Google Glass - Shelly Palmer

When I wear Google Glass people tell me I look like one of the Borg a fictional alien collective from the Star Trek franchise comprised of cybernetically enhanced humanoid drones of multiple species that share a hive mind Of course I don39t feel like a cybernetically enhanced humanoid drone I feel like a regular human being who is lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the future of humanity and what the world will look like when it is inhabited by exodigitally or cybernetically enhanced humans Google Glass is more than just the ancestral DNA of convergence of wearable computing life in a wireless cloud and augmented reality tools it is a way to think about what is possible as we evolve in our connected worldOur smartphones are our go to devices for so many things we39ve outsourced our memory to the apps that provide access to the body of knowledge of mankind such as Google Wikipedia IMDb etc We39ve outsourced our wayfinding to maps and navigation systems We39ve pushed just about everything we do to our phones I39ve seen couples out to intimate dinners where both of them have their noses buried in their smartphones and not even looking at each other It39s not very romantic but it is a fact of modern connected livingGoogle Glass The Future of UsGoogle Glass changes all that Glass puts all the information you39ve come to rely on right in front of your eyes Everything is in a headsup display When I tap on Glass I can do just about anything I want In the simplest terms Glass is my phone in a headsup displayWith a single tap Glass can navigate me home When I showed Glass off on Good Day Wake Up this week Glass knew I was 11 minutes from my home and gave me stepbystep or turnbyturn directions A parlor trick or a paradigm shift A parlor trick to be sure but a great oneIf you39ve used Google Now Google39s personal assistant app available on Android iOS and PC you39ll know how easy it is to find anything you need through speech Glass takes that to the next level and for the record so do the Motorola Droid handsets running Android 43 the new version of Android 44 KitKat empowers this feature on any Android device Glass is always listening so saying quotOK Glassquot gives me access to anything and everything the device can do immediately AwesomeIf you prefer the tactile route you can also cycle through Glass39s functions by tapping Tapping Glass shows me my latest email Another tap lets me take a picture Unlike the Galaxy Gear smartwatch Glass doesn39t make a sound when you take a picture making it somewhat creepy Not only can I take a picture any time I want but I can also take a tensecond video anytime I want Glass lets you upload these pictures and videos to Facebook or Google Plus This is going to inspire all kinds of conversations about when it39s OK to record an image of someone As you are probably aware privacy is already a concern Certain politicians have already weighed in most without actually having used the productIf you think back to when the first cell phones with cameras came out amp8211 there were all kinds of restrictions you couldn39t use them in a locker room you couldn39t bring them here you couldn39t use them there Back then there was a serious uproar amp8211 it didn39t last long amp8211 this uproar won39t last long eitherMore Than Just a HeadsUp DisplayAlthough Glass has an earbud it also features a boneinductive transducer that sits near your ear which lets Glass talk to you silently Even if you39re standing next to the person wearing Glass you won39t hear what it is saying the transducer vibrates the bones in the head letting Glass read emails or text messages silently Obviously it has the sonic quality of a bonephone so it39s not my preferred method of experiencing sound but it is very coolWearing Glass isn39t a lowkey fashion statement by any means But the way Glass acts is the complete opposite amp8211 from visuals to audio everything is meant for me and me alone There39s no smartphone screen to bother fellow moviegoers at a theater There39s no speaker to annoy people sitting next to you I get access to everything I want but with a new set of social issues People walking around in the real world wearing Google Glass are referred to as quotGlassholesquot probably for good reasonIt39s Not Mainstream Yetamp8230 Google recently launched its second generation of Google Glass This generation is better than the previous one just as the next will eclipse this one But the technology doesn39t come without a steep price amp8211 it costs a minimum of 1500 plus sales tax to own Glass and become a Google Glass ExplorerWhen will it become commercially available Certainly before the end of next year perhaps even earlier Is it commercially viable Glass in its current form probably isn39t a consumer product However the way it is improving and the speed at which these kinds of tools are coming to market amp8211 you can bet Glass and things like it are going to be absolutely everywhere within two to three yearsGet ready amp8211 before you know it these features will be in your prescription eyeglasses and fashion sunglasses and then implanted into your eyes Science fiction no science fact You may think I39m just some quotglassholequot having a SciFi fantasy moment maybe but one thing I know for sure soon you will be tooShelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York39s Onair Tech Expert WNYWTV and the host of Fox Television39s monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living He also hosts United Stations Radio Network39s Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology media and entertainment He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC an industryleading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences the organization that bestows the coveted Emmyamp174 Awards Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2nd Edition York House Press 2008 the seminal book about the technological economic and sociological forces that are changing everything Overcoming The Digital Divide How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career York House Press 2011 and Digital Wisdom Thought Leadership for a Connected World York House Press 2013 For more information visit shellypalmercomRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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