New Delhi, April 24: Google Glass, Google's new eyeglass mounted computing device, is now real. It is one of the most awaited gadgets in the last one year as it takes wearable computing to a whole new level. But what exactly is Google Glass? Why is it attracting all this attention?
Most people may regard it as a normal eyeglass, but Google Glass is a camera, display, touchpad, battery and microphone built into spectacle frames that has the ability to project information in front of our eyes. Google says the display is "the equivalent of a 25-inch high definition screen from eight feet away".
Google Glass is light and handy and doesn't have lens as it adopts a projection display instead. Obviously, seeing things projected onto the inside lens of a pair of glasses makes true the phrase ''augmented reality.'' In turn this will also lead to a more efficient and connected life.
According to specs released by Google, the eyewear comes fitted with a 640 x 360 display that is the "equivalent of a 25-inch high-definition screen from eight feet away." It is capable of capturing 5-megapixel images and video at a resolution of 720p. Google Glass features 16GB of Flash storage synced with Google cloud storage, of which 12GB will be usable. Bluetooth and WiFi will be built in, but no GPS chip - so the Glass will probably work best alongside an Android phone, although you can pair with any Bluetooth enabled phone.
The frame will come with replacement and adjustable nosepads, and is expected to be both lightweight and extremely robust. Audio is transferred through Bone Conduction Transfer, the same mechanism that enables us to hear our own voice while we speak. The battery life on Glass is rated “one full day of typical use”, although battery intensive tasks such as Hangouts and video recording will drain the battery much faster than the typical usage.
Now let us take a look at the top ten ways through which Google Glass can benefit us:
Hands-free recording and sharing
Glass does almost everything a smartphone does, hands-free. To snap a photo or video, you tell Glass to take it, and the display above your eye lights up for all to see. "It's really a device that wants to be outdoors, wants to be outside, wants to be with family and friends," says Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
