
Rivals already eying Google eyewear; Project Glass clones now in development - zacharye
http://www.bgr.com/2012/04/06/rivals-already-eying-google-eyewear-project-glass-competitors-now-in-development/
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jasonkolb
Ok so the cynic in me is sitting here thinking that in order for something
like this to catch on, there needs to be some celebrity or event that turns
this into something "cool". It's just too techie and geeky for mainstream
until something comes along to make it socially acceptable.

If I were Google I'd try like hell to partner with a company that already
knows how to make glasses cool and trendy. There's one company in particular
that has done really well making those 50's style hipster glasses popular--
their name escapes me, as I am not a hipster--who might be a good pick.

Basically Google sucks at marketing anything, but if they can find a partner
with that skill set they may have more luck.

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cruise02
I think this would benefit from a killer app a lot more than it would from a
trendsetter. A gadget needs to be useful first, stylish second.

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ralfd
In fact there are already glasses on the market:

"Epson Moverio" for $699.99 <http://www.epson.com/cgi-
bin/Store/jsp/Moverio/Home.do>

Developer Program (they use Android): [http://www.epson.com/cgi-
bin/Store/jsp/Moverio/Home.do#tabs=...](http://www.epson.com/cgi-
bin/Store/jsp/Moverio/Home.do#tabs=1)

ST1080 for $799: <http://www.siliconmicrodisplay.com/st1080.html>

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rmccue
In comparison though, there's no way I'd ever be caught wearing either of
those. Google's glasses, on the other hand, are unobtrusive enough that I'd
probably wear them. Importantly, they don't cover your entire face. Given that
the area around the eyes is one of the key areas for facial recognition, I'm
surprised how popular the band-style glasses are.

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ralfd
Yep. But you need that area for battery and electronics and as a frame to
cover the whole field of vision with a screen.

I wonder what one is seeing and able to do with the Google glasses. My guess
is: not much. The science-fiction concept video is not helping in that.

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Retric
You don't want / need to cover your full field of vision. A 400 x 200 pixel
display that covers 2-3% of your field of view and an unobtrusive system to
get it there close to perfect for this kind of thing. Otherwise I might as
well just look at a screen.

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nextparadigms
This is probably good for Google. When you start a new product category, you
need competition to validate your idea. Although you still need a big enough
lead to maintain your leadership in the market. Hopefully Google didn't show
the video way too early so competitors get a chance to make something just as
good by the time they get it out themselves. It should come out within 6-12
months at most.

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duaneb
That kind of makes me wonder why Google revealed them so early. They must have
known that by revealing it they would start the competition, but what do they
gain by releasing the idea? Does this indicate that they might have a product
to sell soon?

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myko
I think it's similar to the self driving car. Google is a company about fun
and innovation and they want to keep that appearance up by showing the
interesting products they're researching.

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jrockway
It's worth noting that pretty much every newly-made airliner has a HUD for
instrument landings (among other things). The technology is not new. It's just
new to people with $600 to spend on gadgets :)

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jff
Looks like I may finally get that decent, single-eye wearable display I've
always wanted! I hope somebody makes them available for sub-$200.

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mirz
Google is NOT a pioneer in wearable computing and have really been getting
more than their share of praise. This is a space that has been developing for
quite some time. Steve Mann, a professor at University of Toronto, is probably
the best known researcher that has been developing similar mediated reality
technology since the 90s.

Google is just looking to commercialize the space and make sure it's their
services that are driving the experience.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Mann> <http://eyetap.org/>

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jpdoctor
Steve was walking around MIT's campus in the 90s looking like a borg with his
eyepiece/headgear. It's quite a contrast to see the Google PR with little Miss
Eye Candy wearing a slimmed-down version of that.

Short of battlefield operations, I don't see exactly how the masses are going
to enbrace this tech. There needs to be some huge value-add.

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ImprovedSilence
> "I don't see exactly how the masses are going to enbrace this tech"

PR and Eye Candy would be my guess? Steve really didn't have either of those
going for him. Never underestimate the power of good marketing. And never
underestimate what the "unwashed masses" will be willing to buy.

