February 2013 saw Augmented Reality devices at their finest. The launch of Google Glass, streamed live on a Google+ hangout and spectated by thousands was one of the most historic hangouts to ever occur. The product launch was rather ironically compared to the launch of the first iPhone, the phone that indeed did change the mobile industry for good. Does the glass intend to bring forth such change, albeit in a different sector? Our bet is on yes, and lets read ahead to find out.
Google has nailed it with the design. Walking out in the public will bring up curious stares, but not the ones that’ll make you conscious enough to think you look a weirdo. They have relentlessly worked on design and it shows. The colours available are also for the device to feel more personal to the user, as explained by one of Google’s representatives. Vision is largely unobstructed, with just a tiny screen that floats on the upper right side of your field of vision. A few minutes in, the screen is almost naturally a part of you.
To activate the Glass, you use the voice command ‘Ok Glass’. There is a touchpad at the side of the device that allows you to operate the in-device menus and options. The device gets its data via Wi-Fi or can tether via Bluetooth, but doesn’t house its own cellular chip, which is understandable. It does, however embed its own GPS unit. The UI of the Glass is exactly as demonstrated in the demo video by Google, clean and unobtrusive; and we love it that way.
Various tech-blogs have already received and reviewed the product, and are thoroughly impressed even though the product isn’t at its final stage. There are likely to be certain hardware/software changes before the final release, though the physical appearance of the Glass is likely finalized. Google is encouraging App developers to use the existing Android API till it finalizes and launches its own GDK, or Glass development kit. The possibilities that ship with the device are fairly limitless.
Navigation will have a whole new medium with real time turn by turn directions being instructed to you as you go. The demo video displayed how great it was to set and reach upon a particular destination. Due to its inbuilt camera, Photography and Videography during events such as Music Concerts will almost be involuntary, effectively allowing you to enjoy without outstretching your arm to capture your favourite Band’s memories. Developers have already created apps for shopping, which allow scanning of products to look up for various reviews and ratings online and then make the final purchase. This is so much more convenient than taking out your smartphone, entering a search query and then browsing through various websites to locate reviews.
Doctors and Nurses will no longer need to depend on bulky Tablets or Smartphones to look up for patient details. A single gaze would be sufficient to know about the patients’ basic details, current medication and upcoming schedule. Gaming is bound to be redefined, as is entertainment. Untouched even, is the potential for advertising. With Google patenting ‘Pay-per-Gaze’, in which the advertisers are to pay every time a user looks at an advertisement, one can only imagine the future that lies ahead in the sector.
With an array of wearable technologies entering the market, will they be a boon or curse? Will they assist or distract? And with the advent of a technology as sophisticated and non-interruptive as the Glass, will the Smart-Watch phenomenon fail before it even exists? Only time can tell.
App development has now been taken to an all new level by developers like Liquid Digital as can be seen in testimonials on their website www.liquiddigital.net.au.
Google Glass: The Possibilities Ahead
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