A recent Forbes article entitled “How Google’s Goggles Will Revolutionize Real Life–And Won’t” sparked my attention. A while ago I learned about Google Goggles an app (application) for a smart phone. Where one could instead of typing in a search term; use a photo.
Here’s their video advertisement (no need to adjust your volume there is no sound):
[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DHhgfz0zPmH4 img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/Hhgfz0zPmH4/0.jpg embed=true share=true width=640 height=360 dock=true controlbar=over skin=modieus.zip bandwidth=high autostart=false /]
I saw so many possibilities for this app. I imagined being on a hike and taking a picture of a noticed flower, that would generate a synopsis of all of its data. So I downloaded the app and played around . Google Goggles was good at translating capture photos and products, books, bottles, DVDs, games, but when it came to searching random objects especially herbs it needed some help. Luckily the app also allows one to upload their own photos and identifiers, alloting an exponentially growing library.
However, this wasn’t what the Forbes article was addressing. It was addressing Project Glass Google’s new Google + forum for their pre-production augmented reality glasses.
Check out Google’s take on augmented reality glasses:
[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D9c6W4CCU9M4 img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/9c6W4CCU9M4/0.jpg embed=true share=true width=640 height=360 dock=true controlbar=over skin=modieus.zip bandwidth=high autostart=false /]
This is what Project Glass’s Google + (led by Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun) first post reads:
[box_light]
“We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t.
A group of us from Google[x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment. We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input. So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do.
Please follow along as we share some of our ideas and stories. We’d love to hear yours, too. What would you like to see from Project Glass?”
[/box_light]
Which overall sounds pretty epic. Yet, my inner conspiracy geek screams Phillip K. Dick and George Orwell have warned us about this, “The Man” is going to control our minds! I’ve seen this brain washing theme in more recent entertainment too, which have even closer similarities to Google’s augmented glasses than Orwell and Dick. Some of my all time favorites technology hacking our mind videos are Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina and Season 2 (2006) Episode 6 of Dr. Who, Rise of the Cyberman (Netflix streaming).
If you like the Appleseed Saga this film is a must. Check out the trailer:
[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DtZkag7M_i5A img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/tZkag7M_i5A/0.jpg embed=true share=true width=640 height=360 dock=true controlbar=over skin=modieus.zip bandwidth=high autostart=false /]
I digress; Google Goggles is a promising app that will lead to other progressive phone applications. While Project Glass is a new technology that will lead to an expanding evolution of new technology melding into society. Which Oakley the sunglass company has also delved into with some of its’ own augmented reality glasses in the works.
Just keep in mind “The Man”…
Sources: Forbes, Google Goggles, Oakley, Internet Movie Database, techradar. All Things D, Netflix
