Google Glass as a Unique Product Developed by Google - Essay Example

Google glass Introduction Google glass is a unique product developed by Google in a bid to expand its product bases. The device operates as a wearable computer fully fitted with an optical head mounted display. The ingenious device operates as a smart phone with the users communicating to the internet through numerous channels key among which is the natural language via voice command. It thus displays information on a free format as is the case with smart phones, however, the device enjoys heightened artificial intelligence that enhance its convenience and efficiency (Jacobson, McDonald, & McDonald, 2011). Just as with any other product, the company invested immense capital in developing and marketing the product with the view of expanding the company’s market share. Google glass has unique features most of which influenced its acceptance and criticism in the market as the discussion below portrays. Just as the name of the device suggests, google glass is wearable as a pair of eyeglasses. This implies that the design of the design complements he nature of eyeglasses. Google glass thus has a small screen that guarantees efficient user interface. Users rely on the size of the glasses of the eyeglasses, which also couple up as the computer monitors. Besides the monitors, the device also has a touchpad just as is the case with other computer devices. Located at the side of the google glass, the touch pad enhances navigation of the numerous applications and information processed by the device (Redmond, 2014). The location of the touch pad is strategic with the designers of the device striving to enhance both convenience and user friendliness. The product has specific elements that enhance information processing, as is the case in computers and smart phones among many others. Among such fundamental features of the product is the processor. The processor speed varies depending on the quality and cost of each of the google glasses. The processors, the hard disk, and the random access memories are some of the primary features of every information-processing device that Google considered in the pricing and marketing of the google glass (Mauro, 2014). The touch pad located at the right hand side of the eyeglass like device permits users to process information by sliding either up or down thus choosing a particular application. Sliding forward may provide past events while sliding backward displays current information. Users therefore slide the touch pad thus navigating through the applications depending on the lay out of the devices. As discussed above, such fundamental features as the size of the storage device, processor and the random access memory influence the efficiency and speed of processing information thus influencing the price of each set. The smart devices also have inbuilt cameras that enable users to record videos and capture still photos. Still photographs and videos are fundamental types of data in the contemporary society that every information processing devices strives to incorporate. The devices provide users with the ability to retain visual images while the screens are recording parallel scenes. In a bid to incorporate versatility in the device, Google thus incorporated smart cameras that boast high definition and video clarity in the device (Ventura, 2014). This way, users capture their memorable moments. Additionally, the devices have a display. The display is among the primary features in the device that enhance their functionality. The display, which acts as the monitor in the device, is an equally ingenious creation with google employing varied technologies including liquid crystal on silicon, light emitting diodes, and field sequential color among many others. Each of the above technologies presents unique features that enhance the functionality of the devices. The technology employed in the creation of the display considers the unique functionality of the devices with the display panels laced with a degree of opaqueness and reflection capabilities in order to reflect more than forty percent of the natural light during the day thus creating a different light temperature that permits the users to operate the devices. By reflecting the lights, the panels alter the S polarization thus permitting users to enjoy greater clarity and easy of operations while managing to sustain their normal view. Another fundamental feature of the devices is the operating system. This refers to the internal software that sustains the operation of the device. The operating system just as the name suggests provides a primary platform for the operations of the numerous data processing applications that the device uses. The device uses third party applications; this implies that the information processing applications that the device uses belong to different program manufactures who trade their applications on different application stores on the internet. As such, google provides the devices with the operating system that then provides the users with the ability to purchase the other third party applications on their own (Poundstone, 2013). This requires the installation of an effective operating system, one that will endure the varied features of the numerous applications. Google glass uses android operating system. The operating system is unique and versatile enough and therefore provides a strong platform capable of enduring the unique features of the numerous applications. Additionally, the application is unique and therefore withstands computer viruses that often impair the functionality of the numerous information processing devices. Besides the ability of the device to support numerous third party applications, google prioritizes its applications most of which are compulsory in each of the devices. Such google applications include Google +, Google maps and Gmail among many others. Besides the unique and new android operating system, google used such similarly unique operating systems as the iOS, which enjoyed resistance to normal virus attacks thereby increasing the reliability of the devices. In order to enhance the usability of the google glass thus increasing its marketability, google collaborated with numerous service provider among other numerous third party application manufacturers. This way, google enhance the usability of the product by ensuring that it fits the unique demands of its users. The company for example collaborated with such companies as Facebook and Twitter that enjoy large customer bases. Other companies and third party manufactures that google glass supports their applications include Evernote, New York times, CNN, BBC and Skitch among many others. Security is a fundamental feature that the users of such information processing devices consider, Google therefore just as any other manufacture thus considers the security features of the device. In order to guarantee the security of google glass, the manufacturer incorporated unique security features in order to enhance the usability of the product and to market it. Among such unique security features in the device is voice activation. Voice activation is not only security measure but also a fundamental operational tool used in navigating and operating the device besides the touch pad. Through voice activation, people speak commands to the device thus enhancing its functionality. Using voice activation in the device requires numerous personalized features such as tilting the head at a varied angle of thirty degrees among many others. Such features make the device unique and usable only by their owners with heir diverse personified features. After activation, people speak such commands as “Give me directions to the London Bridge”, “Record a video” and “Take a picture" among many others. The devices thus follow the commands thus executing the required actions. Through personalizing, users ensure that he device responds only to particular voices, which it recognizes. This enhances the security of the devices. While the unique product enjoyed relative success, critics raised numerous concerns over the use and reliability of the product. Key among such concerns was security, operating the device while driving was a precursor for road accident. Just as with any other information-processing device, Google glass is an engaging and interesting device. This implies that the device require unperturbed attention from the user. Despite such demands, the design of the device qualifies it as a secondary device that one can use while engaged in other activities. Concealed as a pair of eyeglasses, it becomes tempting for one to use the device while engaging in other secondary activities such as driving. This way, the device becomes a dangerous innovation that is likely to instigate road accidents. The design of the device contradicts requirements of usability thereby raising numerous conflicts most of which contribute to security and safety of the devices (Jacobson, McDonald, & McDonald, 2011). The difficulty in using the device while engaging in other activities some of which are often as simple as walking denied the device the market it would otherwise enjoy. Another equally valid concern was on privacy issues. The design of the device coupled with the ease of use makes it easy for he wearers to take photos and record videos discreetly. While the feature may facilitate the jobs of specific individuals, it raises numerous privacy concerns since such amount to inversion of privacy. The recording videos and taking pictures discretely using a device as convenient as the google glass facilitates stalking which is a fundamental social concern in such societies as the United States. The installation of street cameras in the United States for example elicited sharp criticism from the concerned public most of who are the potential market that google targeted with their unique product. The fact that people can easily record videos and take pictures of people without their consent is a major ethical concern that became a major deterrent to the profitability of the product. Additionally, critics of the device cited major health implications of the device. The eyeglass device exposes an individual to dangerous radiations. The nature of the device requires installation of the device on the head. This exposes the brain to the radiations thus making individuals susceptible to different types of tumors. Furthermore, the display of the google glass is close to the eye thus exposing the eye to the emissions of such screens as he light emitting diodes and the liquid crystal on silicon among many other techniques the manufacturers use. Users of the device are likely to suffer numerous diseases related to eyesight. This is therefore a major concern to the users of the device. In a summary, google glass is an appropriate device that typifies modern technological invention. The design and its functionality considers numerous social and culture features thus striving to solve realistic problems in the contemporary society. The product promises increased convenience and ease of use. Furthermore, the unique features of the device enhance its reliability as the device has revolutionized numerous sectors of the economy including education, health care, and journalism among many others. However, just as any technology the goggle glass raised numerous safety and convenience issues including the health risks and safety issues among others. Despite such, the product is contemporary and seeks to provide solution to contemporary problems besides typifying the future of technological innovations. References Google glass 146 success secrets - 146 most asked questions on google glass. (2014). S.l.: Emereo Publishing. Jacobson, H., McDonald, K., & McDonald, J. (2011). Google AdWords for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Pub., Inc. Mauro, C. (2014). 7 Tips for Google Glass GDK UX: Our approach and what we have learned so far. New York: LynxFit. Poundstone, W. (2013). Are you smart enough to work at Google?: Fiendish puzzles and impossible interview questions from the worlds top companies. Richmond: Oneworld. Redmond, E. (2014). Programming Google Glass: The mirror API. Dallas, TX: Pragmatic Bookshelf. Ventura, M. (2014). Google Glass and robotics innovator Sebastian Thrun. Read More