Google Glass Might Change The Way We Live & Connect To One Another
by Jeff Roberts. //http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/03/31/google-glass-might-change-the-way-we-live-and-connect-to-one-another/
Walking outside, it doesn’t take long
before we see someone with their head down and ear phones in while
zoning-out to their smartphone. It is apparent to most that a large
sense of disconnect exists in our world today due to peoples’ insistent
habit of being lost in their hand-held reality. Whether we are walking,
on a bus, plane, subway, or car ride, you can almost always bet someone
is going to be looking at their phone rather than engaging in common
social etiquette. This was part of the motive behind Google’s newest
tech development, states Sergey Brin in a Ted Talk video titled “Why
Google Glass?”
In the Ted Talk, Brin pulls out his
phone and makes a joke about answering a text from the Prince of
Nigeria. Brin discusses with the audience the technological crisis that
has come as a subsequent of the newest generation of smart phone
consumerism,
“In all seriousness, this position that
you just saw me in, looking down at my phone, is one of the reasons
behind this project, Project Glass. We question whether this is the
ultimate future of how you want to connect to other people in your life,
or connecting to information, should it by walking around and looking
down? That was the vision behind Glass.”
Brin goes on to pull out a pair of sleek clear glasses.
“That was the vision behind this form.
In addition to potentially socially isolating yourself when you’re out
and about looking at your phone, [the question also begs] is this what
you are meant to do with your body?”
Brin elaborates on the idea of our phone
being a “nervous habit,” a means to bypass moments of social
discomfort. Often time, rather than engaging in eye contact with
someone, it is a common habit for many to look down at their phone
instead.
“In this case, I sit there and look like
I have something important to attend to, but it really opened my eyes
to how much of my life I spent secluding [myself] away in emails or a
social post, even though they weren’t that important.”
In short, Google Glass is a portable
computer, moulded into an eyewear form, which by voice command allows
its user to record videos, chat, snap pictures, and much more. Basically
you ask a question, Google Glass answers, projecting it onto the glass
prism directly in front of your eyes. If you are wondering if this
distracts the user from their front-sighted view, videos and projections
show up to the top-right of the screen.
Interestingly, and perhaps creepy to
some, is the audio feature. If you aren’t using an accessory, Google
Glass’s audio feedback happens through a bone conduction transducer that
sits above (and a little behind) your right ear. That little transducer
sends vibrations through your skull, a sensation similar to having a
little speaker sitting near your right ear. The only difference is that
other people nearby won’t hear much out of it.
Like most of the early smartwatches,
Glass isn’t a smartphone replacement. It’s more of a smartphone
accessory, requiring a phone’s Bluetooth connection for on-the-go-data
(it can also connect directly to a Wi-Fi network). Right now Android
phones work better with Glass than iPhones, as Apple’s restrictions
prevent the MyGlass companion app from letting you send or receive SMS
through Glass.
Google Glass is still a Beta product,
which means that it will most likely undergo many changes before it is
released commercially this year. Although the product has some kinks to
work out, many have marked it as one to keep a close eye on in 2014.
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