How Will Google Glass Change The Computing World?
Google Glass is Google's entry into the
"wearable computing" market. The device isn't even available to the
average consumer yet, and it's already making waves all over the world. Some
people think that Google Glass is an incredibly innovation, others are calling
for the device to be banned because of potential privacy concerns. Whether you
love or hate the idea of Google Glass, it's impossible to deny that it's an
important step forward in technology.
Changing The Way You See
The World
Google Glass is like a
real-life HUD. A few years ago, Google released something called Google
Goggles, that would allow you to take a photo of something, and ask Google what
it was. The software could recognize books, paintings, fine wines, and popular landmarks.
It would identify the subject of the photo and give you a list of facts,
prices, or other pertinent information. Google Glass takes that to the next
level and removes the cumbersome step of getting out your phone, taking a photo
and uploading it using an app. If you want to know about something, just talk
to your Google Glass.
Always Connected
Google Glass is always
online, so if you're wearing it you're online too. You can even connect your
Twitter account to Google Glass and have tweets scroll past your eyes as they
come in. Depending on your perspective, this is either the most awesome thing
ever, or a symptom of a serious problem in the world today. Many people relish
the time they get away from their desks. If you habitually wear Google Glass,
the latest Twitter scandal or flame war will always be in front of your eyes.
How quickly would you burn out if the only time you were ever unplugged was
when you were asleep?
No More Secrets
Google Glass has a
built-in camera, and you can take photos simply by tapping the side of the
device. Google themselves have said that they don't want to allow facial
recognition apps to be released for the device, but a cunning code has already
managed to make a facial recognition app, so even if such apps never make it
onto the marketplace, you can't be sure that the people around you aren't
running a rooted version of the Glass with stalker-like apps installed.
Imagine you're a young
man on a night out. You see a nice looking girl, tap your Glass and have it
find out her name, where she's from, and what her Facebook profile is like.
Then you look up her Foursquare profile and find out where she likes to hang
out. Admittedly, you can do all that already, but taking a photo of someone
with a phone is hardly discrete. If everyone is wearing a Google Glass, you'll
never know if someone is watching you or not. From a privacy point of view, the
Glass is terrifying.
Not a Desktop
Replacement
Google Glass is an
interesting device, but in its current form it won't allow people to get rid of
their mobiles or their tablet PCs, and it's definitely not a desktop
replacement. The device gets hot in use, and it's awkward to interact with. You
either have to say "OK, Glass do whatever", or tap or swipe along the
frame to carry out specific tasks. It's brilliant for finding answers to simple
questions, but it's not a true substitute for a real computer, yet.
Author Bio:
This post was lovingly put together by Crispin
Jones for CWCS. Crispin is the resident blogger and
can often be found writing about colocation hosting and other hosting related
issues.
