A video released by Google that recently went viral on YouTube has been received quite well. The video showed the capabilities of Google Glass, the internet giant’s much anticipated augmented reality headgear. Google yesterday made an announcement pertaining to a pre-order contest for customers, claiming that the headgear is expected to ship for $1500 by the end of 2013.
Another announcement that was making headlines was the fact that the glass would be Wi-Fi compatible and will also have the option of tethering with a 3G or 4G Android or iPhone handset. Google further clarified that the Glass will not have its own cellular radio.
A notable highlight in relation to these announcements was that Google isn’t isolating the Glass to the Android platform. Although keeping iOS in the ecosystem may not be in Google’s best interests, its strategy to promote the flow of information in as many ways as possible may have overshadowed the possibility of excluding iOS. Apple meanwhile seems to be concentrating on the iWatch, which claims to have its own cellular radio. Analysts are divided over the logic behind the inclusion of a cellular radio as most users would already be in the possession of a smartphone.
The road isn’t very smooth for the Glass either. Critics argue that Google will find it difficult to manage the large amounts of data this device is capable of collecting. There are others who state that privacy issues will be a big hurdle for Google to conquer. Some critics joke that the former challenge would be even bigger than convincing people to wear something as unfashionable as the Glass. Steve Lee, however, brushes the issue aside, stating that fashion ability was never an issue.
Concerns on boundaries are more alarming at this point. Lee further adds that Google is waiting to see how the general public reacts to the Glass’ services. He says that the most radical aspect of the Glass is its ability to record uninterrupted in real time. This will probably be the greatest selling point of the device and will probably form the backbone of Google’s marketing strategy for the concept.
Real time recording is not only great from a data flow perspective but is remarkable from the concept of social science as well. Lee further adds that with the concept of linking physically with the user, Google surpasses Apple as the latter’s products (reference to iWatch) focus more on consuming content than creating it.
