We use our phones to send text messages, make phone calls, take photos, watch videos, send emails, share content…the list is endless. Mobiles are considered an always on, always connected communication channel. It’s also the most personal item that we carry around with us at all times: even when we’re cooking or watching TV, we will continue to multi-task and attend to our mobiles. Last year our CTO, Adam Bird backed the Pebble project – a watch that interacts with your phone and displays messages. He’s now wearing the first model, that was sent out to people who backed the project on kickstarter.
So will 2013 be the year for Google Glass?
Google Glass is a wearable piece of technology that looks like a futuristic pair of spectacles. The product is still a long way off being ready for consumers and when launched is rumoured to be very pricey. Beta headsets have been in the hands of Google employees for weeks now and there are lots of opinions in the media, there are some who find it scary, there are also those who see Google Glass as the next big thing.
What can Google Glass do?
- Display and send emails and text messages
- Make and receive phone calls
- Take photos and film videos
- Post to Facebook and Twitter
- Use Google Maps to get directions
With Google Glass you can do pretty much any action that you can do on a smartphone plus some rather cool but potentially creepy custom stuff, including spotting your friends in a crowd.
There are of course some serious concerns with privacy and the potential for misuse, the prospect of being filmed by someone from their glasses will probably make people feel a little uneasy. Google will have to assure the public that Glass won’t invade everyone’s privacy.
Google also won’t be winning any fashion awards, the Glass is clunky and geeky – perhaps this will evolve and improve over time, after all this is just a prototype right?
