Google Glass... The next big thing?

[John Kotches]

There are scattered reports that the launch of Google Glass is going to launch prior to year's end, ahead of schedule and at a price point that's lower than the current $1500 for developer editions.

Here's a link to an article on The Verge that goes over Google Glass in its current incarnation which is actually quite cool The writer seems to think it could be the next big thing. It is very intriguing and it leaves me wondering, between this, the phone/tablet lineup and their branded Chromebooks is this their reasoning for starting a retail presence?

As an FYI, Glass started as an "Google X Lab" experiment just as the self navigating vehicles did.

Could be a game changing product. Time will tell.

 

[mike123abc]

I could see some uses for google glass. I would just be worried running around NYC (or other big city) with an expensive computer on my face.

 

[dangue]

My take on it: The price point would have to significantly drop for this to take off. There don't replace a smartphone, they're a fancy accessory (very cool, but they can't function on their own). For these to sell they'd have to be $200 max (basically double what a quality Bluetooth initially cost).

This product has the potential to be a game changer and amazing, but only if affordable enough for their to be widespread adoption.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Anole]

been there, seen that!

Well, it's not going to see the $150-250 price point right away.
But when it does, I see a lot of interest.

I wasn't convinced 'till 3/4 way shrough the story, but eventually was won over.

Style-wise, it should be symmetrical.
The other plastic housing might carry the battery.

And a model that takes lenses is an immediate -must-.
Just roll that right into the initial design.
Clip-in sunglas lenses could be a disposable item for extra revenue.

All throughout the read, all I could think about was an episode of Futurama.
Episode 6-03 , 6ACV03 , 01/Jul/10, Attack of the Killer App
... which is all about the EyePhone.

 

[John Kotches]

We'll see where this ends up. My guess is that it's going to start pricey, and drop drastically in Mk2 and Mk3 iterations. Pricey as in the $500 - 600 range.

 

[TheForce]

I recently posted this in this forum and no one had any interest. Put the name "Google" on it and people are excited.

But Google Glass will have me as a customer too, no doubt. I agree with Anole, however, that the price needs to be more in the range of $200 before I will buy.

While the 10 second video time is too limited for most of my needs, it will work for a camera ready to go in a moment and work for most people. When these become common, nothing you do in public will escape documentation. Mine do an hour of full HD quality.

 

[Teehar]

Somehow this reminds me of the Matrix.

 

[mike123abc]

I recently posted this in this forum and no one had any interest. Put the name "Google" on it and people are excited.

But Google Glass will have me as a customer too, no doubt. I agree with Anole, however, that the price needs to be more in the range of $200 before I will buy.

While the 10 second video time is too limited for most of my needs, it will work for a camera ready to go in a moment and work for most people. When these become common, nothing you do in public will escape documentation. Mine do an hour of full HD quality.

I remember your post, but I think Google Glass is a different animal all together. It does have camera and video capability, but it can do internet searches, maps, etc. It is like holding your smartphone up for you to see all the time.

There has even been some talk of eventually having facial recognition and it bringing up all the social media by seeing someone.

 

[dangue]

I recently posted this in this forum and no one had any interest. Put the name "Google" on it and people are excited.

But Google Glass will have me as a customer too, no doubt. I agree with Anole, however, that the price needs to be more in the range of $200 before I will buy.

While the 10 second video time is too limited for most of my needs, it will work for a camera ready to go in a moment and work for most people. When these become common, nothing you do in public will escape documentation. Mine do an hour of full HD quality.

I have to agree with Mike, it's not really the video recording that makes Google Glass exciting, it's everything else. A?though automatic face recognition strikes me as a bit problematic. May need a do not track for that!

 

[mike123abc]

It will eventually be like the terminator, we see everything and it is pointed out to us and we can get all the detailed information we want...

 

[TheForce]

True, and I understand it is more than just a camera. But Google Glass is limited to wifi connection so it seems to not be very mobile friendly unless you connect to your smartphone.

I can see usefulness for quick QR code scanning and info retrieval while shopping, etc. Still, the video use is mostly what I like. But then that is my game. If the broadband everywhere is ever put in place for a reasonable price then maybe we will have something.

I do also like the idea of facial recognition too. Imagine seeing a hot babe on the street and having instant stats on her through her facebook page???

 

[John Kotches]

Don,

It's going to likely be in close proximity to a phone which can provide network connectivity in a number of ways.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2.x

 

[jimdandyvi]

I have to agree with Mike, it's not really the video recording that makes Google Glass exciting, it's everything else. A?though automatic face recognition strikes me as a bit problematic. May need a do not track for that!

Think how nice it would be to have facial recognition software that would tell you the names of people you have met but never can remember. Could even tell you the last time you saw them and remind you of their wife and kid's names.

Of course the FBI might hack into your software and if you looked at anyone on their most wanted list it would notify the FBI with the location as determined by GPS.

 

[Anole]

Have you ever tried a bar code app on your phone?
Have you noticed employees doing inventory in stores with handheld guns ?
..and what do -they- cost?
Now imagine wearing Glass, taking that same inventory.
For quantity, there's voice input!
At the $500 price point, I call that a No Brainer ! :up

And the best point?
You'd have employees fighting to use Glass!
.

 

[dangue]

Think how nice it would be to have facial recognition software that would tell you the names of people you have met but never can remember. Could even tell you the last time you saw them and remind you of their wife and kid's names.

Of course the FBI might hack into your software and if you looked at anyone on their most wanted list it would notify the FBI with the location as determined by GPS.

I'm awful with names, so that would be great. But the flip side of things is the whole lack of privacy aspect. If that we're to be implemented, forget any anonymity whenever out in public. I shudder to think what the consequences of that would be. Maybe if it was limited to people who have somehow consented or connected to you as friends on a social network. Otherwise, scary scary stuff.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[mike123abc]

I'm awful with names, so that would be great. But the flip side of things is the whole lack of privacy aspect. If that we're to be implemented, forget any anonymity whenever out in public. I shudder to think what the consequences of that would be. Maybe if it was limited to people who have somehow consented or connected to you as friends on a social network. Otherwise, scary scary stuff.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

There are already surveillance cameras everywhere, it is only going to be adding to the number...

Right now a lot of police and sheriffs departments have cameras on their cars reading every license plate that is seen and saving in databases.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578004723603576296.html

For more than two years, the police in San Leandro, Calif., photographed Mike Katz-Lacabe's Toyota Tercel almost weekly. They have shots of it cruising along Estudillo Avenue near the library, parked at his friend's house and near a coffee shop he likes. In one case, they snapped a photo of him and his two daughters getting out of a car in his driveway.

Mr. Katz-Lacabe isn't charged with, or suspected of, any crime. Local police are tracking his vehicle automatically, using cameras mounted on a patrol car that record every nearby vehicle—license plate, time and location.

"Why are they keeping all this data?" says Mr. Katz-Lacabe, who obtained the photos of his car through a public-records request. "I've done nothing wrong."

Until recently it was far too expensive for police to track the locations of innocent people such as Mr. Katz-Lacabe. But as surveillance technologies decline in cost and grow in sophistication, police are rapidly adopting them. Private companies are joining, too. At least two start-up companies, both founded by "repo men"—specialists in repossessing cars or property from deadbeats—are currently deploying camera-equipped cars nationwide to photograph people's license plates, hoping to profit from the data they collect.

The rise of license-plate tracking is a case study in how storing and studying people's everyday activities, even the seemingly mundane, has become the default rather than the exception. Cellphone-location data, online searches, credit-card purchases, social-network comments and more are gathered, mixed-and-matched, and stored in vast databases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition

 

[Stargazer]

Imagine accepting yourself to be identified later in public as part of a group or website based upon interests being able to identify those that you have the same interests in. For example, maybe someone you know online is in the same area, it would notify you with a dot showing their location or you can ask permission for their location. Or if you are on a dating site it could tell you someone else from that dating site is nearby. Or perhaps someone on facebook or someone else that plays the same game that you do. Could be some with common interests that you could meet in person to do other things with. Could also lead to some negatives as well though.

 

[dangue]

There are already surveillance cameras everywhere, it is only going to be adding to the number...

Right now a lot of police and sheriffs departments have cameras on their cars reading every license plate that is seen and saving in databases.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578004723603576296.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition

I'm aware of the prevalence of cameras. But at least anyone that wants to currently use any such images must identify me first. That's very different than cameras that are essentially walking around and automatically identifying me if I happen to pop onscreen. This would be a step further down the rabbit hole.

I can even see these being used by parents to randomly remote in and see what their kids are up to. I don't even want to think about the implications of the government having back door access to such technology.