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SALT LAKE CITY -- It was only a couple of months ago that Google Goggles took the shape of a pair of Oakley Thumps, and were nothing more than an interesting idea.
Now, the technology has taken on a sleek new look, and Google's "Project Glass" has launched a demonstration video showcasing what could be the next big thing to come out of the company's "secret laboratory."
"Google[x]" is a relatively hush-hush laboratory near Google's main facility in Mountain View, California. A group of engineers from the lab -- namely Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun -- have taken the wheel on Project Glass and are asking consumers what they would like to see from it.
"We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input," the team wrote on the official announcement page. "Please follow along as we share some of our ideas and stories. We’d love to hear yours, too. What would you like to see from Project Glass?"
Already, some particularly astounding possibilities have arisen from the demonstration video alone. Within, we follow a Google employee as he makes his way through the streets of New York to meet a friend -- that meeting, of course, being arranged through Project Glass. IM notifications pop up nonchalantly at the top of the interface, and navigation appears to be seemless with gesture and voice commands.
Pictures and video are a no-brainer for technology like this, and Project Glass doesn't disappoint. The employee can be seen snapping a photo effortlessly with the new eyewear, and at the end is featured having a video conversation with a distant girlfriend, while also enabling her to share the view of a New York City sunset.
The video has garnered plenty of excitement and interest. Google plans on publicly testing the technology in the coming months, and it likely won't be long before we start seeing a select few of the early Project Glass models on the faces of the most tech-savvy individuals.
Of course, the possibilities of "over-wired" lifestyles loom their ugly head whenever technology like this appears. There is the easy possibility of Google utilizing Project Glass as another seamless advertising medium. The demonstration video showcases Project Glass's ability to see and interact with things and places within your vicinity, so what's then stopping it from popping up with relevant advertises for businesses around you?
Hopefully, though, we can overlook this trivial possibility, and replace it with how absolutely incredible this could potentially be.
Hopefully.
Alex Larrabee is the former General Manager of KWCR-FM, a graduate of Weber State University, and a producer/writer for www.gametaffy.com. You can email him at alex@gametaffy.com, or follow him on Twitter @BaerTaffy for all your nerd needs.
