rocks my boat), albeit understandably with limited functionality and/or a different user interface.
Accordingly, the Google Glass weighs less than most sunglasses. It has a titanium frame, making it very light and comfy. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since Google employee Isabelle Olsson used to be an eyewear designer. It has a touch pad panel at the side for controlling purposes, and a button at the top for shooting photos and videos very much akin to webcam buttons.
Actual specs are undisclosed as of the moment. All that is known is that the nifty device has a camera, radio channels for data communication, a speaker, a microphone, and an internal gyroscope that indicates a user’s position and faced direction.
Although future iterations will most probably render these AR glasses everyday necessities much like cellphones are now, for the moment their functions are limited to accessing Google+ hangouts, playing video files, taking pictures, filming home movies, and sharing files. There are also speculations that a Google search may come up with for the next prototype, but don’t take my word for it.
The Google Glass Explorer Edition is currently only available to software developers who were able to attend Google’s I/O convention, going for $1,500 apiece and deliverable by early 2013. As for the mainstream market, we will all just have to wait a bit longer.
This is exciting news indeed, as AR’s possibilities have been teased at us quite a number of times already. What once was considered a flight of fancy just a decade ago is now something that is nearing reality. Imagine having Tony Stark’s workstation right in your very basement: Such a thing could come true give or take a few years, and the Google Glass is only the beginning.
Megan Cunningham is a young Web Enthusiast, Graphic Artist, Blogger and contributing author of Cash4Laptops.com . You can catch her on Twitter @Meganbility
Google’s First Project Glass Prototype Sees the Light,
Misha
Jul 13. 2012
I heard so many good feed backs about Google’s first glass project and it sound very inter sting. This post gave me more information about this.
Navin
Jul 17. 2012
Hey Misha,
Thanks for Reading my article and Im glad it helped you.
Louisa
Jul 16. 2012
Wow this is amazing! As a kid when I was bored walking home, I used to dream of something like this and now it’s becoming a reality!
Navin
Jul 17. 2012
Hi Lousia,
I really hope that Google glass will be successful because this gadget can help many people.
Nishadha
Jul 17. 2012
If you see the video of the conference and not impressed by the service then you’re definitely a Google hater. I hope this project takes off rapidly.
Navin
Jul 26. 2012
Hello Nishadha
I think Google glass will really need lots of time to be develop, it seems like it is impossible but I like how the Google created a concept like this.
Gerry Tompson
Jul 24. 2012
Interesting gadget. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
Navin
Jul 26. 2012
Hello Gerry,
Well, as of now there are no news about Google Glass yet, But I will write if there is an update about the Project.
ramesh
Aug 02. 2012
This is just amazing!Welcome to the modern world of science.
shailesh
Apr 19. 2014
Nice post……Google has always come up with new innovative ideas related to technologies. Google Glass is one in all the foremost hyped and anticipated comes from Google…… After Google Glass Google has Patent Tiny Contact Lens Camera.
Dilipwk
Jul 06. 2014
Google glass seems to be a hypothetical project since the implementation strategy and deployment plan is quite unrealistic. Though may not be totally true, but various fall backs are there in Google Glass project.