The veil of secrecy is slowly being pulled down. Google has been very secretive about one of its newest inventions – the Google Glass. With very limited previews of its prototype, the highly technical and modern gadget market is eagerly anticipating its commercial release. Google Glass is a head-mounted display or an augmented reality tool that is similar but quite different from virtual reality.
Project Glass
This is not a new technology but the backing by Google and its design, which is slimmer and smaller, has increased the attention to its development and impending release. The prototype does look like a pair of normal eyeglasses installed with the head-mounted display which is still visible. The future for the project might see the technology fully integrated into regular eyeglasses and other types of eyewear. Google Glass operates using Google’s Android OS. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, showed off the prototype of Google Glass in 2012.
The product
Google Glass is said to display information in the same way that a smartphone does it. It is totally hands-free and capable of interacting with the Internet using human voice commands. Its operating system is based on Google’s Android OS. The product, developed by Google X Lab is backed by experts that have been involved on the self-driving car project, Babak Parviz, Sebastian Thrun and Steve Lee, a specialist in geolocation. Google has acquired patents for the device to be mounted on the right and left side of the eyeglasses, as well as the incorporation of the augmented reality device in a smartwatch.
Availability and cost
The developers of Google Glass expects the developer version of the product to be available during the early part of 2013, with a cost that will be in the price range of a new smartphone, which would be around US$1,500. The consumer version of the product is expected to be available in 2014, although this is still just a rumor.
Developers’ competition
Google is now removing the layers of veils that cover their project, with the recent showing of videos demonstrating the use of Google Glass in different situations in the real world. The company had opened a pre-order for the limited edition of the Google Glass Explorer. Now it has upped the stock to about 8,000 more, which will be available for developers in the United States only.
Developers are clamoring to get their hands on a pair of Google Glass Explorer Edition. What excites and spur them to immediately sign up to be in the list is Google’s promotion targeting developers to present new concepts and ideas for Google Glass. They could send their own three ideas for the product in a written format, five photographs and 15-second video explaining their concepts for the headset and pay the $1,500 fee. Submission of applications is until February 27, 2013 and judging will commence soon after. Google says the judging will be done by an independent jury and will be based on the creativity, originality and usefulness of the proposal, including the broadness of the spectrum of user interaction that the concept provides. Developers who qualify will be sent invitation to attend the “special pick-up experience” scheduled in the bay area of San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles.
Photo Credit: Google Glass
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