Over the weekend, Google's Babak Parviz updated his Google+ account with a teaser image indicating that he is no longer with the search engine giant. The image is Amazon's logo, and the accompanying message reads "status: super excited!"
However, on his profile section, Parviz confirms the move to Amazon.
"Having worked at companies ranging from tiny start-ups to huge corporations and universities in Europe and the US, I have found each one to be fun in its own unique way," he writes. "I founded and led a few efforts at Google (among them, Google Glass and Google Contact Lenses are public so far :) prior to moving to Amazon and work on a few other things now..."
Parviz pioneered the development of Google Glass when it was still part of Project X. He also played a major role in Google's "smart" contact lenses that can keep track of the wearer's glucose levels. Currently, there are no details as to what he will be doing at Amazon. However, his portfolio indicates that Amazon may want to jump into the Augmented Reality (AR) market.
2014 has proven to be an interesting year for Amazon in regards to hardware. The company just recently released the Android-powered Fire Phone, which currently resides in the 88th spot on Amazon's own Top 100 list. The company also dished out the popular $99 set-top-box Fire TV that currently sits at #3 on the Top 100 list. Amazon's third-generation Kindle tablets hit the market in October/November 2013.
Based on Parviz's track record and Amazon's push into hardware, one can only speculate what Parviz plans to do. Will we see Kindle Fire contacts? Augmented Reality specs is more likely on Amazon's menu, allowing wearers to scan a product in a competing store (like Walmart, Target), pull up Amazon's price, and place an order right there on the spot. That could be devastating to local brick-and-mortar stores.
We expect to hear more about Parviz's move to Amazon within the next several weeks. What do you think? Is Amazon jumping on the smart-glasses bandwagon?
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