Google Glass

[Dileep Kumar]

→ Although the immediate commercial future of Google Glass appears bleak, a series of apps to be showcased at Los Angeles this coming weekend that are deployable on the wearable computer provide a glimpse into its long-range potential.

One example is Glass Genius, an application created at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, where over the past three months, 11 students experimented with the Google Glass eyewear to create a useful tool for media professionals.

“It was a 15-week ‘hackathon’ (software production marathon),” Web journalism professor Robert Hernandez, a fan of new technologies who has uploaded the results of his pioneering class to the website, told Efe news agency in an interview.

Glass Genius consists of voice-recognition software linked to content created specifically for viewing on the tiny 640×360 pixel screen built into the right lens of the head-mounted product.

When the application is active, the screen projects images or text related to words said either by the Google Glass user or another speaker, giving the former access to detailed information on the topic at hand.

In its test phase, Hernandez and his team loaded the system with information about the Ebola virus and tested the application on volunteers, who, thanks to the glasses, came across as knowledgeable on the subject.

“Think of it as an external brain at your disposal,” Hernandez said.

Tests conducted on Glass Genius have shown its potential as an interviewing aid, for example, but also have demonstrated that the app is far from infallible.

Hernandez acknowledged that more time was needed to work out the kinks in the software but he said he was satisfied with the results.

“We’re excited that we were able to produce something. That’s nice, but the purpose of the class was to have three types of students working together,” he said.

One-third of those taking part in the hackathon were journalism students, while another third consisted of software developers and the remainder were a mixture of young people from different fields of study, including public relations and web development.

The class will present its results for the first time at an event Saturday at USC that will also showcase other apps developed for use with Google Glass, which was first unveiled in 2012 by the Mountain View, California-based tech giant but has failed to gain broad consumer appeal in part due to its hefty price tag of $1,500 per device.

Those other Google Glass apps include first person point of view videos showing the actions of athletes, hair stylists and magicians and a demonstration of how to use the Spritz speed-reading programme.

Glass Genius: A Google Glass app that can act as an 'external brain' Tech2 Mobile

 

[Thakur]

Soon after Google stopped the sale of its Glass Explorer Edition, the chatter online suggested the possibility of an upcoming ‘Enterprise Edition‘. Now, the latest 9To5Google report confirms that the Search giant is working on a new ‘Enterprise Edition’ of the augmented reality device with few hardware improvements.

One may not see a lot of changes visually, but the device does come with some upgrades. “We’re familiar with multiple prototypes that are nearing the final stages of revision, and one thing is very clear: This isn’t going to be a drastic departure visually from the Explorer Edition. It has been tweaked, though, and there are at least a few differences noticeable from the outside,” the report adds.

The Google Glass folds like a regular pair of glasses and now comes across more rugged as it’s built for enterprise, the report further adds.

The robust design is built to withstand everyday drops and knocks. Sources also told the news site that it is now even more water resistant. Visually it hasn’t got a facelift but the company has tweaked its visual aesthetic so that it could suit a factory, hospital or a runway.

The report further adds that the Enterprise Edition will come with a large prism display, an Intel Atom processor, better heat management and improved battery life.



Google working on a robust, foldable Glass Enterprise Edition: Report Tech2 Mobile

 

[Sarkar]

Google has filed a patent application to use holograms on its eye-wearable device Google Glass that will improve the augmented reality experiences that allows computer-generated imagery (CGI) to interact with the real world.

To make "smart" eyewear, allowing projected content to interact and react to the real-world behind it is the key.

The new patent titled "Lightguide With Multiple In-Coupling Holograms For Head Wearable Display" details how Google can do this with augmented reality via holograms, TechCrunch reported.

It describes how "with augmented reality, the viewer's image of the world is augmented with an overlaying CGI, also referred to as a heads-up display".

The patent shows Google's research into how it could merge its head mounted display technology with augmented reality.

According to the report, a US-based startup Magic Leap can be roped in to make the holograms projected in Google Glass.

Magic Leap has already filed several trademarks for upcoming augmented reality content.

Despite its failure to hit the bull's eye in its first run, Google is not ready to let its Glass project slide. According to reports, the company is now pursuing the project under a new name.

The project has now been named Project Aura, though it is still being headed by Ivy Ross, who previously ran the Glass project, Wall Street Journal reported recently.

The Project Aura team has been hiring engineers, software developers and project managers from Amazon.com's hardware-focused research division Lab126.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt was reported as saying earlier this year that the company was not giving up on Glass because wearable technology is a potentially big new market.

Google is quietly distributing a new version of Glass to companies in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and energy. Hopefully, the new Aura team could take the technology in new directions.

Google withdrew the eye wearable device from the market in January this year, but reports said that the US tech giant was planning to come up with a different version of the wearable headset "when it's ready".

Download the Gadgets 360 app for Android and iOS to stay up to date with the latest tech news, product reviews, and exclusive deals on the popular mobiles.

Google Files Patent for Google Glass Holograms | NDTV Gadgets360.com

 

[Bapun]

Google is to sell a revamped version of its smart glasses to businesses, more than two years after the original version of the product was cancelled.

Google Glass smart eyewear returns - BBC News

 

[Bapun]

Google will no longer sell its Glass AR smart glasses for enterprise starting on March 15th, and it will only support the device until September 15th this year.

Google Glass is set to disappear (again) | Engadget

Google will no longer sell its Glass AR smart glasses for enterprise starting on March 15th, and it will only support the device until September 15th this year..

www.engadget.com