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DOES GOOGLE GLASS HAVE A BRANDING PROBLEM? MARKETING EXPERTS MAP STEPS TO MAINSTREAM SUCCESS

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin wears a pair of Google Glass AR glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

Still in its test phase, Google Glass may be dorked to death before it gets the opportunity to take off. Here, marketing players from a range of agencies provide their assessment of Glass’s chances and some suggestions for paving the way to mainstream success.

Google’s much-hyped wearable computer, Google Glass, has been touted by the tech elite as one of the leaps forward of recent times, but those same elites may hobble mainstream adoption of the device.

While privacy concerns have blossomed (the device may be on its way to being banned at a number of locations), it may comfort those worried that we are all about to become spies for Google that the early adopters of Google Glass are helping to give it an image problem it might not recover from.

Technology venture capitalists Marc Andreessen, Bill Maris and John Doerr model Google Glass AR glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

Marc Andreessen, a partner in the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, said, 

”You put it on and you’re like ‘Oh my God, I have the entire Internet in my vision. Where have you been all my life?’ ”

Kleiner Perkins venture capitalist John Doerr noted last month when unveiling Kleiner Perkins’ Google Glass-focused investment fund. 

"For paraplegics and quadriplegics, Glass could be a stunningly useful way to get information and interact with it."

The futuristic-looking headset can augment our everyday reality by putting data in our field of vision as well as allowing us to take pictures, and translating the spoken word on the move. But unfortunately, it also appears to have unintended contraceptive powers, as illustrated by this Tumblr featuring members of its decidedly unhip core fanbase.

Google CEO & Co-Founder Larry Page wears a pair of Google Glass AR glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

It’s all very well having wearable technology that lets you livestream yourself hang gliding. But if it has all the sex appeal of orthodontic headgear, it’s unlikely to catch on. Google’s Glass Explorer program has put Google Glass in the hands and on the heads of developers and tech pundits who Google has selected to test it and have paid $1,500. Google chief executive Larry Page has indicated that the product won’t be in stores for about another year, by which time it may be hard to separate it from its association with tech fanatics.

Arguably, success in wearable technology hinges on making people look and feel good as much as providing a functional service. Developers might be happy to fork vast sums for the privilege of being a Google Glass owner, but when the product goes to mass market, fashion, or at least some sort of coolness and covetability will be as critical as functionality.

Tech pundit Robert Scoble wrote a glowing review about the augmented reality glasses and said, "I will never live a day without them." He then showed off a picture of himself showering while wearing the glasses.  Google co-founder Sergey Brin looking cool wearing a pair of Google Glass AR glasses onboard a bus (Click Image To Enlarge)

With this in mind, we asked five marketing experts: How would you position Google Glass to make sure it achieves mainstream success?

AFTER NAILING THE EARLY ADOPTERS, FOCUS ON LESS-EXPECTED APPLICATIONS.

Jinal Shah, digital strategy director, JWT New York

Google is embracing its influencers. Make no mistake though--they aren’t just going after the nerds. They are strategic in who they’ve invited to their Glass Explorers program, an influencer program that allows a handpicked group to use the first generation of Google Glass. Google has carefully curated a group of people who sit at the intersection of nerd and celebrity. For example, tech celebrity Soraya Darabi, among others. People like her not only bring their passion for technology but also their massive audiences (500K+ followers in the case of Soraya) into the conversation.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and former mayor of San Francisco, tries the glasses on Current TV (Click Image To Enlarge)

There’s incremental innovation and there’s wow-your-pants-off innovation. Google Glass is in the latter category. We tried it on last week at Google and it was pretty amazing. Mainstream success will happen as it expands the breadth of its audience and also as its simplifies its technology. What we’ll end up with in a few years is just a tiny camera that we’ll be able to attach to any eyewear. To the broader point, wearable technology is the future. Making it as nerdy as possible at the outset is a smart strategic move to get those who will engage most with the glasses to develop their capabilities and advance them to a place of general adoption. It should be no surprise that Google has already developed a partnership with Warby Parker. The aesthetic will change over time, and this will be one of the many norms of wearable tech.

The Google Glass initial approach has focused on driving exclusivity in select communities. And they’ve nailed it. In the next stage, I’d focus on creating desire by introducing a library of plain interesting to bizarre applications of Glass. Think government, music, Hollywood, retail partnerships--maybe even an episode of Family Guy with Stewie touting Glass.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT NERDS.

Jonah Disend, CEO and Founder of Redscout

When we look at the challenge of extending Google Glasses out of nerdom, we believe that the challenge is first, one of execution and second, one of positioning and targeting.

• First, in terms of execution, Google Glasses inherently plays in two worlds--fashion and technology--and they haven’t created “cool kid” lust in either area.  It is neither an incredible fashion accessory that you would want to wear, nor is it a beautiful or obviously useful gadget that you would want to own.
• Second, in terms of positioning and targeting, today Google Glasses is seen as a barrier to social engagement as opposed to an enabler. While it may make your world more exciting and dynamic (as the promotional video might suggest), it does not currently enhance socialization nor have they shown how the value of the glasses increases with additional users (there is currently no clear Network Effect).

Now for our gross generalization about nerds versus everyone else. Nerds actively look to create barriers to protect them from the world, mitigate social engagement, and connect through virtual worlds (thinkWorld of Warcraft). In this context, Google Glasses are the ultimate tool for nerds to add a layer of protection between them and others and potentially seal the fate of Google Glasses as something that only the geekiest of the geeks would ever want to wear (or even own).

WORK WITH TRENDSETTERS.

Lloyd Salmons, Director of Digital, Saatchi & Saatchi London

I love Google. It gives me convenient access to a world of information and that’s something I want. I don’t love their glasses, because they don’t give me what I want. What I want is my glasses. If you’ve ever chosen a pair of glasses you’ll know how long it takes, how many opinions you seek, how many photos you’ve texted and images of celebrities you’ve looked at, be they fashion, sport or sunglasses. What I want is the Google I love, in the glasses I love. I want Google in my glasses.

Open APIs, products as platforms, and cocreation are the norm for tech companies. There is no way Apple or Android could have brought the level of innovation needed to create so many apps personalized to individual needs. Just because Google Glass is a physical product doesn’t mean Google should change the approach to creating the range of glasses needed to facilitate individual tastes.

To facilitate this, we’d build a platform allowing us to work with a range of individuals and the people who make their glasses. These people would range from well-known celebrities in fashion and sport, to everyday style leaders. The content generated across the journey from inception, build, and trial to launch would provide both broadcast content and ways to engage.

Google in Bradley Wiggins’s glasses: We follow the journey of Bradley and his glasses climaxing at the start of the Tour de France. Google in Elton John’s glasses: No one has more glasses than Elton John; he’s given us a hundred of his best to create a range of Google glasses and we’re going to find the perfect person for each of them. You get the picture. Google in P.Diddy’s glasses. Google in Sven Göran Eriksson’s glasses. Google in Victoria Beckham’s sunglasses.

If you try on anyone else’s glasses, you look like a nerd; that’s just a law of the universe. If you don’t believe me, try it. What I need is Google in my glasses.

IDENTIFY AND EMBRACE THE USAGE SWEET SPOT.

Brian Carley, SVP, Executive Creative Director, Rokkan

It’s a challenge, specifically because of the stigma that was quickly attached to them. Putting aside all flaws in its physical appearance, it would be ideal to tap into how people would realistically use them day to day. Very few people are going be wearing them ALL the time, but there are times when it would be useful to have a device such as this and also have complete use of your hands. We all assume that our mobile devices have no boundaries, but there are instances when we are apprehensive about having them on our person. I think that utilizing those moments is the sweet spot for this product. It’s a more useful Go-Pro and those are wildly popular within their specific usage, which is quite broad. There’s no real need for these beyond enjoyment, and so it would be wise to illustrate the truly hands-free experiences that surround the product beyond the dorkiness we’ve experienced already. At least they’re not as cumbersome as a Segway.

DON’T CHANGE A THING.

Bud Caddell, SVP, Director of Invention and Digital Strategy, Deutsch LA

Yes, white middle-aged men love Google Glass. Is it a problem? Of course not. Wearable tech has hardly fallen down Geoffrey Moore’s chasm. We’re seeing early adoption, and in tech (if we’re not counting Pinterest), white men from the Valley with disposable income tend to be first in, first out. And that didn’t stop iPads, laptops, or the mobile phone from reaching mass adoption. Yes, Robert Scoble in the shower is frightening. But take a breath. Google has already tapped Warby Parker, who I personally trust in putting things on my face, and I think Google Glass (in one iteration or another) is here to stay.

COMMENTARY:    

What Tech Guru's Are Saying About Google Glass

I am discounting by about 95% the positive comments made by most of the above technology pundits, expecially some of the above VC's in favor of what other technology pundits are saying:

Marcus Wohlsen, a tech reporter for Wired, on May 2, 2013, gave some hints that Google Glass could end in failure by making these comparisons: 

“The Segway. The Bluetooth headset. The pocket protector.”  

Rebecca Greenfield of The Atlantic, called the secret photo-taking application a “privacy nightmare,” and she also said:

“The Creepiest Google Glass App Is a Stalker’s Dream.” 

Jason Perlow of ZDNet wrote:

“Google Glass: Let the evil commence."   

Perlow also noted that in the “Explorer” version of Google Glass that shipped in early May to first generation of users,

"There is no recording LED indicator light on the device, so that one could stealthily record without any indication to the subject that they are being captured on-camera.”

Jason Zada, an award winning director, wrote on Twitter.  

 ”White Men Wearing Google Glass. This doesn’t make me want a pair.”

Another person simply wrote that Google Glass looks “lame.”

The Google Glass Is Banned List Grows

Privacy and security have become major concerns and as the list of concerned protesters continues to grow, we began to wonder: Where will we be most likely to see this Glass resistance moving forward?  This is a short list of businesses and places who will ban Google Glass:

• Movie theaters and concert venues - It's interesting to consider what Glass could do for film piracy and that annoying guy in front of you who waved his phone snapping photos through an entire two-hours concert. But these are two of the most obvious examples of places that traditionally prohibit cameras.
• Public schools - Or nurseries, or playgrounds. Really, anywhere with an influx of children is going to be a potential hotbed of legal headaches.
• Behind the wheel - The West Virginia legislators' attempt to ban Glass while driving will inevitably gain favor within other states, which will likely include many of the country's 39 states and Washington, D.C., where texting while driving is prohibited.
• Hospitals - Hospitals house boatloads of some of our most personal data, including medical records and insurance information. A stray paper or tilted clipboard could easily find its way into a Glass photo.
• Banks and ATMs - Similar to the hospital example, it's not unfathomable to imagine a Glass-clad someone hovering a little too close to your left shoulder to peep a glance at (not to mention a photo of) your credit card.
• Dressing rooms, locker rooms, and other rooms with people who are potentially naked - Think everywhere from department stores to your gym to strip clubs.

I might also add to the above list:

• Law enforcement - The police will absolutely hate Google Glass.  They don't want you recording their every move and what they say, because this could be used against them in court.
• Courts rooms - Court rooms often ban photographers from their court rooms, especially high-profile and controversial cases.  This is often necessary in order to protect the identity of the jurors and individuals making testimony.  
• Military bases - Any military personnel on military bases who enter or work in highly classified and secured areas will definitely be banned from wearing Google Glass. 
• Schools and colleges - Google Glass will definitely be banned from the classroom. Instructors will be weary of students who might use Google Glass to teach on tests.

On the other hand, I can definitely see immigration inspectors, airline security, law enforcement and even retailing establishments benefiting from Google Glass, in helping them identify criminals, security risks, people of interest and shoplifters before they commit crimes. Companies that want to protect their valuable intellectual property as a matter of practice will ban Google Glass.    

In my opinion, any technology that raises the high level of privacy and security concerns and could lead to consumer litigation potentially in the billions, has a huge PR image and this has the ability to permanently damage or destroy a brand.  This is what I see happening with Google Glass.  If Google wants to market Google Glass to the masses, they will have to severely limit or block its use in certain situations.  

Google needs to be careful that it does not damage its own brand reputation as the company whose motto is: "Don't Be Evil."   Google Glass has the potential to turn Google into the feared "Big Brother,"  that Steve Jobs warned us about when he tried to portray IBM as "Big Brother" in the famous TV commercial.  The company has to be very careful how they launch Google Glass. The company has a social responsibility to uphold (its motto) and it should not take us for granted.   The small cadre of tech geeks and very early adopters who now love and applaud Google Glass as the next big thing, may later learn to hate if they are not too careful.

I keep hearing that Google Glass represents the next evolution of the social network. Bringing the social network experience into the real world and sharing what we see and do with others.  Is this what Google (and Facebook) really wants?  God help us if this is where social networks are headed.  I don't want that kind of "social media experience" biting me in the butt, and I am sure you don't either.   Left to its own accord, without any controls, I believe that Google Glass crosses a line in the sand where our privacy is not only violated, but completely destroyed.  We lose our individuality as human beings, and we become an open book to anyone and everyone.

So keep in mind the old adage: "What goes around, comes around."       

Courtesy of an article dated May 15, 2013 appearing in Fast Company, an article dated May 4, 2013 appearing in CNN Tech, and an article date May 3, 2013 appearing in The New York Times Bits and an article dated May 15, 2013 appearing in VentureBeat

 

GOOGLE UNVEILS THE FACIAL RECOGNITION FEATURES OF GOOGLE GLASS, BUT LAWS TO PROTECT CONSUMER PRIVACY OR OUTRIGHT BANS WILL BE NEEDED

For those who wish they could better remember names and faces, a new demo app for Google Glass gives you notes on how you know each person.

Although the concept seems perfect for party or networking events, the app — called MedRef for Glass — was actually designed for hospital employees. By using facial recognition technology, staffers wearing Google's high-tech specs can pull up patient folders with photo, voice and text notes.

 

For example, a doctor might want to record that a certain patient likes to be rolled over on one side of their body or is allergic to nuts. And because the data is shareable with Google Glass, other nurses and physicians can have immediate access to this information.

The app was created by a team of computer programmers at a medical hackathon.

Here's how it works: MedRec adds timeline cards and sharing contacts via Google Glass. By saying a patient's name or taking a picture of their face, the device will bring up their records.

Lance Nanek, a computer programmer who worked to develop the app says. 

"Hospitals are full of very busy people — often with their hands full — who work with a lot of information.  Google Glass and making [data] wearable is especially being looked forward to there."

For a full look at how the app works, check out the video above.

Do you think Google Glass and its apps will revolutionize how we use technology across various fields, including the medical world? Let us know in the comments.

COMMENTARY:   So far Google Glass is not illegal, but some businesses have began posting "Google Glass Is Banned On These Premises" signs.  Despite a front page story appearing in the May 7, 2013 issue of the New York Times suggesting that Google is already facing a bunch of legal pushback over its face computer of the future, there are no laws on the books that make Google Glass illegal -- Yet.  

Click Image To Enlarge

A Los Angeles privacy lawyer tells the New York Times's David Streitfeld.

"This is just the beginning.  Google Glass is going to cause quite a brawl."

It's unclear how true that is, of course, because there hasn't been much actual courtroom brawling so far — mostly just Internet whining, really.

The New York Times cites a proposed bill from West Virginia statehouse politicians who "were not joking at all" about a ban on Glassing-while-driving. Except the bill seriously hasn't made it to the house floor yet. And while the New York Times cites the bill's sponsor in saying he's "likely" to reintroduce the legislation, well, Rep. Gary Howell has also said that he will introduce a study resolution to see how dangerous Google Glass really is. You know, in the meantime, and in the reality outside front-page privacy freak-out trend stories:

"If we do that, I would like to invite Google to provide a demonstration and explain if they will have some type of feature that will turn off everything."

Howell has said, in addition suggesting that he's open to other alternatives outside of the anti-Google Glass law.

But even if Howell takes his law back to the West Virginia state legislature and it passes, that hardly makes Google's new device illegal. After all, according to the New York Times,

"This is the most anticipated piece of electronic wizardry since the iPad and iPhone we're talking about here." 

And by the logic of the New York Times's scare tactics, cell phones would be considered illegal in all these states that ban use while driving. Even the group Stop the Cyborgs, which has launched an anti-Glass campaign, doesn't want to outright ban the devices.

"We don't want a total ban but do we want people to limit it's use."

the group insists (in bold), in the About section of its website. While other, logical places — like strip clubs, or casinos — have banned Google Glass, people don't necessarily need laws or formal prohibitions to tell them how to properly regulate their usage of the world's foremost walking computer.  Already a whole bunch of people have written about their inclination to have specific etiquette while using Google Glass. 

However, even Google admits that its much discuss hardware is still in beta — and that the company is open to changes to better suit our apparently myriad privacy fears. That's basically all the Stop the Cyborgs of the world want, anyway. The Cyborgs group has three main points suggesting ways in which Google can build in enough privacy to placate the interests of privacy hawks the tech world over:

• They will never allow any face recognition system or any app which automatically identifies people to work on Google Glass or on any server system connected to Glass.
• They will implement a do not track system which allows people to opt out of being tracked or having information captured about them by Glass. This system should not require the person to identify themselves.
• That all information gathered by Glass will remain the property of the owner or subject and will be encrypted so that it is impossible for it to be data-mined, made available to security services or used for commercial purposes.

Google chief Eric Schmidt sounds equally as open to those kind of changes himself. Schmidt said in response to a question about the scary future of data-tracking that Google will help create. 

"I think you're describing a world of tracking which I think is highly unlikely to occur, because people will be upset about it in the same way you are."  

He continues: 

"Governments won't allow it, and it'll be bad business. And ultimately, in a competitive market, companies want the consumers to be happy. So it's true tracking in this context...you're taking a much broader view of the word ['tracking'] than any I would use. A situation where you go to people and say, 'Oh, here's our phone, and we're going to track you to death,' people are not going to buy that phone. It's just a bad business model."

I am in total agreement with The Cyborgs group recommendations to limit how Google Glass can be used.  We certainly do not want automobile drivers to know the identity of random people by glancing at their vehicle plates.  Individuals have a right to their privacy and preventing the disclosure of their identity to the masses.  Google Glass' face recognition technology opens a can of worms that will become a legal nightmare for Google.  I understand that Google has over 100 attorneys on their staff.  They better get them ready for the onslaught of lawsuits that are likely to come if face recognition and private information about individuals is disclosed without permission.  

Courtesy of an article dated May 13, 2013 appearing in Mashable and an article dated May 7, 2013 appearing in The Atlantic Wire

NEW VIDEO SHOWS HOW GOOGLE'S GLASS AUGMENTED REALITY GLASSES WORK FROM THE WEARER'S POINT-OF-VIEW

A beautiful young lady wears a pair of Google's new augmented reality glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

Developers, start your laptops. Google depicts how it'll feel using the augmented reality headset.

Google's Glass augmented reality hardware isn't yet available and the project's development is generally kept secret, but the company has now released a video that gives us a hint about how its user interface will work. In it many users are seen interacting with Glass's systems. The video shows the point of view of normal vision plus the Glass augmented reality-style window in the field of view.

Googler shows what Google's new augmented reality glasses see from the wearer's point-of-view (Click To Enlarge Image)

Users demonstrate searching for information, taking a picture or recording video, and even asking for a Google translation into Thai.

 

In many ways, these are the same details we've seen in other Glass PR stunts, but this conceptualized video shows it from the "inside" glass point of view, presumably to demonstrate the power of the device and its seamless UI. Google has recently allowed developer access to Glass hardware, and will soon be releasing 8,000 new headsets to promising app developers. Still, a consumer launch is not expected any time too soon.

COMMENTARY:   Since I last blogged about Google's Project Glass, a lot has happened, and it looks like things are cranking up and preparation are being made for a launch in either late 2013 or early 2014.

Facebook Wants A Piece of the Google Glass Action

Face1book founder, Mark Zuckerberg, can’t wait for the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) release of its Google Glass device. The tech entrepreneur made the comments at a charity function that both he and Google founder, Sergey Brin, were attending. According to Forbes, this is what Mark Zuckerberg said about Google's new augmented reality glasses.  

“I can’t wait to get my own.”

There is a heated rivalry between Facebook and Google, as both companies compete for the same advertisement revenue. The firms’ executives are not above honest appreciation of each others products, as evidenced by the statement from Zuckerberg.

Both tech luminaries were attending an event at the University of California medical campus at Mission Bay. They were there promoting the Breakthrough Prize For The Life Sciences, a new $3 million award for excellence in the Life Sciences. Brin and Zuckerberg are both prominent backers of the prize.

Brin, who has been spotted sporting Google Glass eye wear in public since last May, was wearing the device at the event, and offered Zuckerberg a sneak peak at their capabilities, fixing his pair onto the CEO’s head at the back of the hall after media comments. Google Glass is billed as a social experience, that means that Facebook integration will be absolutely necessary.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin demonstrates Google's new Glass, the wearable internet glasses shown at the Google I-O conference in San Francisco, June 27, 2012 (Click Image To Enlarge)

Despite the growth in Google’s own social platform, Facebook is still the gold standard in social networking. Google will need absolute cooperation from the Menlo Park company if its glass product is going to succeed, and judging by the mood surrounding it, it will need all the help it can get.

Here's an early video when Google announced Google Glass back at Google I/O 2012:

 

Google announced just two days ago that it would offer Google Glass to early adopters for $1,500 a pair. In order to avail of the offer, hopefuls will have to fill in an application demonstrating their ability to add to the Google Glass project. Developers have already been able to apply for a pair.

Facebook employees will no doubt be involved in the development of applications for the device, though it remains to be seen whether or not the firm will be able to release an early application. The firm showed weakness with its release of poor iPad apps more than a year after that products release.

Facebook will be essential to Google Glass in the early days. The product will almost certainly require apps specifically designed for it. It does not seem like full web pages will be useable on the device. If Zuckerberg’s comments are anything to go by, Facebook engineers might jump right in.

Warby Parker To Design Glass AR Frames For Google

In a blog post dated April 18, 2013, I reported on what Fast Company felt Google needed to do in order to make its Glass AR glasses a commercial success.   It now appears that Google listened. A New York Times report claims that Google is talking to Warby Parker, the online glasses store with a heart, and it's one of Fast Company's Most Innovative in Retail 2012, in an attempt to make its glasses look like something you'd want to wear out without making people point, scream, faint (optional) and shriek, "Cyborg, Incoming!" when they see you.  Neither firm, of course, would comment on the claim, which emanated from "two people briefed on the negotiations." The current model is glassless, but there is an idea to fit them with either tinted or prescription lenses. There is still no clue as to when Google Glass will be available, but the firm yesterday ratcheted up the excitement another notch with this, the If I Had Glass project. Consider yourself cool, curious, creative, and a U.S. resident over 18? Should Google feel the same about you, then you could become an Explorer (nothing so mundane as testing, eh?) for the project.

Google Glass Undergoes FCC Tests

Earlier this month, it was reported that the F.C.C. has been giving the glasses the once-over.  Every electronic device that transmits radio signals must undergo FCC tests and meet stringent radio frequency and communications requirements before a product is approved for the commercial market. 

New York Fashion Week Test Drives Google Glass

Google Glass AR glasses have been seen out in the wild at New York Fashion Week last September, at DVF's runway show (she later released a short film, DVF Through Glass, about the specs).

Apple iWatch Under Development

Snapping at the heels of Google's AR glasses could be the iWatch, a wearable gadget which, according to a report last week, has 100 product designers seeing to its every whim.

From the look of things, Google is taking extra care and is very serious about launching Google Glass AR glasses, and doing it the right way.  From everything I have seen so far, I think the era of wearable electronic devies is about to take a significant jump into our daily lives, and tying the whole thing with a social platform, whether its Google+, Facebook or Twitter, makes obvious sense for enriching our online experience in a new and more dramatic fashion than we ever thought possible.  

The $1,500 price tag is hefty, but there will always be a small group of early adopters ready, willing and able to pay the price for the next new thing in electronic gadgetry.  The fact that that Google is making it a requirement that buyers fill out an application demonstrating that they can add to the overall Google Glass project user experience, makes it appear very likely that the initial launch rollout will be to a relatively small group of customers.       

It also seems very likely that the first owners of Google Glass AR glasses will be running an a Google app that will integrate the glasses with Google+.  I have often commented that Google+ users are mostly affluent male social media and technology geeks, so this could be a rich proving ground for the new Glass AR glasses.  You can expect a lot of the will already be Googler's.  

This also raises a lot of questions as to how Google intends to make money off of Glass AR glasses.  I don't think it will be the glasses themselves, but a grand plan involving mobile ads appearing in the lens.   Example:  If I look at a McDonald's restaurant while wearing a pair of Glass AR glasses, the software will recognize McD's and immediately prompt me with a small add promoting a free fries if I buy a Big Mac.  I think that's Google's grand scheme to monetize Google+, by making users much more pro-active within its social platform, and then coupling the whole thing with advetising.  

Google could also integrate Google Glass AR glasses with your moble phone to give you instintaneous location information and tell you how many of your Google+ fans are nearby, what they are doing, and you can either text them or call them from your smartphone.  

The capabilities are endless, and Google is about to change the social media landscape several notches.  Whether it will share this technology with Facebook and Twitter remains to be seen.  I know that Zuck would love a pair of those AR glasses, and he probably will get a shot, but I have a feeling that Google may not want to integrate the Facebook or Twitter platforms with its AR glass technology, keeping that competititve edge for itself.  This makes me very happy, since I am already a Google+ user.  :) 

Courtesy of an article dated February 20, 2013 appearing in Fast Company and an article dated February 21, 2013 appearing in Fast Company and an article dated February 20, 2013 appearing in IGN

COULD GOOGLE'S AUGMENTED REALITY GLASSES BE THE GAME-CHANGER THAT GOOGLE+ NEEDS TO BEAT FACEBOOK IN SOCIAL?

Google's augmented reality headsup display glasses are scheduled for delivery in 2013 (Click Image To Enlarge)

If Google Plus were Google’s sole attempt to compete with Facebook in the realm of social, then Google would be screwed. Google+ does everything that Facebook does – with some features that are even better than Facebook’s – but it hasn’t been able to get much traction as a social network. It’s like a really great night spot in a part of town that no one goes to; the bar is well-stocked, the seats are comfy, and the interior decoration is superb, but the place is sparsely populated. With both bars and social networks, we want a bit of a crowd.

Photo taken by someone wearing a pair of Google's augmented reality headsup display glasses during a press conference (Click Image To Enlarge)

The real challenge Google has for Facebook is the secretive Google X lab’s creation, “Project Glass,” which New York Times refers to as “Terminator Style Glasses” (check the url) and what the rest of us fondly call “Google Glasses.” The augmented reality glasses would bring smartphone computing straight to your eyeballs, and allow wearers to capture photos and videos of the world as they see it.   In the first Project Glass video released, a Googler tramps it up:

 

Person wearing a pair of Google's augmented reality headsup display glasses, doing backflips on a trampoline 

Creating video and images like these is a visual social experience. In fact, sharing the world as you see it with someone else may be the ultimate social experience. The Project Glass output has the same allure as Instagram — capturing where someone is at a given moment, and what they’re doing — but has an enhanced intimacy from seeing the world as that person sees it, rather than as they see it through their phone. I’m calling it now: Google Glass stalking is going to be way more fun than Facebook stalking.

Googler Sebastian Thrun, playing with his son, Jasper, while wearing Google's augmented reality headsup display glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

Facebook bought Instagram and created a Facebook Camera because photos — and specifically photos of people — are at the heart of Facebook and the social experience. With Google Glasses — which Google's co-founder Sergey Brin says may be available commercially as early as 2013 and which NYT has said will cost between $250 and $600 — Google is muscling its way into the social photo space in a big way.

Media/tech thinker Robin Sloan pegs this as the next big battle between the tech giants: “Facebook Camera vs. Project Glass” or “pictures vs. vision”:

"When you think Facebook, think: photos. And don’t be surprised if you see Facebook do even more to cement this incredible position."

Speaking of, Facebook is rumored to be acquiring Face.com, an Israeli start-up that uses facial recognition to tag people in photos and even allows them to ‘check in’ at events via a facial scan.

"And when you think Google, think… well, think long-term. I feel like Facebook is probably an easier place to work than Google these days. Facebook is all huge numbers going up, up, up everyday—everything except the share price, but that will come in time. Google, on the other hand, is Google+ and its undead shambling… but damn, it’s also Project Glass, and those cars that can drive themselves! Google is getting good, really good, at building things that see the world around them and actually understand what they’re seeing."

"In this context, Google+ is not the company’s most strategic project. That distinction goes to Glass, to the self-driving cars, and to Google Maps, Street View, and Earth: Google’s detailed model of the real, physical world."

And because Google Glasses will have the ability to send text messages, take phone calls, and give directions, Apple‘s iPhone will also be in the boxing ring here.

Another advantage Google Glasses may have: taking us out of a world of screens and little boxes, and into a world where the technology around us is near invisible (beyond the geek-hipster frames sitting on your face). At the very least, it’s hand-less. Apple made a similar move in this direction with Siri, allowing people to gradually phase keyboards out of their computing.

Google CEO Larry Page wearing a pair of Google augmented reality headsup display glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

We’re constantly being told these days that sitting is killing us, and that the amount of time we spend planted in a chair, glued to computers and tablets, is dangerously unhealthy. Technologies that allow us to be mobile and engaged with the world, while still connected to the Internet, are going to continue to be attractive, even if we don’t look our most attractive while wearing them.

COMMENTARY:   It's debatable whether Google Glasses will be enough of a leap forward in technology to give Google+ the inertia it needs to jump ahead of Facebook.  It's a nice device to have if you constantly need to share what you see in your world to the rest of your social circle.

The high price tag is going to be a big hurdle towards mainstream adoption. The price needs to come down substantially so that it is as affordable as a pair of headphones.    

The glasses themselves are due for a complete redesign.  Looking Geeky just isn't cool enough.  In a blog post dated April 14, 2012, I mentioned the design issue and believe that licensing the technology to fashion designers like Prada and Gucci, could be a way around this, but users would have to pay an even higher designer price tag.  

In a blog posts dated February 8, 2012 and February 23, 2012, I mentioned several problems with the glasses.  The location-based and face recognition technology that will undoubtedly be built into the software behind the Google Glasses will definite raise some serious privacy concerns.  

Advertisers might use the glasses to reach potential customers, but will users be receptive to receiving small display ads or text announcements when they are near a retailer's store running those ads on Google+ or Google Search?   This could certainly give advertising a huge punch, but those ads are awful intrusive if you ask me.

I definitely see the Google Glasses providing a huge boost to the travel and tourism industry.   

Courtesy of an article dated May 30, 2012 appearing in Forbes

WHAT GOOGLE'S AUGMENTED REALITY HEADSUP DISPLAY (HUD) GLASSES NEED TO SUCCEED: DESIGNERS LIKE PRADA AND GUCCI

Google's augmented reality headsup display (HUD) glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)

ANDROID IS SLOPPY BECAUSE GOOGLE LICENSES THE SOFTWARE FOR ANYONE TO USE. BUT OPENING PROJECT GLASS’S HARDWARE TO EVERY FASHION DESIGNER IN THE WORLD COULD HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT RESULT.

When you buy an Android phone, it means very little. The phone could be made by anyone. The case could be bulky, thin, sturdy, or clunky. The screen could be one of the sharpest or blurriest on the market. And worse still, the software itself could be skinned to something unintelligible. Android is a fragmented mess.

Google has handed over the keys to their flagship mobile product to a bunch of companies who are often brilliant at engineering but rarely all that tasteful when it comes to design. So despite having every company but Apple making Google phones, Apple is still, somehow, making the most beautiful hardware. An iPhone might not have 4G like some Android phones on the market, but Apple has style and that counts for a lot.

 

While Apple’s closed system offers covetable design, Google’s open line of phones only gets larger and more confusing. Google is ostensibly selling every phone in the world but the best one. But Project Glass could be very different. It could be the time where, like the early days of Windows PCs, open hardware again becomes a huge advantage. Why? Because Project Glass isn’t a gadget that’s tucked away in your pocket. It’s a fashion accessory that sits on your face. Fashion has its trends, sure, but ultimately, fashion is an expression of individual taste that’s fueled by an uncountable amount of options.

Right now, most of us are cringing at Google’s proposed Geordi-friendly geekwear. But imagine a scenario where Google offered Project Glass as a small hardware kit that any company in the world could use to make Google Glasses. (Somewhat like Microsoft, Google could close the software and open the hardware--or at least parts of the hardware.)

While the typical electronics manufacturers would still produce Google Glasses, it could bring in a new wave of designer manufacturers, too. Instead of HTC, Motorola, and Samsung, we could buy Google products designed by Ray-Ban, Fendi, and Gucci. Then, even retail stores like Target, who spend big bucks to subsidize designer labels for the masses, could get behind the technological platform to create whole new lines of the product. Every corner of the market is covered--from the techies to the moms to those who can actually afford high fashion.

Ultra couture fashion designer Tom Ford's mens and womens eyewear lineup for Spring 2012 (Click Image To Enlarge)

Prada's Spring 2012 Campaign eyewear (Click Image To Enlarge)

The result could be a refreshed paradigm for gadgets. A world once dominated by engineering decisions could be dictated by artistic tastes. Construction wouldn’t just be through milled aluminum or new composite plastics, but wood, textile, fur--any whim of the fashion industry.

And a company like Apple, who could conceivably release a competing product, would be in a much different position. Right now, Apple is the electronics design equivalent to Michael Phelps racing a bunch of children around the kiddie pool. But with every desirable fashion brand in the world behind Project Glass, Apple wouldn’t have nearly this margin on style. They’d finally have some decent competition, all arising from the smallest boutiques to the largest retail stores.

With Apple’s closed approach, their products would resemble a uniform at worst and a single label at best. And Google? They’d run the entire fashion industry.

COMMENTARY:   In a blog post dated April 5, 2012, I reported on the four things that Google needed to do in order to succeed with its new augmented reality headsup display (HUD) glasses.  I also said, 

"Yes, design is important. Yes, its important to do a beta test and get customer feedback, but Steve Jobs said it better with his secrets to innovation, 'Say no to a thousand things,' 'Make a dent in the universe,' and 'Design insanely great products that people will lust for.'"  

I never mentioned licensing Google's AR HUD glasses technology, but it is beginning to make sense to me.  Google is a great developer of technology, but they are not known for their design and distribution.  When they launched their Nexus smartphone, the design was there, but the distribution was a total disaster, and the new phone failed to make it in the marketplace.

Turning the design of the new glasses over to real world designers who are known for their skill in designing fashion will be hugely important.  Well known designers like Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Prada could have fun designing Google's new glasses.   Having a well known designer name, instead of just Google, will give the new glasses instant creditability. 

Consumers may not know if they need a pair of Google's new glasses yet, but design above everything else will play a huge role in convincing them they have to get a pair.  The design of the new glasses will have to be truly earth shaking and make a fashion statement.       

Courtesy of an article dated April 15, 2012 appearing in Fast Company Design 

TRANSCENDENZ'S AUGMENTED REALITY GLASSES HELP YOU TAP INTO YOUR INNER SELF AND INFORMS US ABOUT OUR SURROUNDINGS

As difficult as we make it sound, self-improvement can be a straightforward thing. It’s relatively easy to become more fit (diet and exercise) or even to become smarter (read more and attend classes on a topic). But how do you possibly approach making yourself a better person?

For his thesis project, Michaël Harboun, now a designer at Ideo, tackled that question through a concept called Transcendenz.

 

His vision was for an augmented reality interface that wouldn’t just tell you where the nearest burrito joint could be found in the city, but to help you discover something inside of yourself.

Click Images To Enlarge

Harboun writes us. 

“Regular AR applications add a layer of objective data, informing us about our surroundings. They give us an instant answer, so that we immediately know what we see.  Transcendenz doesn’t give answers, it asks questions. It believes in the user’s ability to put the world around him into question, and to not content himself eating instant available data.”

Click Images To Enlarge

The application builds empathy through a mature gamification. It tracks, not just your eyes, but your emotions and actions in the real world. As the user takes actions that are empathetic, they level up. But they’re also constantly challenged by the application to broaden their worldview.

Watch the embedded clip from 6:45 in, and you’ll see Transcendenz alter the worldview of someone who puts out their cigarettes on a tree.  Writes Harboun.  

“By transforming the perception of the user, Transcendenz points out to an invisible philosophy, hidden behind the everyday world.  The application encourages us to leverage our consciousness of things and to transcend what we see.”

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And in doing so, Transcendenz functions differently from most technology we use in our lives. Rather than ignoring one’s spouse to play Angry Birds, Harboun’s app forces the user out of technology, to be “fully immersed into the present moment.”

Harboun writes.  

“My hope for AR glasses is that it will make people look away from their screens.  My fear is that it will make us see what’s overlaid, and not the underlaid anymore.”

Well put.

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COMMENTARY:   Thankfully, an AR application and pair of bio-sensory glasses that doesn't try to sell you something or violate your privacy or someone else's.   I love how Transcendenz puts you kinetically, emotionally and physically in better "touch" with the physical world in which you live. It uses input from your mental or kinetic energy to help you balance your emotions, by explaining what you are thinking and how you are reacting to a certain stimuli.   I would love to wear a pair of those cool AR Transcendenz glasses to a party or social gathering to see if what I am feeling emotionally and psychologically actually registers that way using Transcendenz.  This is truly a great way to improve your social skills and keep yourself in a meditative state of mind.  Quite a concept.  I wonder much Transcendenz will cost when it hits the stores.

Courtesy of an article dated February 28, 2012 appearing in Fast Company Design 

GOOGLE TO SELL CONTROVERSIAL AR HEADS-UP-DISPLAY (HUD) GLASSES BY YEAR-END, RAISES HUGE PRIVACY CONCERNS

People who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearer’s eyeballs in real time.

According to several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named, the glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year. These people said they are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones,” or $250 to $600.

The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS.

A Google spokesman declined to comment on the project.

Seth Weintraub, a blogger for 9 to 5 Google, who first wrote about the glasses project in December, and then discovered more information about them this month, also said the glasses would be Android-based and cited a source that described their look as that of a pair of Oakley Thumps.

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They will also have a unique navigation system. Mr. Weintraub wrote this month. 

“The navigation system currently used is a head tilting to scroll and click.  We are told it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users.”

The glasses will have a low-resolution built-in camera that will be able to monitor the world in real time and overlay information about locations, surrounding buildings and friends who might be nearby, according to the Google employees. The glasses are not designed to be worn constantly — although Google expects some of the nerdiest users will wear them a lot — but will be more like smartphones, used when needed.

Internally, the Google X team has been actively discussing the privacy implications of the glasses and the company wants to ensure that people know if they are being recorded by someone wearing a pair of glasses with a built-in camera.

The project is currently being built in the Google X offices, a secretive laboratory near Google’s main campus that is charged with working on robots, space elevators and dozens of other futuristic projects.

One of the key people involved with the glasses is Steve Lee, a Google engineer and creator of the Google mapping software, Latitude. As a result of Mr. Lee’s involvement, location information will be paramount in the first version released to the public, several people who have seen the glasses said. The other key leader on the glasses project is Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, who is currently spending most of his time in the Google X labs.

One Google employee said the glasses would tap into a number of Google software products that are currently available and in use today, but will display the information in an augmented reality view, rather than as a Web browser page like those that people see on smartphones.

The glasses will send data to the cloud and then use things like Google Latitude to share location, Google Goggles to search images and figure out what is being looked at, and Google Maps to show other things nearby, the Google employee said.   They said.  

“You will be able to check in to locations with your friends through the glasses.”

Everyone I spoke with who was familiar with the project repeatedly said that Google was not thinking about potential business models with the new glasses. Instead, they said, Google sees the project as an experiment that anyone will be able to join. If consumers take to the glasses when they are released later this year, then Google will explore possible revenue streams.

As I noted in a Disruptions column last year, Apple engineers are also exploring wearable computing, but the company is taking a different route, focusing on computers that strap around someone’s wrist.

Last week The San Jose Mercury News discovered plans by Google to build a $120 million electronics testing facility that will be involved in testing “precision optical technology.”

COMMENTARY:    In a blog post dated February 8, 2012, I commented on the article by Seth Weintraub of 9to5Google.com, that revealed Google's development of "Terminator" style, Android-based head-up-display (HUD) glasses.   That was just a rumor, but it now appears that Google is rapidly moving towards launching their new HUD glasses by year-end.

I hate to say it, but these augmented reality HUD glasses are going to be very controversial and create many privacy concerns and liability issues.  Information about you is now readily available on the internet, especially from social networks, and Google will be able to tap into that information to display your name and possibly your contact information, and anything else you may have posted online.  

In an article February 22, 2012 by Thomas Claburn appearing in InformationWeek, there were 7 potential problems Google may encounter with their new augmented reality HUD glasses:

"Here are a few potential pitfalls:

"Privacy - The outcry over people beaming images back to Google's data centers will be deafening, far worse than complaints about Google's monitoring of Web browsing habits. Google engineers are said to be actively discussing the privacy implications of the glasses. But the company's history of repeated privacy blunders suggests controversy is inevitable."

"Google has the technology to enable facial recognition with its Google Goggles app, but has avoided doing so for fear of privacy problems. And that's the real shame here, because augmented reality glasses should be able to do things like present the name of the person you're looking at. That kind of technology will be available eventually, at least to police departments. But as a society, we're not ready for it."

"Redundancy - Augmented reality is cool. But putting the technology into a pair of glasses isn't strictly necessary. Everything your Google glasses might be able to do, your Android phone will do better, particularly given the assumption that the glasses will be intended for periodic rather than constant use."

"Cost - For several hundred dollars, you'll get what? Services already available on your smartphone. Augmented reality makes a lot of sense if you're, say, a NASA astronaut who needs to see Space Shuttle schematics in your visor while you're on a space walk to make repairs. Augmented reality makes less sense for consumers. A more cost-effective solution might be a smartphone scaffold for mounting your phone on your baseball cap."

"Health - There's already enough FUD about mobile phones and brain cancer. But even the most scientifically-minded are likely to balk if Google's glasses rely on anything more powerful than Bluetooth to transmit and receive data. And that's to say nothing of the potential health effects of visual distraction and impairment. No one wants their last thought to be, 'Hey, Google Maps says I'm walking across Highway 101...'"

"Liability - And if there are health risks, there will be liability problems. People will wear Google's glasses while driving, despite explicit warnings not to do so. They will collide with elderly pedestrians and someone will get hurt. Someone will end up going cross-eyed. There will be lawsuits. And some politician will hold a hearing. Add the cost of an insurance policy to your Google Glasses bill."

"Battery Life - Battery life continues to hinder the utility of smartphones, tablets, and notebook computers. And in these devices, you can generally feel the weight of the battery. Glasses need to be light to be comfortable, so the battery will necessarily be small. As a consequence, the glasses are unlikely to be useful for very long, unless they require a separate tethered battery ... and that would ruin the experience. The ideal augmented reality glasses will be able to run perpetually on sunlight. We're probably several decades away from that kind of photovoltaic and processor efficiency."

"Control - Head-tiling will not be enough if the glasses are to offer services beyond navigation. The glasses will either have to convert hand gestures to commands or accept voice commands. So add a microphone, which adds another layer of privacy problems and engineering requirements."

"The glasses will also have to be extraordinarily responsive--when you turn your head you won't be happy with information related to where you were looking three seconds ago. That will mean either a very fast network connection--something many mobile carriers can't manage consistently--or displaying as little data as possible for the sake of speed and to appease mobile carriers, which already consider you a data hog."

Wow, it looks like Thomas Claburn covered all the possible pitfalls that Google could experience. Notice that privacy was No 1 on his list.  I wonder if Google's X-Labs team asked themselves, "What would Steve do?"   Better yet, did Google confer with their attorney's about liability and privacy issues and did they conduct field studies and get feedback from consumers?

This is a great time to mention that the Obama administration is working hard to legislate an online "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" bill, and if the proposed bill passes in its present form without Congressional infighting, it could change the entire internet landscape with regard to privacy concerns.  Checkout my blog post dated February 23, 2012 about Obama's proposed Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights bill.   

I also envision a lot of ads appearing to the HUD whenever you look at a restaurant, movie theater, product whether a book or consumer electronics device, and a message telling you what it is, where you can get it, the price and if there is a deal on that item.  So unless you don't mind receiving these invasive ads appearing on your HUD, then its going to open up a whole new world for those individuals willing to forkup $250 to $650 and the software to use these new HUD glasses.    

I have always felt that technology would be heading this way, and it looks like it will be happening sooner, rather than later.   You can expect Microsoft, Apple and others to introduce similar devices, but they will probably wait to see just how much traction Google is making with their new HUD augmented reality glasses before launching their own.

Courtesy of an article dated February 21, 2012 appearing in The New York Times Bits

AURASMA'S AUGMENTED REALITY BROWSER APP A SMASH HIT AT CES 2012 WITH OVER 3 MILLION DOWNLOADS

With a simple smartphone camera and Aurasma's free app (iPhone and Android), you can get video layered onto real world images. Browsing has never been this much fun.

Sitting behind HP's recent umpteen-billion dollar purchase of Autonomy is a host of gems that promise to take the IT industry through a realignment around human friendly information, to paraphrase Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch. Aurasma is one such gem: This augmented reality application promises endless fun, but also a healthy dose of practical applications.

Click Image To Enlarge

While some categorize the company as enterprise search or content management, Lynch insists that Autonomy is out in front of the pack when it comes to managing all unstructured data, but more crucially, to extracting meaning from that data, and doing so in ways that allow human interaction. Aurasma sure packs the punch behind that statement.

Aurasma is a mobile app that runs on an Apple iPhone or Android phones, but ironically does not run on WebOS which is owned by HP.   The app does its magic when you point the phone camera at a real-world image or object.  Aurasma understands the context of the image and pulls up an accompanying video from its database of over 500,000 videos.  For example:  

• A movie advertisement in a newspaper might elicit a movie trailer; 
• A piece of art might conjure a video of the artist talking about it. 
• Point it at a product, and a self-help video might emerge (Aurasma showed a video demonstrating how to connect an HP ProCurve router). 
• Point the camera at a building (or an image of a building) and get a visual tour. 

Users can also upload their own content from the application--images tagged to video.

 

The idea here is to augment life's images with even richer information, and to do it completely in context. In some ways, it's a new definition of search: understand context, see images, provide more information. This is all really just scratching the surface, of course, and it will take some time to catch on, but it's easy to see the promise--indeed, technology like Google Goggles (which uses images to drive Web searches) has been in the mainstream for a while.

Aurasma has also made progress on the 3-D content front, and some of that technology can be seen in the above video demonstration, which combined real world imagery and a 3D animations.  Matt Mills, the company's head of innovation, said it owes such progress to the speedy hardware of phones--as the devices get more powerful, the ability to do better image recognition and playback also increases.

Mills said that a year ago the software could only create 300 triangle 3-D models at about 10 frames per second, but now it can provide about 70,000 at 30 frames per second. With quad-core processors hitting the scene at CES, those numbers are bound to grow even more. In one demonstration Mills overlayed a 3-D dinosaur in the lobby of our meeting area (see picture below), and then set me inside the frame.

Aurasma's augmented reality technology can also combine 3D content, such as this 3D animation of a dinosaur, with real world imagery to create a very realistic effect. (Click Image To Enlarge)

While Aurasma keeps all of this data in the cloud, it also caches a certain amount on the phone, based on the subjects and channels of interest the user selects. In other words, it also works offline. Mills said the file sizes are actually pretty small, and if the data starts to eat up too much storage, it will simply take the data from the cloud.

I asked Aurasma what the business model was--after all, this is a free app, and while many apps are free, it doesn't seem as if that fits Autonomy's (or HP's, for that matter) business practice. A spokeswoman responded that the company believes it has transformative technology and wants to unleash the application on as many people as possible.

Watching Aurasma in action is very impressive, it is tech that looks like magic. Aurasma is software that picks out objects, shapes, symbols -- which are called triggers -- with its Virtual Browser and understands what they are. Once the trigger is recognized, relevant content gets pushed across to the user using enhanced reality.

For example, we looked at a $20 bill during our demo and the bill in the phone display starts to deconstruct ending in some pretty serious rah rah sis boom bah. Aurasma is getting traction in advertising and we can only see this growing, it is really addictive fun.

Users can grab the app free on either iOS or Android -- another mobile platform is coming with a name that doesn't rhyme with BlackBerry -- and get playing and creating.

Aurasma also has a pro version -- also free -- with much more serious development tours for folks that really want to stretch its boundaries. Aurasma has been around for a while now but this is the first chance we've had a demo and we were very impressed. Click through to see money do crazy things and a Harry Potter poster come to life.

COMMENTARY:   That's what I call a sweet app, and I do look forward to when it comes out for the BlackBerry phone.   The Aurasma app definitely has the potential to become as successful as Angry Birds was in games.  I was looking for a reason why HP acquired Autonomy, and Aurasma is the first good one.  

In a press release dated January 12, 2012, Aurasma announced that its augmented reality virtual browser app had reached three million downloads.  

Aurasma an exhibitor at the International CES 2012 show in Las Vegas which runs from 10th – 13th January, has been named as a finalist in CNET's Best of CES awards, beating stiff competition from some of the world's largest tech companies to win the Software and Apps category.

As a finalist, Aurasma will now go on to compete against other category winners for the prestigious CES Popular Choice award, to be decided today by an online vote at

Aurasma's Managing Director, Martina King said,

"We're delighted that the high levels of excitement we're seeing on the CES show floor are translating into record numbers of downloads of Aurasma. In the eight months since we launched Aurasma, the app and kernel have now been downloaded three million times; millions of Auras have been created by users and the technology adopted by over 1,500 partners – testament to the power of Aurasma to change the way we see and interact with information using our mobile devices."

The winner of CES People's Choice will be announced at the CNET stand in South Hall, Las Vegas Convention Centre on 12th January at 11.00am.

Aurasma will also be competing in the live final of CES Mobile Apps Showdown at N257 North Hall, Las Vegas Convention Centre on 12th January at 12.00pm.

Courtesy of an article dated January 10, 2012 appearing in InformationWeek and an article dated January 11, 2012 appearing in Engadget

GOOGLE'S SECRET X LABS EXPERIMENTS WITH WEARABLE COMPUTER TECH, AR, DRIVERLESS CARS AND SPACE ELEVATORS

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — In a top-secret lab in an undisclosed Bay Area location where robots run free, the future is being imagined.

It’s a place where your refrigerator could be connected to the Internet, so it could order groceries when they ran low. Your dinner plate could post to a social network what you’re eating. Your robot could go to the office while you stay home in your pajamas. And you could, perhaps, take an elevator to outer space.

These are just a few of the dreams being chased at Google X, the clandestine lab where Google is tackling a list of 100 shoot-for-the-stars ideas. In interviews, a dozen people discussed the list; some work at the lab or elsewhere at Google, and some have been briefed on the project. But none would speak for attribution because Google is so secretive about the effort that many employees do not even know the lab exists.

Although most of the ideas on the list are in the conceptual stage, nowhere near reality, two people briefed on the project said one product would be released by the end of the year, although they would not say what it was.

Rodney Brooks, a professor emeritus at M.I.T.’s computer science and artificial intelligence lab and founder of Heartland Robotics said. 

"They're pretty far out in front right now.  But Google's not an ordinary company, so almost nothing applies."

At most Silicon Valley companies, innovation means developing online apps or ads, but Google sees itself as different. Even as Google has grown into a major corporation and tech start-ups are biting at its heels, the lab reflects its ambition to be a place where ground-breaking research and development are happening, in the tradition of Xerox PARC, which developed the modern personal computer in the 1970s.

A Google spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, declined to comment on the lab, but said that investing in speculative projects was an important part of Google’s DNA. She said.  

"While the possibilities are incredibly exciting, please do keep in mind that the sums involved are very small by comparison to the investments we make in our core businesses."

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At Google, which uses artificial intelligence techniques and machine learning in its search algorithm, some of the outlandish projects may not be as much of a stretch as they first appear, even though they defy the bounds of the company’s main Web search business.

For example, space elevators, a longtime fantasy of Google’s founders and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, could collect information or haul things into space. (In theory, they involve rocketless space travel along a cable anchored to Earth.)  Mr.Brooks said.  

"Google is collecting the world's data, so now it could be collecting the solar system's data."

 

Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, is deeply involved in the lab, said several people with knowledge of it, and came up with the list of ideas along with Larry Page, Google’s other founder, who worked on Google X before becoming chief executive in April; Eric E. Schmidt, its chairman; and other top executives.  Mr. Brin said recently, though he did not mention Google X.  

"Where I spend my time is farther afield projects, which we hope will graduate to important key businesses in the future."

Google may turn one of the ideas — the robotic driverless cars that it unleashed on California’s roads last year — into a new business. Unimpressed by the innovative spirit of Detroit automakers, Google now is considering manufacturing them in the United States, said a person briefed on the effort.

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Google could sell navigation or information technology for the cars, and theoretically could show location-based ads to passengers as they zoom by local businesses while playing Angry Birds in the driver’s seat.

Robots figure prominently in many of the ideas. They have long captured the imagination of Google engineers, including Mr. Brin, who has already attended a conference through robot instead of in the flesh.

Fleets of robots could assist Google with collecting information, replacing the humans that photograph streets for Google Maps, say people with knowledge of Google X. Robots born in the lab could be destined for homes and offices, where they could assist with mundane tasks or allow people to work remotely, they say.

Other ideas involve what Google referred to as the “Web of things” at its software developers conference in May — a way of connecting objects to the Internet. Every time anyone uses the Web, it benefits Google, the company argued, so it could be good for Google if home accessories and wearable objects, not just computers, were connected.

Among the items that could be connected: a garden planter (so it could be watered from afar); a coffee pot (so it could be set to brew remotely); or a light bulb (so it could be turned off remotely). Google said in May that by the end of this year another team planned to introduce a Web-connected light bulb that could communicate wirelessly with Android devices.

One Google engineer familiar with Google X said it was run as mysteriously as the C.I.A. — with two offices, a nondescript one for logistics, on the company’s Mountain View campus, and one for robots, in a secret location.

While software engineers toil away elsewhere at Google, the lab is filled with roboticists and electrical engineers. They have been hired from Microsoft, Nokia Labs, Stanford, M.I.T., Carnegie Mellon and New York University.

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A leader at Google X is Sebastian Thrun, one of the world’s top robotics and artificial intelligence experts, who teaches computer science at Stanford and has developed a driverless car. Also at the lab is Andrew Ng, another Stanford professor, who specializes in applying neuroscience to artificial intelligence to teach robots and machines to operate like people.

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Johnny Chung Lee, a specialist in human-computer interaction, came to Google X from Microsoft this year after helping develop Microsoft’s Kinect, the video game player that responds to human movement and voice. At Google X, where he is working on the Web of things, according to people familiar with his role, he has the mysterious title of rapid evaluator.

Because Google X is a breeding ground for big bets that could turn into colossal failures or Google’s next big business — and it could take years to figure out which — just the idea of these experiments terrifies some shareholders and analysts.

Colin W. Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners said.  

"These moon-shot projects are a very Google-y thing for them to do.  People don't love it but they tolerate it because their core search business is firing away."

Mr. Page has tried to appease analysts by saying that crazy projects are a tiny proportion of Google’s work.

He told analysts in July.  

"There are a few small, speculative projects happening at any one time, but we are very careful stewards of shareholders' money.  We are not betting the farm on these."

On December 18, The New York Times relayed an open secret among some in the Google community: the company is working on wearable technology in its secret off-campus Google X lair.  However, the technology we have heard about is not the watch-type variety as described (although, we would be surprised if Google was not working on that technology, too):

Over the last year, Apple and Google have secretly begun working on projects that will become wearable computers. Their main goal: to sell more smartphones. (In Google’s case, more smartphones sold means more advertising viewed.)

In Google’s secret Google X labs, researchers are working on peripherals that — when attached to your clothing or body — would communicate information back to an Android smartphone.

People familiar with the work in the lab say Google has hired electronic engineers from Nokia Labs, Apple and engineering universities who specialize in tiny wearable computers.

Apple has also experimented with prototype products that could relay information back to the iPhones. These conceptual products could also display information on other Apple devices, like an iPod, which Apple is already encouraging us to wear on our wrists by selling Nanos with watch faces.

While Apple may be focusing on iPod nano-like watches, Google seems to be pushing ahead in heads-up displays.  We first brought news that prominent wearables PhD Richard DuVaul moved from Apple to Google in June.  His research is focused on wearable heads up displays (HUDs).

His dissertation was on “The Memory Glasses“, a heads-up display  focused on the problems associated with wearable memory support technology. This included hardware and software architectures, and low-attention human-computer interaction for wearable computing, including the use of subliminal visual cues for just-in-time memory support.

Our source tells us that this is what Google is building.  They are in late prototype stages of wearable glasses that look similar to thick-rimmed glasses that “normal people” wear.  However, these provide a display with a heads up computer interface.  There are a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, but otherwise, they could be mistaken for normal glasses.  Additionally, we are not sure of the technology being employed here, but it is likely a transparent LCD or AMOLED display such as the one demonstrated below:

 

COMMENTARY:   That space elevator project is completely looney tunes if you ask me. Carbon nanotubes maybe strong, but the ability to produce them and do it in quantities large enough to build something like a space elevator is more science fiction than reality.   What we need is an anti-gravity power generator, something our "alien" friends developed over a million years ago when they visited and colonized our planet.   

Wearable augmented reality is something MIT has been working on for several years now.  I covered it in a previouis blog post dated October 9, 2011.  A great example is the technology used in the Hollywood film, "Minority Report."  

Courtesy of an article dated December 19, 2011 appearing in the New York Times and an article dated December 18, 2011 appearing in the New York Times

AUGMENTED REALITY (AR): WHAT IT IS, FAD OR REALITY, WHO IS USING IT, WHAT'S THE ROI, USING AR IN YOUR DIGITAL MARKETING

 

Augmented reality -- that's just one of the latest marketing catchphrases, right?

The traditional definition of augmented reality, or AR, refers to the overlay of digital information on a live video feed. If you've watched an NFL game on TV and have seen the superimposed 10 yard, first-down line, that's AR. AR has also started to encompass other areas such as gestural control and motion capture. Microsoft's Kinect is one example of gestural control where you see yourself in the actual game on TV and interact with it by movement and gestures.

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What isn't augmented reality?

AR is not virtual reality or Second Life 2.0. AR at its most basic form is using digital to enhance your real-world user interfaces and experiences. All you're doing is "augmenting" your viewable surroundings with digital information.

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What brands are using AR?

While many brands such as GE, Nestle, Lego and others have been using AR, there are certain brands and products for which AR might not be a good fit. Don't force AR onto your product if it doesn't seem like a natural fit, and think through the consumer experience.

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What's the ROI of AR?

Don't count on measuring its "click-through rate." As with any emerging technology, there's the question of ROI and how to measure it, and you're likely to have different measures depending on the program and the goals of the program. For example, AR can be used to enhance product training, and you might measure its success by whether it increases user satisfaction with the product. For marketing, there are already signs that AR has increased awareness and engagement for certain product campaigns. In addition, AR can be used to increase purchase conversions in e-commerce and drive purchase intent at retail.

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How does AR fit into my digital planning?

When using any digital technology or media, it's important to develop your digital strategy first. Why do you want to use AR? What are your objectives? Are you planning for engagement, awareness, etc.? If you're unclear on how AR can be used effectively, contact an AR company or specialist that can help you develop a proper strategy. Using AR solely for a PR play won't work anymore.

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So is it just a fad or here to stay?

Like every emerging medium, there is hype around a new technology that often outpaces the current technology's limitations. Mobile AR is one area right now where the limitations of mobile technology don't match brand or consumer expectations for mobile AR. Forrester recently released a report on the mobile-AR ecosystem and uncovered similar findings -- that mobile AR isn't ready yet. It also found that web- and kiosk-based AR are much more mature and more practical right now for a brand's AR initiatives. Naturally, as a company that specializes in AR, we believe AR is here to stay.

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Wait, what's with the different kinds of AR -- web, kiosk and mobile?

Yes, there are three types:

WEB-BASED AR

Uses a consumer's PC and webcam to offer an enhanced experience often via a marker, image or through motion capture.

Examples: GE's Plug Into the Smart Grid is a great example of web-based augmented reality. This online execution allowed users to hold up a piece of paper -- called a "marker" -- to their computer's webcam and see themselves holding an animated model of a smart grid on the screen. There's also the Fashionista dressing-room app we created for online fashion boutique Tobi, which lets you "virtually" try on clothing items using your webcam and a marker on a printed piece of paper. Once you've "tried on" the outfit you want to see yourself in, you can send the image to friends via social media and ask them for tier opinion.

Pros: It delivers the greatest global reach for AR, especially when using Flash, as it doesn't use a plug-in or download, it's generally lower cost, and social media can easily be integrated.

Cons: You have to develop for minimum PC requirements, and it requires the user to have a webcam.

KIOSK-BASED AR

Is similar to web-based AR, but often runs more powerful AR applications using 3D or facial tracking.

Example: At a store in downtown Orlando, shoppers can hold up a boxed Lego set to an in-store kiosk, and the kiosk will show an image of them holding the kit as it looks when put together.

Pros: Kiosk AR can leverage multiple processors --more powerful than the typical at-home PC -- for multiple uses, such as out-of-home or point-of-purchase marketing. It also doesn't require a user to create a marker or have a webcam.

Cons: Higher cost, fixed location, usually no internet access.

MOBILE AR

Uses the viewfinder on a mobile phone to show enhanced digital information in your surroundings.

Examples: The iButterfly app, created in Japan by Dentsu, lets you track and find digital butterflies using your iPhone GPS and camera. Hold your iPhone camera up at appointed spots and when you look at your surroundings through the camera, you'll see animated butterflies flapping by. Each iButterfly contains coupons for nearby businesses. In another example, World Lens lets you use your smartphone to translate printed words. Hold the camera phone up to a sign in Spanish and it'll translate it to English.

Pros: Mobile AR can leverage location, and smartphone adoption is rising, increasing its potential reach.

Cons: You're dealing with a fragmented development environment, as some smartphones run on the iOS platform, others on Android and still others on Windows or Blackberry; and limited processing power and battery life can be restrictive. Additionally, there can be user-interface/user-experience issues and the hype around this type of AR is out of control.

Where can I find AR companies?

Though AR is a relatively new technology, some companies have been building software and innovating in the space for awhile. There's even an AR Consortium that lists many of the players in the industry.

In addition, there's an annual AR event called ARE that's held in Santa Clara, Calif., and features many, if not all, of the major AR companies. It specifically focuses on business, marketing and technology tracks and issues at hand for the AR industry. There is also an exhibit hall where AR companies show off their latest technology.

What are some AR words and phrases I need to know?

• Facial tracking: Webcam can track the face for object placement and orientation.
• Facial Recognition: Webcam can detect the face and in some cases, recognize the user (Gender, age, etc.)
• Marker: Black-and-white image that resembles a QR code. This is used so the webcam can recognize size and positioning of the asset in relation to the webcam.
• Image recognition: Using an image (i.e., packaging or logo) that the webcam and software can recognize and identify in lieu of the marker. Example: Google Goggles.
• Motion capture: The webcam can detect areas where movement occurs.
• Gestural control: More advanced than motion capture where the system can identify the body and gestures. Example: Microsoft Kinect.
• Natural user interface (NUI): Term used to identify the evolution of the mouse/keyboard input to natural gestures and interaction with a computer. Think "Minority Report" and "Iron Man 2." And with 8 million Kinects sold in two months, Generation Y and Z are now starting to interact with computers through the NUI. As some of us old geezers (Gen X and baby boomers) are just getting accustomed to touchpad interfaces, the younger generations are already getting primed on the next human-to-computer interaction evolution.

 Courtesy of an article dated February 27, 2011 appearing in Advertising Age