Google is making another run at Google Glass, according to the Wall Street Journal, which reports the company has been quietly distributing the Internet-connected eyewear to businesses. Yes, businesses.
This version is not meant for consumers, who pretty much rejected the Google's first attempt to introduce wearables.
As such, Google has improved the specs to support business use, according to the Journal (which by the way was not the first to report about Google Glass' comeback – those honors go to 9to5Google). The WSJ wrote:
The new model has a faster Intel processor, improved battery life of as long as two hours and improved wireless connectivity, the people said. The cube-like glass prism used to project the display into users’ field of vision is longer and thinner in the new version. This can be moved vertically as well as horizontally, while the first version offered only horizontal adjustment, one of those people said.
Version two also comes with a battery pack that Google developed specifically to connect magnetically to the gadget.
Now we are talking.
Google Glass' utility in business and industrial settings has always been clear, and if any constituency is going to shell out thousands of dollars for these devices it will be business users.
Even when the first iteration was making the rounds businesses were reporting increased productivity, among other gains, from Glass. One report came from the Netherlands, where fulfillment company Active Ants used Google Glass to improve order picking. They developed their own picking application and reported that it led to workers fulfilling stock orders 15% faster and making 12% fewer mistakes. You can find it here. Google will kindly translate.
Hm…As I reread the Active Ants story -- this was a favorite case study for Google Glass advocates back in the day -- I am wondering about the new specs, improved though they are.
A two-hour battery life, even with an additional battery attached will not see a remote worker through a full day.
In addition, I'd like to hear more about the improved wireless connectivity. Wireless connectivity for wearables, after all, is still considered a weak spot for this device category. Happily, a number of researchers ranging from Microsoft to NASA, to name just two examples, are working on this issue -- although what they are doing is nowhere near ready for prime time.
So, before I get excited about Google Glass again, I'd like to hear more about how practical this will be for other work environments besides the few carefully curated examples -- such as its use by surgeons or by technicians repairing complex machinery. Even our friends at Active Ants did not give a full accounting of its advantages and disadvantages, although the language issue is likely the reason.
Well, okay, I take it back. I am already excited about Google Glass' makeover. And by limiting it to businesses (although there is talk about a consumer version), consumer wariness of a wearable that also records interactions will not be the deal-breaker that it was with version 1. I just hope this time around Google Glass' new customer base won't find another deal-breaker to send the product back to the drawing board.
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