Facebook and Apple will literally have to keep their eyes wide open or they might lose sight of the big picture. Why? Google is attempting to make people’s lives even more technologically integrated - through a pair of glasses. Yes glasses may finally be cool for teenagers because ‘augmented reality eyewear’ is a possibility that may materialize in the next few years, as we speculated about a few weeks ago. And Google wants to be at the forefront of developing that technology.

Google glasses

‘Project Glass’ is still a work in progress but already a certain amount of buzz has been created online by the video of how these glasses might operate in a real world scenario. On a partial screen over the right eye, information and people can be accessed through voice recognition. So for instance, navigating your way to meeting with a friend can be made more efficient through an unobtrusive android system that uses apps such as GPS and Google maps to get you there in time. And many other things besides, as you will see in the YouTube video below. This all sounds great, but as quite a few digital news websites are asking, would you wear them? The design prototype looks a bit like Geordi La Forge’s visor which may only be to the taste of Star Trek die-hards. Tech Crunch also points out that in practical terms, Google needs to come up with frame that isn't too heavy or conversely fragile or people will not want to put up with such inconvenient hazards.  The Next Web also notes, via a  blogger's funny video, the danger of having voice recognition and also navigating your way through a city with webpages blocking your views.

But if Google can find a reasonable solution to these problems, I have no doubt this technology will thrive. If these glasses are to be a success, other tech giants like Apple and Facebook may be sizeably diminished as regards pulling power. "If you don’t even have to pull your phone out to take a photo, get directions, or message with friends, why would you need to buy the latest iPhone or spend so much time on Facebook?" asks Josh Constine of Tech Crunch.  He recommends Apple in particular play on their strengths and "seek to capitalize on Google’s lack of hardware experience, and spend some of its cash reserves to lock up critical component manufacturers. Even if Project Glass ends up an ugly mess, Apple could still make eyeglass computing beautiful." Either way, it seems this technology and its development is going to be extremely prominent in the future. 

  

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