Posts tagged Glasses
SEO Specialist James Reynolds Lauds Innovative Augmented Reality Glasses … – PR Web (press release)
Mar 9th
 PR Web (press release) |
SEO Specialist James Reynolds Lauds Innovative Augmented Reality Glasses …
PR Web (press release) SEO Specialist James Reynolds Lauds Innovative Augmented Reality Glasses in Tips Video and Talks About Backlinks and its Contributions to Web Traffic. James Reynolds heralds Google's new technical concept in Google Glasses and speaks about on its … Dark hat SEO and travel: Some insights from Danny Sullivan Junior SEO Trainee Best WordPress SEO 2013 – Making SEO Work for You |
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Microsoft Builds Team For New Kinect And – Maybe – Augmented-Reality Glasses
Sep 20th
Two recent Microsoft job postings suggest that Microsoft is building a team to design what could be the next generation of its Kinect technology: the rumored “Fortaleza” augmented-reality glasses.
Kinect Incubators
In the first job listing, Microsoft claims that the “team that incubated Kinect” is designing a new consumer device, and is seeking a new director of electrical engineering to lead it.
“Microsoft is working on revolutionizing consumer electronic devices,” the listing states. “The team that incubated Kinect and profoundly changed the way people interact with technology is forming a product development team to change the world again! We are a growing team of experienced device product developers, working in a startup environment on redefining experiences by making technology disappear. We are developing ground-breaking hardware, software and experiences across computer vision, machine learning, human-computer interaction, image and video processing, networking and graphics. We will transform our ideas into reality through shipping a first-to-market product.”
The team will work within the Interactive Entertainment Business unit at Microsoft, led by ex-Electronic Arts exec Don Mattrick, and includes the development and marketing of Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, the Kinect, music and video services, TV and Mediaroom partners, and PC and mobile interactive entertainment.
Given another Microsoft job listing, the division will likely also include the Microsoft Surface tablet team as well.
The fact that Microsoft is building a next-generation Kinect device isn’t that much of a surprise; after all, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the motion-sensing peripheral as the fastest-selling consumer tech device ever – until the Apple iPad 2 bested it 15 days later. The combination of features Microsoft cites – hardware, software, computer vision, machine learning, et cetera – also lends itself to the Kinect peripheral.
Not surprisingly, Microsoft declined to comment. “We’re always looking for talented people to join the Interactive Entertainment Business to innovate now and in the future,” a spokeswoman said via email. “We don’t have any further comment on this or any other job posting.”
If Microsoft was working on a next-generation Kinect peripheral, it could be based on the “holodeck” patent it recently applied for, although there’s really nothing in the job listing that indicates that.
Small-Form-Factor Consumer Electronics?
A second key job listing at Microsoft would also seem to confirm the Kinect conclusion, especially since the mechanical engineer listing seeks someone experienced in designing small-form-factor consumer electronics. But wait: the candidate Microsoft is seeking for this position must also have experience in displays, batteries, antennas and acoustics. Only the latter is Kinect-specific, as the powered Kinect peripheral lacks a display or antenna.
Microsoft could be staffing up on more than one project, of course, or working on designing an integrated Kinect. Another scenario is that this mechanical engineer would be asked to work on a future revision of a Surface tablet, which would use a battery, antenna and display. Microsoft could also be working to integrate Kinect into notebook PCs, a future already envisioned by Intel.
Rob Sanfilippo, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft, said it’s tough to read the tea leaves. “That’s a tough one to speculate on since it’s such a general description,” he said of the job listing.
“Certainly Microsoft will continue to advance Kinect and it will probably develop related technologies. I expect the next Xbox console to have integrated Kinect hardware which will likely be more capable than today’s Kinect, although this job position probably isn’t related to that since it’s very late in that product’s development cycle.”
But there’s another intriguing possibility, that Microsoft could be finally putting a team together to design the “Fortaleza” augmented-reality glasses.
“Fortaleza” Augmented-Reality Glasses
But there’s another intriguing possibility, that Microsoft could be finally putting a team together to design the “Fortaleza” augmented-reality glasses.
In June, a document titled XBox 720-9-24 Checkpoint Draft 1 was posted to Scribd, and later removed at the behest of the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, which has represented Microsoft in the past.
According to the document, the first generation of Fortaleza is a pair of Wi-Fi enabled glasses set to debut in 2014, with the rumored next-generation “Xbox 720.” The leaked slide appears to show a player in her living room “seeing” an imaginary desperado projected on her glasses. Future revisions would get 4G connectivity and a connection to the console to project movies and TV shows on them, a sort of portable version of the Xbox 720, and one that would be different take on Google’s own Google Glass.
It seems reasonable, on the surface, that a hardware team could put together a Fortaleza-type device in the slightly more than two years before the 2014 holiday season.
A couple of job postings certainly leave room for a great deal of speculation. What we do know is that Microsoft is working on its own next big thing, and we’ll just have to wait and see what it is.
Fortaleza images via PCMag.com.
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Augmented Reality Contacts Vs. Google Glasses
Sep 12th
Augmented reality versus Google glasses: Soon both will be on the market. The question for consumers is, “Which one should I buy?”
Details of Google’s prototype glasses are still largely under wraps, but what we do know right now is that the glasses consist of a powerful processor, multiple microphones, a small speaker, a camera, wireless radios and senors that make the glasses aware of their physical location.
For example, if you use the glasses to take a picture of a landmark or a barcode, they will display information about the place or product on the upper part of the right-side lens. That’s different from augemented reality, where graphics are layered on top of what you see in real time.
The glasses won’t go on sale until next year. They will cost around $1,500 and will only be available in the United States.
If you want to take a step closer to becoming a cyborg, then augmented reality contact lenses could be just the thing for you.
Right now the major player in this space is Innovega Inc, which is developing the iOptik augmented reality contact lens. This device will allow people to surf the Internet unencumbered by glasses (some early detractors to Google’s glasses have said smudges may make them difficult to see through). iOptik uses nanotechnology to enhance your vision to see both what’s in front of you and information gleamed from the ‘Net.
But even more access to the web begs the question: Is…this…a…good…thing? Traffic problems and societal commentary aside, if these contacts can do that, they’re sure to be a big hit, and will introduce a whole new technological ecosystem of contact lenses.
And let’s not forget the potential military applications — already on the way. In April, Innovega signed a contract with the Defense Department to develop a prototype of its iOptik system. The contacts work in conjunction with special glasses that project images onto the wearer’s lens, which could allow soldiers on the ground to see images beamed down directly to them by drones or satellites. Whoa.
Coming soon: Supersoldiers with enhanced battlefield views. Now that’s scary science. Check out this video to see exactly what we’re talking about.
Photo by Tom Purves
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Google Making Fashion Week Documentary Using “Glasses”
Sep 12th
Some of the most beautiful women on the planet have geeked out hard this week, donning Google Glasses on the catwalk for New York’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Designer Diane von Furstenberg’s line teamed up with Google to unveil a futuristic collaboration, merging fashion and technology. Models have been paired with colored Glasses that match their outfits.
Google will edit the footage recorded by each of the Glasses to create a documentary shot from each of the models’ perspectives. Look for it on the Google Glass Google Plus channel this week.
“Beauty, style and comfort are as important to Glass as the latest technology,” Sergey Brin said. The Google co-founder joined von Furstenberg in the front row of the show, each sporting a pair.
Wearable fashion technology (or is it tech fashion?) is an eye-grabber, and with Google planning to sell the Glasses in retail locations next year, this was a savvy PR move.
The first Glass release, the “Explorer Edition,” is reportedly priced at $1,500, but that’s not stopping the buzz.
If nothing else, it’s a big personal move for Brin, whose label faves begin and end with Crocs.
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Google I/O: Google Demos Glasses in Amazing Skydiving Stunt Over San Francisco
Jun 27th
Photos by Eliot Weisberg/ReadWriteWeb. Creative Commons licensed.
Sergey Brin took the stage at the end of the keynote to do a surprise demo of Google’s Project Glass. He warned that the demo “could go wrong in about 500 different ways,” but then he turned to the screen to reveal his friend JT flying overhead about to jump out of an airplane.
JT was coming in live via Google+ Hangout over the prototype glasses. Brin and JT had a surprisingly natural conversation, with JT up in an airplane and Brin on stage at Moscone.
After riling up the crowd, the skydivers got Moscone in their sights. “Hellooooo, San Francisco!” they shouted as they leaned out of the open door, and then they jumped from the plane. The Hangout video was perfect. As the skydivers plummeted toward the ground, the video streamed in live.
It was as exhilarating to watch the demo go off perfectly as it must have been for the skydivers, who glided to safety on the roof of Moscone as we all watched breathlessly.
The devices used in the demo were prototype Project Glass glasses with a touchpad on the side, a microphone and small speakers, and they had a gyroscope, accelerometers and a compass for location awareness.
Brin announced the Google Glass Explorer Edition at the end of the keynote. It’s available for preorder exclusively at I/O, only for U.S.-based attendees due to regulatory obstacles. It will be sold for $1,500 and will be available “early next year.”
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Search In Pics: Racing Android, Prototype Google Glasses & A Target On Cutts
Jun 8th
In this week’s Search In Pictures, here are the latest images culled from the web, showing what people eat at the search engine companies, how they play, who they meet, where they speak, what toys they have, and more. Google Salsa: Source: Google+ Android Racing In 12K: Source: Google+ Target…
Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.
View full post on Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Dear Google Glasses Team: Careful What You Put in Your Concept Videos
May 22nd
What a disappointment! Google’s prototype heads-up display glasses do not have the Terminator-style graphics shown in the concept video. They just show a simple readout above the user’s line of sight for now. That’s no fun. But it reveals the tension that’s inherent in technology concept videos: There’s a fine line between exciting prospects and false advertising.
Google’s Project Glass video wasn’t dishonest. The title makes clear that it depicts what Google hopes to accomplish “one day.” The imagery shows off a cyborg display concept, overlaying a a rich user interface semi-transparently on the field of view. Messages, maps and notifications pop up when necessary, staying out of the way otherwise. It’s an exciting future that apprarently takes place in the present.
After the video came out, Google execs immediately started showing up at conferences and on talk shows wearing Google glasses. But they were vague about the actual capabilities of these prototypes. When Sebastian Thrun dared to demo the camera while live on the Charlie Rose show, the result was pretty harrowing.
Now, CNET has made it clear that these prototypes are much more basic than video lets on. They show a little information in the periphery, above the wearer’s line of sight, “about where the edge of an umbrella might be,” a Google spokesperson told CNET’s Rafe Needleman. Google pushed its message of augmented-reality glasses too far, too fast, and consequently it came off looking like a dud before consumers even had to try the product.
Concept videos cross the line when the company can’t deliver the goods. That’s why it’s risky to make them. As writer John Gruber is fond of pointing out, that’s why Apple stopped making such videos. Apple learned its lesson. Now it ships the devices of the future before it ever shows them off, leaving its competitors looking like they’re trying too hard.
When Google announced Project Glass, Gruber proclaimed that Google had completed its “transition into the new Microsoft.” At least Google gives its top brass prototypes to walk around with. Microsoft concept videos tend to bear almost no relation to real products. Exhibit A: Microsoft’s “Productivity Future Vision.” It’s neat to show off a theoretical understanding of how future user interfaces should work, and at least these displays bear a passing resemblance to Microsoft’s Metro UI. So when can consumers expect to buy any of the tech in this video? … crickets …
If you’re going to go big with a concept video, go huge. I love the Nokia Morph concept video from 2008. It’s a concept from so far in the future that the mobile devices it depicts are made of materials we can barely imagine. After watching this video, you’re not left with an expectation that Nokia will ship this device anytime soon. But your mind is blown by the obvious limitations of thinking about 4″ glass slabs as the way of the future. And for that reason, this video has stuck in my mind for four years, “Nokia Morph” branding and all.
Company concept videos are marketing tools. They should be employed carefully. If you promise too much, you’ll have to live up to it, or whatever you eventually ship (or don’t ship) will seem like a dud in comparison. All the marketing in the world doesn’t talk louder than a product that speaks for itself.
Related: [Video] Will Google Glasses Augment Our Reality?
Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
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[Video] Will Google Glasses Augment Our Reality?
Apr 5th
Yesterday, Google revealed Project Glass, its vision of the next frontier of the computer interface (emphasis on face). Google hopes we’ll want to wear augmented reality glasses that display navigation, communication and other kinds of day-to-day data right before our eyes, superimposed on the world.
What will this really look like? How will it work? What can we do with it? Is this even a future we want? ReadWriteWeb’s Jon Mitchell and John Paul Titlow were joined by Sherilynn Macale in our weekly +ReadWriteWeb Hangout On Air to talk about the implications of augmented reality.
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Here are links to some of the posts and topics we talked about:
- Google+: +Project Glass
- Project Glass concept video
- Google Glasses: A New Way to Hurt Yourself (parody video)
- Nokia Morph concept video
- Wikipedia: Hedonic treadmill (aka hedonic adaptation)
We hang out at 11:00 a.m. Pacific on Thursdays, and you’re welcome to join us or just watch live. (Here’s the time for every time zone.) Make sure to follow +ReadWriteWeb on Google+ if you want to watch or participate. We’d love to have you!
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Google HUD Glasses: Possible Features & Implications for Marketers
Feb 23rd
A heads up display would likely integrate Google Goggles, Google Voice Search, Local Search, some iteration of OCR technology, and a camera. Here are examples of how the glasses might be insanely valuable to people and how advertisers might benefit.
View full post on Search Engine Watch – Latest
Google Launching Futuristic HUD Glasses Later This Year
Feb 22nd
According to a recent New York Times article, Google is planning to launch technologically advanced glasses with a heads-up display later this year. The futuristic glasses, which will appear similar to Oakley Thumps sunglasses, will continually stream real-time information to the lenses using a 3G/4G connection. The project, which is being led by Google’s co-founder [...]
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