Mantian Yu
BUSI 5013
MIS Research Paper
Feb. 23, 2015
Overview Google Glass is a kind of wearable technology with an OHMD, which is optical head-mounted display (Miller, 2013). This new technical device can be wear as a pair of glasses. It can be use as a smartphone and also syncs to the user’s smartphone. According to a video “Project Glass: One Day…” which is a an early concept video that made when the Google Glass was just getting started, we can tell the user can use the Glasses to scheduling meeting, buying tickets, listening music, taking picture, checking weather data and transport information, even the user can placing video call (Google, 2012). It has voice-activated system to allow the user to use it as the daily basic smartphone without hands. To start it just need a very simple phrase, “OK, Glass.” Also users using the other language can also start and use the Glasses via national language Using Google Glass, voice activated system is not the only way to control the device, it also provide a touchpad on the side of the Glass (Newman, 2012). Google Glass was developed by a group of people from Google [x]. Those people believe that the technology should work for person when they need it. They want to build a kind of technology that can help people share and explore their world in the first perspective. Their original purpose is to build a wearable computer on Google’s social networking platform. Google did not spend a long time to make the real Glasses into person’s eyes, in late spring of 2012 “Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page wore the high-tech specs to events” (Strickland). Until 2013, Google Glass was lighter than the average weight of normal glasses (Miller, 2013). By April 2013, the developer at Google's I/O conference were told that they can order the “beta version of the futuristic augmented reality glasses for $1,500” and this price would be lower in the future (Mack, 2012). From article design, Google provided four-prescription frame choice for $225 or free with the purchase of the new pair of Glass. They could help the user fit in different environment, no matter he or she is in working, party or sports. At the same time Google made cooperation with the Italian eyewear company Luxottica, Ray-Ban, Oakley to make additional frame designs. Also they will cooperate with more brands to offer more choose for the customers (Rhodan, 2014).
Google uses most of the Google applications, such as Google Circle, Google Maps, Google+, and Gmail. The brand new Glass come loaded with Gmail, Path, the New york Times and Google Now. The early adopters give access to the Glass API and the third party to develop the applications for Glass on the platform. By now, hundreds of Applications be listed in the platform (Price, 2013). Those application including photo manipulation, translation, exercise, cooking, and sharing to the social networks, such as Facebook and Google Circle (Google Glass Application List).
The target market of Google Glass would be the smartphone user. Since the first time Google Glass is announced in 2012, it has been be concern by amounts of excitement and skepticism. The multiple choose of the prescription frame interesting more and more people. At the same time, Google Glass has a big market for the people who works in physical jobs and have requirement of heads-up display, such as healthcare, architect, and warehouse. Also the multi-screen media experience can be introduced into many different industries (Green, 2014). Especially in the media industry Google Glass will bring a revolution. Allow of no doubt, wearing Google Glass in the public is cool.
Technical Analysis
The technology is new. Google Glass contains Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, microphone, touchpad and glasses. The voice-activated system makes everything more interesting.
The touchpad on the right side of Google Glass allow the user to control the timeline screen by knocking and swiping it. Sliding backward