Science

Google launches new $999 Glass for businesses


Google launches new $999 Glass for businesses that’s faster, runs longer and is ‘more helpful’ than before

  • Google has launched the $999 second-generation Google Glass for Enterprise
  • The glasses have a speedier processor, better camera and greater battery life
  • Firm said Google Glass is now part of Google, instead of its moonshot unit ‘X’ 

Google Glass has gotten another facelift.

On Monday, the search giant revealed the second-generation of its heads-up display glasses that feature a new design, an improved camera and processor, as well as a slew of other updates.

The $999 device isn’t available for consumers, like the ill-fated original Glass was, but is targeted to workers in factories and other facilities.

Scroll down for video

On Monday, Google revealed the second-generation of its heads-up display glasses that feature a new design, an improved camera and processor, as well as a slew of other updates

On Monday, Google revealed the second-generation of its heads-up display glasses that feature a new design, an improved camera and processor, as well as a slew of other updates

Google said Glass has been used on the job by employees to view checklists or instructions and send inspection videos or photos. 

‘…Our enterprise customers have reported faster production times, improved quality and reduced costs after using Glass,’ the firm explained. 

‘As our customers have adopted Glass, we’ve received valuable feedback that directly informed the improvements in Glass Enterprise Edition 2.’

With the latest iteration, Google said the device is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform, which packs a faster CPU and a new artificial intelligence engine.

With the latest iteration, Google said the device is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform, which packs a faster CPU and a new artificial intelligence engine

With the latest iteration, Google said the device is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform, which packs a faster CPU and a new artificial intelligence engine

It also allows for better power management and improved performance, as well as ‘computer vision and advanced machine learning capabilities.’ 

An improved camera in the device lets users film higher-quality first person video, the firm said.

A USB-C port has also been added to the device, which enables faster charging and improved battery life.   

While Google doesn’t appear to have any plans of making Glass available to consumers anytime soon, the device seems to be taking off among those who use it in the enterprise industry. 

The Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 also allows for better power management and improved performance, as well as 'computer vision and advanced machine learning capabilities'

An improved camera in the device lets users film higher-quality first person video, the firm said

The Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 also allows for better power management and improved performance, as well as ‘computer vision and advanced machine learning capabilities’

Google Glass Enterprise Edition has gotten so much traction that the firm is now moving it to be part of Google’s product lineup, instead of being under the guise of parent Alphabet’s moonshot unit, X.

‘We’ve been inspired by the ways businesses like these have been using Glass Enterprise Edition,’ Google said.

‘X, which is designed to be a protected space for long-term thinking and experimentation, has been a great environment in which to learn and refine the Glass product.

‘In order to meet the demands of the growing market for wearables in the workplace and to better scale our enterprise efforts, the Glass team has moved from X to Google,’ the firm added.

Google isn’t the only tech company that’s developed AR glasses for the enterprise.

Microsoft’s HoloLens continued to be adopted broadly among businesses, while Vuzix’ AR glasses are also used in the enterprise industry.   

THE RISE AND FALL OF GOOGLE GLASS 

The Glass headset was first sold online as part of what Google called an ‘open beta’ known as the Explorer Program, back in 2014.

The tech giant said this was part of testing for the device as a concept.

This is where concept products are made and tested, but Google promises it would continue to be tested internally and ‘built for the future’.

After a while, the Google Glass official channel on social site Google+ had not been updated since January 2016.

In the ensuing years, virtual reality headsets became increasingly popular among consumers.

Google eventually launched Glass for enterprise in 2017. 



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.