Return of the Prodigal Tech: Google Glass

The Journey doesn’t end here

This famous tagline is making headlines all around the world, maybe, because it is associated with a name which everyone chants day and night in times of need. Take a guess- this brand is the one you look for, as soon as you switch on the internet- one of the biggest names of the 21^st century. THIS IS GOOGLE! And I’m talking about their new thing in the market, GOOGLE GLASSES! It was only a few decades ago when we had inventions like Laptops and mobile phones coming into existence-In an era where there was no way to communicate over thousands of kilometres laptops and mobile phones bought the world to your feet , within a touch of a button. Call it the next generation or the future of electronics but these bring to you the world not even a touch away- just voice commands- Yes! GOOGLE GLASSES ARE THE FUTURE!

So Google jumped into the eyewear business now?

Contradictory to everyone’s expectations Google glasses aren’t like your other pairs of Ray-Ban or Gucci, it aims at providing a ubiquitous computer- in simple terms- you’ll get to wear your computer all around with you. According to Google these are “DESIGNED FOR THOSE WHO MOVE”.

Are they worth it?

These glasses were basically designed to give an all hands free smartphone display. It can be used to communicate via natural language voice commands and the use of internet. Okay, well maybe $1500 is a bit expensive, don’t you think so?

Developed by Google X- the research department associated with developing their driverless car- the Google Glass has all the features of your regular Smartphone,

• 2 GB RAM
• 16 GB total memory (12 GB usable memory)
• Prism projector for display (640×360 pixels)
• Sound- Bone Conduction Transducer
• Voice commands through microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor
• Camera- 5MP, videos-720p
• Connectivity- Wifi , Bluetooth, micro USB
• Power- 570 mAh Lithium ion battery
• Weight- 43g ( Yes! Just 43 g)

A timeline-like interface displayed on the screen is controlled by a touchpad located on the side of the Glass, just by swiping through it- sliding backward shows current events, such as weather, and sliding forward shows past events, such as phone calls, photos, etc. These are basically an all in one pair of glasses which help you navigate, play music, send a message etc. so where is the problem?

Perfect, or maybe not?

Other than the touchpad, it can be controlled using “voice actions”. To activate it, wearers say “O.K., Glass.” Once it is activated, wearers can say an action, such as –
“Take a picture”, “Record a video”, “Hangout with [person/Google+ circle]”, “Google ‘What year was Wikipedia founded?'”, “Give me directions to the Taj mahal”, and “Send a message to Rajat”.
For search results that are read back to the user, the voice response is relayed using bone conduction through a transducer that sits beside the ear, thereby rendering the sound almost inaudible to other people.

• People wearing such eyewear can record private conversations. The “Find my Face” feature on Google+ functions can be used to identify strangers and misused, violating privacy rights and creating security problems.
• Michael DiGiovanni created Winky, a program that allows a Google Glass user to take a photo with a wink of an eye, while Marc Rogers, a principal security researcher at Lookout, discovered that Glass can be hijacked if a user could be tricked into taking a picture of a malicious QR code, demonstrating the potential to be used as a weapon in cyber warfare.
• In post soviet countries like Russia, Ukraine, etc. with laws prohibiting the use of devices that can record video, audio or take photographs in an inconspicuous manner, the legality of the Glass is still in question.
• The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced a ban on wearable technology including Google Glass, placing it under the same rules as mobile phones and video cameras.
• Cyber forensic experts have raised concerns over potential threats from software programs that are compatible with Google glass and can be used to steal Smartphone and tablet passwords.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                We hope that Google is able to resolve these privacy issues by launching appropriate applications which will enable them to publicly launch this device for sale.Holo lens vs. Google glasses
  • The Holo lens headset manages numerous sensors flooding through the device, such as the Central processing Unit (CPU), Graphics processing unit (GPU) and a Microsoft developed holographic processing unit (HPU), powered by processors. These additions enable the Holo lens to play into virtual reality space where Google only dabbled in.
  • Holo Lens primary target audience encompasses business users, as well as smaller audience of enthusiast customers; Google, on the other hand, tried to gain mass consumer appeal for its Glass product.
  • How Microsoft aims at transforming the world:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAKfdeOX3-o

  Let’s see who wins this race of technological development!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       By Shreya Gupta