WSJ: New Google Glass is a snap-on lens made for businesses

According to a report published in The Wall Street Journal, the next version of Google Glass is not being made for consumers. The wearable will be designed for use in the healthcare, manufacturing and energy sectors. Those familiar with Google's plans say that a consumer friendly version of the connected specs is a year away at the least.

The new Google Glass looks like the original Explorer version with a curved rectangle of glass. The new model, however, does not have the wire frame and uses a button-and-hinge system to attach itself to other glasses. Instead of a public launch, software developers will write programs for the device based on specific business uses, and corporations will start using them in the fourth quarter.

The controversial privacy issues that surrounded the Explorer version of Google Glass will not be a problem in a business setting. The fear that Glass wearers would use the built-in camera to take pictures of people without permission led some bars, restaurantsand movie theaters to ban the device. Google planned on opening stores around the country where people would buy their Google Glass and have it fitted while they waited. One such store was rumored to be on a barge in San Francisco. But at $1500, the device was rather pricey, and the entitled and arrogant personality exhibited by many Glass wearers gave rise to a crude nickname for people who donned the specs: "Glassholes."

Google is said to have made the new version of Glass faster, thanks to the Intel SoC inside. Battery life is rumored to stretch out as long as two hours. And Google has reportedly made it easier to adjust the prism that displays the images onto the glass lens. Will Google Glass succeed as a business tool? That won't be known until sometime next year. Meanwhile, Google still has hopes that the device will be seen as a useful tool for the public, one that they cannot live without. Yes, exactly like their smartphone.



source: WSJ