Google Glass, the smart head-up display, and camera that was supposed to become everyone's next portable computer, is back again. Although, we all thought that the advanced Google tech was actually dead but that's not the case it seems.
This time Google glass has been tested and circulated across several factories in the United States. The companies include Boeing, GE, and DHL, first reported NPR back in March and then again on Tuesday, The Wired. Google is calling it the Google Glas Enterprise Edition (EE) and it features the same headset that we first saw at an FCC filing in 2015 and just got a glimpse again last summer when it was being offered up on eBay.
The major upgrades from the original Glass to the Enterprise Edition include a better camera (resolution upgraded from 5 megapixels to 8), longer battery life and a new red light that switches on when recording a video. The electronics of the Glass have also been made modular in the shape of a so-called Glass Pod. It can be detached and reattached to Glass-compatible frames, which can include things like safety goggles and prescription glasses.
The rollout of the Glass EE is still limited, as reported by The Wired, the sales of the device have only been in hundreds and most of the customers have taken it on a trial basis. However, Google's parent company Alphabet's project lead Jay Kothari is quite positive about the prospects of Glass at the workplaces. "This isn't an experiment. It was an experiment three years ago. Now we are in full-on production with our customers and with our partners," said Kothari.
According to reports, the feedback from the workers and the factories has been overwhelmingly positive. Glass is providing them with assistive information on the work floor and improving productivity.
Astro Teller, the chief of Alphabet's experimental X division, said, "We're not going to prejudge exactly what that path is [...] We'll focus on the places that are actually getting value out of that and go through the journey with them, being open-minded about where it's going to go."
Alphabet today lifted the non-disclosure requirement on its Glass EE from the partners and opened up the program for more and more enterprises to join.
