
What’s Up with Google Glass?
Every once ina while, a radical piece of technology is introduced to the market that has the potential to change everything. Over the last half century alone, digital music, cell phones, GPS technology, PCs, and much more hit the market and changed the way technology is incorporated into our daily lives and workplaces. Is Google Glass the next revolutionary gadget?
What is Google Glass?
Put simply, Google Glass is an interactive computer that is mounted to a titanium frame designed to fit a user's face just like a pair of glasses. The device projects a constant stream of information to an opaque piece of glass that sits in the peripheral view of the user, and is capable of many CPU functions. Imagine being able to mount your smartphone on your face, and have it verbally respond to your every command. It's every business owner's dream come true!
What's So Awesome about It?
Google Glass is capable of many tasks. The device is equipped with voice recognition capabilities, allowing a user to simply talk to the device to get the information they need. The device displays a constant stream of time, date, and other typical information until you speak the phrase "ok glass" which enables its many functions, including:
- Onboard 5-megapixel camera to take a picture at the Justin Bieber concert tonight.
- 720p video recording capabilities to capture grandpa's catching that lunker, and even host a live video conference through Google Hangouts.
- Google Maps integration, to give you live directions to the awesome cupcake shop in town.
- Send a message to mom about how awesome her peanut butter cookies were last night.
- Google search about Nicholas Cage at any given moment.
- Translate "where is your bathroom" into Turkish.
- The design looks primitive and unnatural. In other words, a Google Glass user has no chance of blending in with a crowd without getting stared at.
- There are some privacy concerns. A person in conversation, or simply in view of a Google Glass user would have no idea that they were being photographed or recorded due to a lack of indicator light.
- The device requires Bluetooth connection with your smartphone to operate outside of Wi-Fi connectivity. This could drastically increase your phone bill by using lots of data.
- The battery life is supposedly lacking, with a full charge only holding enough juice for 2-5 hours of operation.
- The voice activation does not exclusively respond to one user's voice. This means that a person across the room could shout, "ok glass, how do I get to Taiwan?!" to overload your device.