The smart device that could change the way we see the world is nearly here. Tech website The Verve reported earlier this year that Google Glass is pegged for public release by the end of the year and will set you back a whopping $1,500 (Dh5,508).
Soon you’ll be able to take photos simply by saying the words, see breaking news alerts, view email and messages, call up information of phenomena in front of you (as long as the area has Wi-Fi or 3G or 4G data compatibility) in your peripheral vision. This while other archaic folk have to use their hands to control their smartphones and tablets.
While the first users of Babak Parviz’s revolutionary augmented reality, voice-controlled specs will mainly comprise tech geeks, for the rest of us there is ample time to examine just how and why being a four eyes in future will no longer carry the stigma it used to. For the UAE in particular, Google Glass, expected later this year, will present a host of opportunities.
Mind your language
Google has teamed up with voice specialists at DNN-research for the Glass project. One of its most exciting features will be the ability to translate words into your chosen language, thus avoiding those awkward moments where there’s a gap in conversation because your Arabic, French, English or Hindi isn’t what it should be.
On the right path
Unless you’ve lived in the Emirates your entire life and know the landscape as intimately as a Bedouin tribesman, the roads can be challenging to navigate at the best of times, especially now there is an old and new Emirates Road. But with Google’s glasses, you can’t go wrong — no matter which remote beach or hidden store you want to locate.
The glasses have a built-in satellite navigation system that appears on the windscreen of your car, making it not only easier to follow the directions (as it actually appears on the road), but easier to control through voice recognition, obviating the dangerous need to manually fiddle with your GPS system.
Sticking with motoring, Salik toll charges could also appear on your windscreen, along with the amount that has been added to your monthly charges as well as your bank balance after the charge.
All aboard
Being the world’s de facto aviation hub, a lot of travellers — for business and leisure — use the UAE’s airports. With Google Glass, you can have your flight information in front of you wherever you go, including the boarding gate and time, delays and the like. There really is no excuse for missing a flight with this headset.
And then there’s Skype that will make it easy to keep in touch. Yes, the device can transmit images of you and your interlocutor onto the thin plastic glass on your face.
Looking good
By virtue of year-round sun, the UAE is a bright place. If only the tech toy created a version with darkened ultraviolet protection... And guess what — they’re working on that. Google is reportedly collaborating with Warby Parker, an e-commerce company that sells fashionable eyewear, to enhance the design of the glasses, and sun protection is included in its plans.
