Google Glasses. Want to see what they look like on? Video here and pretty spec-tacular all round. The future smartphone replacement.....

A Video demo of Google's Glass (Google Goggles) has just been released.

It gives a good sense as to how the glasses work and pretty spectacularly. The headset doesn't actually have a screen in front but rather a small screen in the top right and with very excellent functionality - as you can see.

Photo taking, video making, looking up answers on Google, sharing on social, weather, email and so on, is all here but interestingly, we didn't know about voice command. By saying, "OK Glass" it activates the menu hands-free and gets the glasses listening for commands. Now that is, cool.

Google have also launched a competition to get a view as to how the Glasses can be used creatively. Ideas should go to Twitter at hashtag, ifihadglass. 

Here too is the Glass website http://www.google.com/glass/start/

Pretty exceptional the whole idea, which I think anyway and it's being brilliantly executed step-by-step. 

It's going to be the "next big thing", no doubt. A potential replacement for the smartphone.

Google to open retail stores. Just in time for Google Glasses?

Rumours abound, strong rumours, of Google opening its own high-street retail stores, starting in the US main cities this year.

As Apple know, having shops, can bring customers into contact with your brand in a real personal, helpful way. Especially when you're a Google and largely only known for Search. It's interesting too, a company moving from Web into retail stores - kind of like Amazon opening book stores - but this could be a plan just in time for Google Glass (or "Google Goggles" as most of us know them).

In retail you can touch, see, hold, demo the product and for something so new, it could be a great sales channel for glasses. Or indeed, a new world of wearable computing which is ahead of us.

They're likely too to come at the end of the year, "coincidentally" in time for the launch of Google Glass. They could also sell Chrome computing and of course, Nexus smartphones and tablets moving perceptions of Google from software to hardware. Google also owns the Motorola handset business.

Indeed following in the footsteps of both Apple and Microsoft who have their own retail operations, this would bring the Google brand into a new arena and reaching out to new consumers. High street, high profile retail, is a great Ad for a brand. Google already has a "sort of a" retail presence in the 'Best Buy' stores.

It may not be just about money short-term, but building a real brand long-term. Shops are one good way to do that.

Google are serious about developing glasses. These have real potential.

 

The growth of Glasses as a replacement for the mobile phone - or indeed, just as a new type of glasses - is stepping up a gear.

At the CES show last week, I blogged about the introduction of Goggles that allow you to video whilst ski-ing downhill for example and live streaming it to your friends. (http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2013/01/video-glasses-mark-2-launched-this-week.html)

And Instagram had a go at 'Instaglasses'  (http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/07/instaglasses-from-instagram-this-has.html). Google's launch last year is here (http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/04/google-goggles-apple-fiddles.html)

Google have just announced a big session around what they call 'Google Glass' (as distinct from what we know as "Google Googles").  They're holding a 'Glass foundry' this month, to introduce developers to the concept and to start to build the platform.

The Glasses, which they demonstrated last year, have the option to record video, get weather updates and see messages so already they've achieved a level of good sophistication. Now they're taking it further.

'Explorer Editions' of the Glasses are expected to be in people's hands next year and are currently being ordered at 1,500 usd a pair. The developers who attend the foundry event, will be able to use the glasses and the whole purpose here is for Google to get feedback.

It's early development days but this marks a real serious input by Google into developing a better product and platform because they....eh, see the light. They know there's a good business model here.

Glasses have real potential to deliver all sorts of content and to be able to do things hands-free (such as video by head movements alone). These Google versions look smart (always has been an issue) and at 1,500 usd expensive. But that's a starting price and they'll reduce in time for the mass market. The applications are enormous - Sports being one - but so many others including 'Driving glasses' that show directions, locations and geo targeted offers (possibly using 'Foursquare' for example).

And the potential to watch Movies and TV.

It's something every one of our kids will have.
I can see it now.
(sorry)

Video Glasses mark 2 launched this week. The new replacement for the Smartphone?

 

There's a whole new focus on bringing glasses - goggles - into play as an alternative to the Smartphone. We all know about the early development of Google Goggles but the difficulty was, in "seeing" the applications.

Here's one.

The Apex HD+Goggles were unveiled at The CES Show in Las Vegas this week. They record video and photos directly from the glasses in what would seem, high quality and with ease to use. They also have the ability to stream to Iphone or Android devices or just connect them to a computer and download the images.

The first application is for skiers and snowboarders whom can now record their exploits downhill. And your friends close by, can see how you're going.

Okay, not an application if you live in Ireland or the UK (we don't get a lot of skiing in these parts) but it's a first real business idea around glasses. And there's plenty of skiers across Europe, North America to make it worthwhile.

Although right now, they're big and cumbersome but that will change (like the first mobile phone brick did) and clearly, there's all sorts of other sports uses - like Sailing which is close to my heart. Want to record that stormy sail? Or climbing as you clamber up Everest, hands-free?

Perhaps too, with streaming, there's applications for rescue teams such as The RNLI, to record back incidents they come across and perhaps get instant medical advice from a Doctor watching back at base.

Maybe you want to record an event or a gig? Once they get into second stage development and make the glasses better for wearers, we'll see more. But on the surface, these are now viable and I know investors are taking a good positive look at them.

The smartphone market is full.

New delivery mechanisms for photos, videos, email, texts, browsing are very in vogue and this is definitely one.

And it works.

The future of Television. Three issues that are being discussed at the CES show in Las Vegas.

The future of Television is on show at The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week. Possibly THE show to see in the world today.

Most of the brands you know and love are there (although no Apple or Microsoft this year) along with new, Chinesey ones, hoping to take on the consumers of America and don't, misjudge them. Remember Samsung. Everyone laughed. 

What they're all talking about at CES is new, higher definition TV called "Ultra High Definition" (previously '4k') and about 4 times the definition of standard HD. Which if you have HD (and if you haven't, go get it), you know that 4 times better is pretty damn good and you'll really feel involved in the picture but....it's expensive right now. About 7,500 euro for the first TV to market, 'LG' set. It's also important to note that you need the content suppliers to be shooting in the same mode.

Already there's very limited 3D content and even HD content, although improving. There's no point in having a 3D TV with nothing in 3D to watch. No point in an Ultra TV if there's no Ultra shot film.

Of course TV's are now all web enabled, 3D, and so on but what you're also seeing is the rise of TV as a much smarter device.

Ideal for Skype calls? Interactive video? Web browsing? The TV is getting more and more development focus as a multi-platform device.

So the second big issue at the CES is this convergence and integration of TV. With more TV options on screen, the controlling device (the remote control) needs to change and more and more that device is becoming your mobile phone using Wifi. You phone is now becoming a controlling device in the home.

So marketing of phones, as useful TV devices, have blended into CES and Sony is launching its first major phone at the show since it dropped the 'Sony Ericsson' brand. Of course too, interactive glasses is all the talk as a way of replacing the phone.

Although we know of the development of 'Google Goggles', a lot has been going on in this space and there's no doubt that there's a bigger number of investors and developers now, who see glasses as the replacement for phones. And glasses as the real "mobile TV'. Do you know, they might well be right.

A new type of device, like glasses, will give brands like Sony/Blackberry/Nokia a chance to re-enter a market that swept them aside. Although the three brands I mention are pretty much at 'junk bond status', there is the possibility of a last chance saloon for them by developing glasses.

So the future of TV looks like higher picture/sound definition and quality; better integration with other devices online and notably mobile; and the emergence of glasses as a potential new delivery system.

Now there you go, I've just saved you that 'all expenses paid' trip to Las Vegas. You wouldn't have liked it anyway. What with all the bars and all. Great restaurant selection, super shows, nah better off behind your desk. Sorry.

Instaglasses from Instagram. This has the potential to replace smartphones. Smartglasses.

You'll remember the concept behind "google goggles" http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/04/google-goggles-apple-fiddles.html in April of this year.

And now we have Instaglasses which is the Instagram version.

Designed by German Markus Gerke, they include a 5 mega pixel camera and (I presume) some web access allowing you to take pics, run them through Instagram and post. So you capture the world as you go. A camera on your head. They'll also soften your view of the world and can actually make Instagram's Mark Zuckerberg look angelic.

Possibly video won't be far behind either, dramatically allowing Instagram to venture into the world of video-sharing. Now that would be spectacular for Instagram and start to make sense of The Facebook 1bn acquisition. In fact, you could stream live from the glasses and actually "follow" people in real time visually. So one better than Twitter because this way you'll see what the celebrity sees.

Not unlike Google Goggles, they're a bit of a dream, a prototype for now, but signify the way that Social Media owners are looking at new content delivery systems outside of mobile. If you own the delivery system, you own the world.

Imagine for example, we all had Instaglasses, then we'd all use Instagram and the traffic stats would explode. Importantly too, these glasses are very cool. Or if we had YouTube glasses, we'd all be video-ing onto youtube.


This isn't a flight of fancy but a hard nosed business way to get consumers using more Social and in this case, using more of Instagram. If glasses developed, there's no reason why they couldn't become smartphones. Say using Facetime or Skype, you can make that person-to-person call and see them with your glasses as you talk. Why not?


Other delivery system ideas have included in-car projection directly onto your windscreen where you can see all your tweets/posts etc. Watches too have been thought of.

The accessibility of Social through easy delivery whether by glasses/watches/phones whatever, will enhance its growth. The problem with the surge in smartphone ownership (driven in turn by the need for consumers to have access online) is that the smartphone owner dictates who has access to it.


So if, as they are, Samsung continue to dominant the mobile handset space, they'll become a player in allowing/denying access to their platform. Iphone 4 and 5 deals with embedding Twitter and Facebook into their operating system (OS) is typical of this "ownership". http://streamabout.blogspot.ie/2012/06/apple-teams-with-facebook-tim-cook.html
 
You want to use our smartphones to reach your audience? How much? Exactly as the App store works.


Whereas, on the other hand, if there's other delivery systems (such as glasses), that issue dissipates. Instaglasses is another good indication of that thinking.

Expect something like them to be in the stores.

Expect to be wearing them.

Expect a surge in smartglasses.

This is going to be huge.