Tag Archives: project glass

Editorial: Google Glass contest elicits mild uses for wild tech

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Editorial Google Glass contest underlines mediocre uses for brilliant tech

Google's #ifihadglass contest advertises for "bold, creative individuals" to start carrying pre-production builds of Glass later this year. Since most people flatter themselves as dauntless and inspired, Google's challenge casts a wide net and applications are piling into Twitter. The contest apparently also seeks prosperous individuals willing to pay $1,500 for the prize, plus travel expense to pick it up. There might be good fiscal reasons for Google's parsimony, but I can't help noting that the $12 million of revenue generated by eager beta testers represents five-thousandths of 1 percent of the company's market cap, or one-tenth of a percent of its liquid cash.

Putting aside whatever demographic-shaping is in play, the more interesting question is whether Google will find its desired 8,000 bold creative types. The applications do not foretell blazing originality among foaming early adopters. If there is a depressing strain of mediocrity in the #ifihadglass Twitter stream, perhaps it speaks less to human limitation and more to intrinsic constraints of the device as it is currently understood.

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The Daily Roundup for 02.21.2013

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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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The Daily Roundup for 02.20.2013

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DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Google Glass Explorer Edition arrives at the FCC

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Google Glass Explorer Edition arrives at the FCC

Folks, the rather dour line drawing that you can see in the image above is the very first glimpse of Google's wearable computing project as it swings through the FCC's underground facility. The Google Glass Explorer Edition hardware, promised to arrive this year, is carrying a Broadcom 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g WiFi radio that's been paired with a Bluetooth 4.0 + LE module. We've seen a reference to an "integral vibrating element that provides audio to the user via contact with the user's head," which we presume relates to the bone conduction patent we saw earlier this month. The filing also reveals that the testing laboratory involved used the conduction technology to view video with audio. As the commission is now making the paperwork public, it can only mean that it's judged the unit, with the product code "XEB," to be safe for human consumption -- which means customers 782 and 788 might be expecting something special in the mail very shortly.

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Source: FCC

Google dreams up tiny laser projection system to control Project Glass

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Google seeks patent for a laser projection system to control Project Glass

A virtual touchpad projected onto limbs and other everyday surfaces? That's the type of crazy idea we'd normally expect to see from Microsoft Research, not Google. Heck, maybe we even did, but Google is now applying to patent the concept specifically in relation to Project Glass. The system would use a tiny laser projector mounted on the arm of the spectacles to beam out QWERTY and other buttons, and then the built-in camera and processor would try to interpret finger movements in the region of those buttons. Hey presto! No more fiddling with your face.

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Source: USPTO

The Daily Roundup for 01.16.2013

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DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Continue reading The Daily Roundup for 01.16.2013

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Microsoft Patent Hints at Google Project Glass Competition

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In the past, we’ve talked about the interesting and odd project from Google called Project Glass. The technology is basically a small wearable augmented reality system with a display embedded into a pair of glasses. A patent application has surfaced from Microsoft that shows the company is at least considering a competing product.

ms glasses

Artwork included with the patent application shows one example application as view of a baseball game offering factoids about players, including stats, hovering above them while you watch the game. They also showed another example where subtitles are displayed over an opera performance. Here’s the abstract from the patent application:

A system and method to present a user wearing a head mounted display with supplemental information when viewing a live event. A user wearing an at least partially see-through, head mounted display views the live event while simultaneously receiving information on objects, including people, within the user’s field of view, while wearing the head mounted display. The information is presented in a position in the head mounted display which does not interfere with the user’s enjoyment of the live event.

Microsoft’s offerings are also not meant to be worn at all times, while Google is hoping we’ll be wearing their glasses everywhere we go. It appears that Microsoft is tying their device to live events like sports and concerts. The Microsoft product would be able to the project text and audio overlays onto whatever the wearer is viewing.

msft glasses patent 1

The patent app was originally filed in May of 2011, but was updated this week. There is no indication of what the status of this project is at Microsoft right now; it could be significantly further along considering it’s been over a year since the application was filed, or it could just be a concept. Whereas Google already has usable prototypes of their system, it appears Microsoft’s is in the planning stages.

You can view Microsoft’s complete patent application here.

[via UnwiredView]


Google patents an electronically-controlled Project Glass nose bridge for Sergey’s comfort

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Sergey Brin spends a lot of time wafting around town with his Project Glass(es) on, and he's never complained about the pain of carrying a computer on his nose. Perhaps now, we've learned why. Google's latest patent reveals that the company is considering a malleable nose bridge that hardens and softens, thanks to an electrically-controlled fluid with a changeable viscosity. All you'd have to do is tap the touchpad and tweak it to save you getting dents in your skin. There's no evidence to suggest we'll see the tech in the Explorer Edition of the headgear, but perhaps Mountain View have just solved a problem that us nerds suffer from.

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Google patents an electronically-controlled Project Glass nose bridge for Sergey's comfort originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google nabs design patent for left-eyed Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny

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Google nabs design patent for leftside Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny

No more shall lefties wanting Google Glass toil under the oppression of right-handed overlords. Not if Google's newly granted design patent is an indication, at any rate. The filing simply puts the eyepiece on the other side for those who are either naturally left-inclined or just that much opposed to the optical status quo. There's no guarantee Google will be so accommodating when Glass reaches the general public, although we're hopeful: when early adopters are already paying a small fortune to leap in, it wouldn't hurt to produce a batch for left eye use and give the more committed southpaws among us the freedom they've craved since Google I/O.

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Google nabs design patent for left-eyed Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it’s like at New York Fashion Week (video)

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Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it's like to stroll the catwalk at New York Fashion Week video

Project Glass has already given adrenaline junkies a POV view of a skydiver's freefall, and now Google's giving fashionistas a similar rush with a new film about New York Fashion Week. It was shot entirely with Glass by various folks at the DVB show, including Diane von Furstenberg herself, who also provided the video's narration. Looking for a pre-show pep talk from one of the fashion industry's true titans and some behind the scenes footage of runway beauties? Perhaps you just wanna know what it's like to stroll the catwalk and be bathed in the flashbulbs of hundreds of paparazzi? Your bliss awaits in the four minute clip after the break.

Continue reading Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it's like at New York Fashion Week (video)

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Google Glass shows how Diane von Furstenberg is living, what it's like at New York Fashion Week (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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