
Google Glass renamed to “Project Aura”, hires from Amazon - T-A
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/09/16/google-glass-gets-a-new-name-and-hires-from-amazon/
======
grogenaut
3 second article summary:

Google Glass, now Project Aura, brought to you by the developers of the Fire
Phone

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sdrothrock
The earlier Business Insider article ([http://www.businessinsider.com/google-
project-aura-revealed-...](http://www.businessinsider.com/google-project-aura-
revealed-2015-9)) is actually much more informative.

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bsimpson
> The initial version of Glass . . . sold for $1,500. . . Google stopped
> selling it in January and executives have admitted that the device was
> released before it was ready for consumers.

No shit. It was $1500 _because_ it was not ready for consumers, and they
wanted to price it high enough so people who had no business buying one
didn't.

~~~
EdwardDiego
> they wanted to price it high enough so people who had no business buying one
> didn't.

All they did with the high pricing was make it a prestige item, like
Singapore's car licensing costs - they've made driving a car far more of a
prestige thing.

~~~
derefr
Maybe they should have just done what game console manufacturers have done
lately (in the name of "opening up their hardware" beyond AAA publishers), and
required sending them a set of CV-like details proving you're the kind of
person who tinkers with graphics tech for a living, not affiliated with any
news organizations or with their competitors.

Like this: [https://wiiu-developers.nintendo.com/signup/](https://wiiu-
developers.nintendo.com/signup/)

~~~
bsimpson
I think it was like that when they started, but it became more lax over time
as the demand pent up.

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candeira
As a migraine sufferer, really bad name. I mean, just from reading the word I
go "ouch"!

~~~
famousactress
Ditto!

(Edit: Especially given it's something you strap to your face. I'm excited
about AR and VR but not really sure whether my vision/migraines will make me a
candidate :|)

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cjslep
I have had the privilege of working on augmented reality with accurate head-
tracking and geo-registered spatial entities in a 3D world, and am looking
forward to seeing how the next step of Glass goes. It is really cool to "walk
around" AR entities and have a glowing digital form exist before me & my
friends (on the network) out in the real world. The idea of just having a
phone dashboard in my face seems far more limited.

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MattPearce
I wonder if Project Ara will get a new name, as the project names are now
quite similar (Ara vs Aura).

~~~
cpeterso
"Aura" is also the name of Chrome's UI widget library.

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iLoch
Yet another missed opportunity to call it Google Goggles. Not serious enough
of a name? Release a product and people will take the project more seriously.

~~~
jfim
Google Goggles is the name of their mobile image search app.

~~~
r00fus
Apple repurposes brands all the time e.g. iBooks. Just rename the old product
a while before launching the new one...

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jimrandomh
Is it going to be open source this time? That was the one problem with Google
Glass that did, by far, the most damage; it turned Google's minor technical
mistakes into political battles, trying to get Google to pay attention to the
issues affecting developers and enthusiasts. Most of the problems are still
unfixed today, and they weren't exactly diplomatic about it. The experience of
being a Glass explorer left a bad taste in my mouth that a name-change isn't
going to fix.

~~~
mondoshawan
For the record, us software folks are sorry.

Glass was one of those projects that management seriously goofed up. Whenever
we had an issue come up from an explorer, we'd do as much as we could to solve
it, but there was in general too much political chaff in the way to fix the
larger problems.

I pushed for opening at least the AOSP stuff that wasnt bound by agreements
toward the end, but my arguments fell on deaf ears, it seems.

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Steko
So umm, the engineers behind the Fire phone are now going to waltz in and fix
Google Glass? That's like making a Rock supergroup out of the members of
Krokus and Winger.

~~~
bduerst
Fire's problem wasn't the engineers, it was the business decision to produce a
late-to-market phone with mediocre hardware.

It's pretty obvious that it was designed to be another sales channel for
Amazon first, and a usable smart phone for people second.

~~~
Steko
I'd suggest there were multiple problems that extended down to engineering. In
4 years of development all they came up with for hardware and software
differentiation (and compensation for losing Google first party apps and most
of the android ecosystem) were a few half-baked features that never had a
chance of moving the needle on device sales(face kinect, buy this thing,
instant tech support). Sure you can try and blame all that on Bezos too but
I'm skeptical he's that dumb that any great ideas Lab 126 had were just shot
down.

~~~
pinewurst
Not disagreeing. Here's an article link as a refresh:
[http://www.fastcompany.com/3039887/under-
fire](http://www.fastcompany.com/3039887/under-fire)

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ChuckFrank
I still think that Google Glass has amazing opportunities for specialized
technical applications. Just imagine if they could do all the things that the
computer guy in Quantum Leap made possible. Like the billiard scene, where it
maps out the most likely angles of impact to successfully clear the table. And
while I understand that's not a true technical application, it certainly could
be for a professional pool player.

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frenchie4111
I am excited to see what Google can do in the way of AR. Google Glass may of
been ahead of its time, but I think (and hope) its time is coming.

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portmanteaufu
> "The Glass team, now called Project Aura...."

Hope that saves you a click.

~~~
LeoNatan25
Indeed, a very clickbait title. There should be rules here to discourage such
titles. Thanks!

~~~
sillysaurus3
It's actually the opposite: the rule is that the owner of the article also
owns the title. Quite a lovely rule that you wouldn't want to change in 9
cases of 10.

~~~
fpgaminer
This is the exact rule:

> Otherwise please use the original title, unless it is misleading or
> linkbait.

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sillysaurus3
Serves me right. Thanks for the correction.

~~~
reitanqild
And this is one of the reasons I like HN, - a place where a significant (I
think) part of the audience can actually admit when they were wrong.

