We’ve been hearing rumors about these Google Glasses for a some time now, but actually seeing Project Glass really impressed a lot of people. The glasses looks far less intrusive than had been previously imagined, and, if Google’s video is any indication of the future, when this new tech does reach consumers it could be really interesting.
The most impressive thing I saw after the unveil by Google was how quickly the news shot across the web, earning a wide variety of responses. Considering that there’s still so much we don’t know about Project Glass, the responses to the unveil video so far have been a great sampling of how I think the world perceives this new kind of mobile device.
Ad-mented Reality?
It didn’t take long for a modified version of the “One Day…” video to surface. The new video shows the same activities being performed as in the video released by Google, only covered in pop-up ads and Google’s AdWords. In fact, our own Matthew Humphries posted late last week that seeing ads in Project Glass was simply an inevitable eventuality. After all, Google is first and foremost in the business of selling ads, right? While it is undeniable that Google is an advertising company, I doubt we will ever see anything quite as hideous as this video. I certainly see some benefit in using your location to deliver Google Offers, especially when it is something like a free slice of pizza or a discount at a movie theater.
Project Glass won’t deliver many ads in my opinion because the purpose of something like Glass is to capture information, so that when you do sit back down at your computer you are offered more relevant ads in the web browser. If we ever see ads at all on Project Glass, I’m sure it won’t be until there’s a ton of people using it.
The Competition
The tech community pulls no punches when it comes to reminiscing about the “good old days,” basically when Microsoft Windows wasn’t quite as polished as it is today. Even that previous statement, referring to Windows as polished, is sure to cause outbursts of giggling in cubicles the world over. The fact is, Microsoft has had some problems in the past, and in this video demonstrating what it would be like if Microsoft made a competing product to Project Glass, the past comes back to haunt them.
Considering their sharp decline in the mobile space, and recent disasters like the Microsoft KIN, it is easy to take a look at this video and erupt into a fit of laughter. If Microsoft were to release a set of AR glasses to the world, they certainly have some interesting technology that no one else is using right now to play with… maybe a set of glasses with Kinect and Xbox Live integration? Suit up, it looks like in the sequel to Skyrim you might need some real armor.
Fear of being constantly spied on
There seems to be a less popular concern about Project Glass’ ability to dip further into your privacy than any device ever has before. Your smartphone sits in your pocket most of the day. Turning the camera on 90% of the time wouldn’t benefit anyone. Project Glass, however, is strapped to your forehead. From the video, it appeared as though you were always connected to the web. What’s more is you had GPS access for when you wanted to check in to something or see how far away your friend was. These are fairly normal, and not all that different from you existing smartphone. However, you also have a big ol’ camera sticking out of those glasses, just itching to be used over and over again. The concern seems to be that Google will have so much more information on you, tracking your every move.
My answer to this is fairly obvious. Just like with your smartphone, you’ll have the ability to control what radios are on, and when they can be used. Your information is only as available as you allow it to be in most cases. What will be important is keeping an eye on whether or not you make sure to use those features, but to be honest there’s no way to account for user error.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the initial impression is extremely positive. If anything, I’m sure that Google heard a global “shut up and take my money” in response to the video. As cool as it looks though, I can’t imagine we’re anywhere near ready to see the glasses hits shelves. The title of the video, after all, was “one day…” and hopefully when Project Glass hits shelves it will look and function just like that video, which would be awesome. We’ve already seen plenty of Googlers, including Sergey Brin himself, out and about with Project Glass headsets on, testing and re-testing everything. If Google manages to maintain the hype level for Glass, and then deliver on the hypotheticals in the video, that sci-fi world where everyone has computers on their face just doesn’t seem that far off to me.
