Google Glass is back. This time, Google is touting it as a great device to wear around the workplace.
The new version of the wearable will sport a slightly different look from the original Glass that was unveiled in 2012. It is reportedly designed with a hinge that allows it to be attached to another pair of glasses.
The redesigned Glass will also feature a few notable upgrades over the consumer model. These include a new Intel processor, enhanced wireless connectivity, a larger yet thinner display prism, vertical and horizontal prism adjustment and an external battery pack which can magnetize to the wearable.
Glass 2.0 will be officially referred to as Google Glass Enterprise Edition. The new version will be available beginning in the fall.
Google's focus on enterprise with the new Google Glass version could just be a wise move for the company. It should be remembered that the first version of the Glass was discontinued in January after it was perceived to have limited functionality. A number of consumers also find the wearable creepy and see it as an intruder to one's privacy. Others simply thought that design-wise, it looked nerdy.
Google hopes that the new enterprise version with its new design and features will somehow overshadow all those past concerns that haunted the first version. The company believes that issues on privacy and fashion are given less weight around the workplace.
As a way to convince employers about the several benefits they can get from wearing the Glass in the workplace, Google is launching a program dubbed "Glass at Work." In line with this, the company will be working hand in hand with app makers to come up with a number of programs that will further enhance the Glass' work image.
Some of the companies that are being targeted by Google include those in the energy, manufacturing, health care and food service sectors. One company that is said to have tested some of the Glass' early apps is Taco Bell. According to Google, the app is designed to help its employees in arranging menu items.
Google has assigned Tony Fadell, co-founder of Nest, to be the head of the project. A former executive at Apple, Fadell is known for his contributions in the development of Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPod. In a statement to BBC, Fadell said that wearable computing is a place where Google intends to build unabated long-term investments and that it will take time before the company will finally get it right.
Photo: Ted Eytan I Flickr
