Over the last few months, we’ve enjoyed tracking online coverage of Google Glass. Why? Well, if Google can convince the world to wear silly little computers on their heads, then the brand will have pulled off the online brand management coup of the year. And if not, the failure will give Google haters a never-ending supply of material. Either way, we loved that a reader brought this handy little infographic, which outlines everything we need to know about Google Glass, to our attention.
It’s hard not to snicker at the idea of wearable technology, so naturally Goggle Glass made for an excellent target during Saturday Night Live a couple of weeks ago. In it, Weekend Update tech reporter Randall Weeks (played by Fred Armisen) tried to illustrate how normal and easy the Glass works. Predictably, SNL’s version of the product was hilarious glitchy and hard to use.
Yet, as the infographic points out, we’ve been rocking some form of wearable technology since the 1980s heyday of calculator watches. And for all of its silly features and comedic possibilities, Google Glass does a lot of cool things, too.
“Glass is a step toward the dream of ubiquitous computing in which the Internet is available everywhere at all times without the need for interrupting the task at hand,” the infographic notes. Eye-level Internet means real-time flight status at the airport, checking the weather without glancing at a phone and turn-by-turn directions. The bumps and glitches of Google Glass are currently being worked out, thanks to a team of lucky fans who forked over $1,500 each to help in “shaping the future of Glass.” The rest of us will be able to get our mitts on Glass for a lot less dough — and right in time for the holidays.
One thing is certain: Google Glass is highly buzzed about, parodied and blogged on. From an online marketing viewpoint, Google has already won. Thousands of the devices will fly off the shelves just out of sheer curiosity. Whether Glass can outlast the calculator watch, however, remains to be seen.
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