Google Glass-ed
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Thursday, 30 May 2013 23:56
- Written by Christian Dunn
Like most of us in the technology game I have been watching the development of Google Glass with eager interest.
Unlike Tim Cook [Source:The Australian] I believe Google Glass does have the potential to be a mass market item. I think this is even more the case with the announcement of the first facial recognition application [Source: India Times] this week.
Like most new and controversial technologies there has been plenty of heated debate mainly in regards to privacy concerns. Google has done it's best to defeat these by ensuring that an indicator light is on whenever photos are taken or video is recorded and restricting facial recognition technology.
Personally I think they may have taken slightly the wrong approach here. I am not interested in taking point of view pictures all day, or recording every second of my life on a micro-blog (although others may feel differently). Instead I see Google Glass as providing enabling technology to many everyday applications.
This is where facial recognition comes in. I don't see any concern with me accessing my google/Skype/Facebook/Linked In contacts and their information I have access to in a constructive way or being able to capture new people I meet and flag them for recognition in the future.
Why would this be beneficial?
Think of the barista who would remember every customer and what they order, the Maitre'D or MC who could recognise and welcome each guest individually or the doorman who can immediately identify all of his tenants, what apartment their in and whether the maintenance man has finished repairing their plumbing. What about remembering the names of your customers or clients, their children, their preferences and their last purchase? Surely Google Glass can be the enabler to make us smarter and improve our social interaction with the real world, taking us from focusing on the phone in our pocket to the people around us.
Tim Cook actual hits the nail on the head when he says "Most young people don't wear a watch" (my wife included) and honestly, I don't want another screen strapped to my wrist that I need to watch and charge. I already have a phone. Instead I want wearable technology that reduces my requirement for technical interaction and increases my need for social interaction. I am already excited about the navigation capability that means I don't need to check my phone or car dashboard to see where I need to turn next. Instead I can keep my eyes on the road and get an overlay of where to turn next. Google Glass makes me want to get glasses the way the original iPhone made people want to get smartphones and the iPad made people want to get a tablet.
Combine Google Glass with Google Now (which I use on a daily basis) and now my personal assistant is no longer a voice on a smartphone but an interactive reminder of my daily interactions to make my life easier. Where is the nearest bus stop? When does the bus leave? What time do I need to leave to make my meeting? What is the address of my destination? I think wearable computer will reach it's ultimate destination when we don't realise we are wearing it.
I am also looking forward to the potential improvements to our vernacular. When a 'glassing' isn't something bad that happens in a bar and 'getting glassed' can be a good thing and kudos is best described as 'give him some glass for that'. It's all wait and see unless you are one of the exclusive users of Google Glass Explorer edition, so for the rest of us we can only see where this rollercoaster ends. Who knows? Maybe I'll remember your name next time we meet.