Google Glass Coming Early 2014?
Custom lenses will be available to purchase in early 2014. Will Glass be available to all too?
Tuesday on Google Plus, Venture Glass announced new plans by Rochester Optical, reporting that the company will be producing custom prescription, fashion and sport lenses for Google Glass, available for purchase in early 2014. Does that mean Google's tech wear will arrive before the end of Q2 2014? Not necessarily, but here's hoping for sooner rather than later.
The news arrives after Google revealed that a new version has been offered to the more than 10,000 Explorer wearers, with tens of thousands more expected to be distributed before the end of the year. In the coming weeks, up to three friends of each Explorer wearer will be able to purchase the new model. The way Google sees it, more Explorers means more feedback, and more feedback means better Glass. We got it.
"We've been making the hardware better, too," a company rep said on Google Plus. "We want to say 'thank you' for all the amazing feedback we've been getting, so later this year, all Explorers will have a one-time option to swap out their existing Glass for a new one. This hardware update will allow your Glass to work with future lines of shades and prescription frames, and we'll also include a mono earbud."
The long-awaited prescription-friendly models will reportedly be thrown into the new batch for those who would rather not wear contacts with the tech wear. According to Google, the hardware update will allow Glass to work with "future lines" of shades and prescription frames, presumably whatever Venture Glass plans to release in early 2014. Explorer wearers who purchased the first-generation model prior to October 28 can swap the device out for the upgraded hardware, the company indicates, without additional cost.
"Once the program is open, you'll have 60 days to register for your exchange," reads Google's FAQ. "You are entitled to keep your original device subject to the warranty terms you agreed to at the time of your original purchase. Your warranty will expire 1 year after your original purchase date."
Will Google Glass still cost $1500 when the device finally goes retail? That's what Explorer wearers are paying now, but there's a good chance Google will bring the price point down to make it more consumer friendly. The new model allows users to connect an ear bud; there may even be a new camera. Unfortunately, Google hasn't really detailed the changes, and probably won't say a word until the final version is released.
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thdarkshadow 11888692 said:Will there be a 3D version, so we can see in 3D? :-)
Lol you already see in 3D -
dimar 11888808 said:11888692 said:Will there be a 3D version, so we can see in 3D? :-)
Lol you already see in 3D
It was a joke. -
rwinches @otacon gets downvoted for telling the truth?!!!Reply
Have you not read about the huge % return rate for the Samsung watch?
I'm all for new tech and support any attempt bringing new concepts to market. Crowdsourcing like Kickstarter is one of the greatest things to ever happen, because it levels the playing field, but...
Tell me again how this isn't like the opitgrab?
The user has to look up and to the right to see the 'screen' (not so good if you can't see out of your right eye) constantly, so what are the long term effects?
The glasses have big metal nose supports that must be distracting.
They are heavy. Latest version is bigger and heavier.
They are lopsided when it comes to weight distribution. Look at any picture and you will see they are crooked slanted to the right side.
They will leave indent marks on your nose. That will look really good when you are required to put them away, you know like everywhere you go.
They don't fold as far as I can see so just exactly do you do with them when you take them off.
If you do wear glasses just where do you get the Lenses? If you have a strong lens can you still see the 'screen' clearly?
They are Ugly really Ugly.
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tburns1 I'd love to see the secret service running around with these, protecting the president.Reply -
JD88 It's a prototype. Anyone complaining about form factor should understand that. Eventually Glass will look like a normal pair of glasses or sunglasses.Reply
Cell phones used to be almost as big as your head. Everything has to start somewhere. Why hate on new ideas?
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thebadwolf79 @rwinches This response might come off a bit rough, but have you actually researched Google Glass or are you just working off of a few things you've seen and heard and gave a knee-jerk reaction to this?Reply
The Galaxy Gear is ridiculous, not because of what it aimed to do, but because of how it tried to do it and the way it looks/operates. The return rate is high because people wanted it to do alot more than it can and it is still fairly limited in what devices it can work with and again, it what it can actually do.
The user doesn't look up and to the right, you're seeing the camera and projector there, the projector "projects" the image into your field of view to create the illusion that you're looking at a 25" tv from 8 feet away. The nose supports have received minimal complaints from adopters mainly because the whole thing is fairly lightweight (50g).
To put that in perspective, a paperclip weighs 1 gram, the entire Google Glass headset weighs 50, so it's light.
You said it's heavy, I just proved that it's not. You said the new one is heavier, we have no idea how heavy the new one is yet so I have no idea where you got that from. The addition of the earbud and probably further miniaturization of other components will probably keep the weight on par with the first generation.
The weight distribution is minor being that they're fairly lightweight. With the way they conform to your head, it's not like you're going to get tired holding your head up, they will simply press on the left side slightly more as they hold the weight. Your point here is valid though, it looks off-center and odd and I imagine it will be something they work on once they move more into the fashion-design portion of the Glass program vs. the hardware and software side that they're so focused on right now.
I wore regular glasses for many, many years and had slight indents in my nose. At this point we don't know enough about what Google will do with design in regards to prescription lenses. Are they going to make the right side module detachable for people who are forced to remove Glass but still need their Rx lenses? Maybe, we don't know. But the places NOT allowing Glass are so few and far between as to not be worth mentioning yet so as of right now (again, we don't know what the future holds) you should be able to wear them most anywhere you go.
Right now, Google Glass doesn't fold, this is true. We don't know yet if v2 or not will fold or if the final retail version will fold. Currently the Explorer program is for finding out these exact issues. You can buy a pouch to hold them and at night you charge them, but it's highly likely that the retail version will fold or break down somehow. Even if they don't, the market for Glass in the first few years is going to be narrow while they work on adapting technology and figuring out wider adaptation which means the people who will get them are going to be people who aren't going to see them as not-foldable being a deal-breaker.
The lenses are going to be of all kinds, Rx, sunglasses, etc. How the projector works with the lens is probably going to involve some kind of programming that will tweak the projector based on prescription, but again, we don't quite know yet.
Yes they're ugly, but again this product is working out the hardware and software first, as it isn't being marketed yet to the public and is meant for early tech adopters, developers, and enthusiasts, the design took a back seat. Google just signed on with Rochester Optical to make fashion, designer, and prescription sets so we can expect new designs down the road as it gets closer to an actual launch.
Basically Google Glass is what it's supposed to be, an Alpha hardware platform that just recently moved to Beta status. It still has a long road ahead before wide adoption and alot of issues to sort through, but compared to where it was just a year ago, we're already seeing some new and improved things coming out of it. It's far, far too early to make any kind of ruling on Glass although the POTENTIAL is amazing.
A teacher used Google Glass to broadcast live from the Large Hadron Collider in Sweden to his class and interactively asked questions for his students while there.
A doctor transmitted a surgery live while wearing Google Glass.
A paralyzed law student has had her life and confidence improved with using Google Glass.
The stories are out there, good and bad. The potential exists but again, it's just too early to make a ruling on this tech.
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junkie teck cant wait for the retail version to be released. OK $1500 is a bit steep but it'll drop fast. its the next big step forward as we all know phones have pretty much stagnated, sure more power faster OK but in the end they all do the same thing call and access the internet from a small tablet this is the next step no tablet to hold or look at its all right there just look & go now with an ear bud aded I assume soon you'll be able to use it as a phone, internet access, mp3 player etc everything a super-phone can do but no handheld. awesome cant wait to get my hands on a pair although ill prob wait a little while intil the initial burs are worked outReply