In a secret lab somewhere near their HQ in Mountain View, CA, Google is working on several high level projects, including the much anticipated Project Glass, which is moving the company closer to Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s dream of a truly hands-free mobile world. That’s Sergey Brin below, wearing a Project Glass prototype at a recent event.
Project Glass mixes sci-fi with today’s social reality and is far surpassing any current augmented reality experiences. It brings together the concept of a third dimension, geo-location, personalization and daily life interactions. Like many new, novel and disruptive technical devices, I am blown away by the possibilities. Gone is the need for constant access to your Smartphone or tablet. With your eyes, voice and a nod of your head, you can make dinner plans, check the weather, get directions, and video chat, in real time and completely hands free. Here’s an example of an activity a wearer might see.
From a professional and strategic standpoint I am curious about integrating with the technology. How does it really work? What are the impediments to implementation? Who makes up the ideal target audience?
Would I be part of that target audience? I don’t know yet if I’d wear them. A video released by Google last week shows a day in the life of the glasses, and a recent New York Times article says they’ll run between $250 and $600, about the price of a Smartphone. Based on what I see and hear, I’m ready to be first in line for a pair. And then I stop.
Would the level of information access be information overload? Would they bring me another step closer to constant accessibility? Then there’s the privacy issue. Would they be an invasion of my privacy (i.e. the possibility of being recorded by someone wearing the glasses, seeing restaurant offers or other Google driven ads as I walk down the street)? I wonder about being distracted. Do I run the risk of hurting myself or others because I’m more interested in what I see in the Glass than what’s going on around me?
What do we call the space these glasses will occupy? Is it “air space?” If so, who owns it and who controls it? The conversation has just begun and I for one am glad to be part of it.