Google Parent Alphabet Tries Again With Eyeglass-Mounted Device
July 18 2017 - 12:55PM
Dow Jones News
By Laura Stevens
Google parent Alphabet Inc. is relaunching Glass, its head-worn
computer, targeting corporate customers after its initial version
flopped because of privacy concerns.
Dubbed Glass Enterprise Edition, the product has been in testing
at about 50 companies, including Boeing Co., General Electric Co.
and Volkswagen AG, Alphabet said Tuesday.
The new device, which is designed to snap on eyeglass frames and
display information, videos and images in the line of a person's
sight, allow workers to see instructional content. They can also
use the device to broadcast what they are viewing back to others
for real-time instruction.
The product's previous version cost $1,500. The price of the new
product will vary based on the needed software customization,
customer support and training, the company said.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Google was
targeting companies, quietly distributing the new glasses to
partners in 2015 for testing.
Google has struggled with privacy concerns in recent years as
both regulators and consumers took a closer look at its usage of
data stemming from search results, email and its initial release
four years ago of Glass.
That version of the glasses prompted a widespread privacy
backlash because users could record video in public places without
others noticing.
Google sold the device to the public in mid-2014, but sales were
small amid complaints about privacy, technical shortcomings and a
lack of obvious uses. Executives have since admitted that the
device was released before it was ready for consumers. Google
halted sales of the device in 2015 and moved development of the
project out of the limelight.
For the new Enterprise Edition, Google said it had upgraded the
design, the processing power and battery life. The camera takes
clearer pictures, and a green light turns on when the camera is
recording.
Deutsche Post AG's DHL unit was one of the early business use
case tests for the glasses.
The company used them for employees fulfilling online orders in
warehouses, allowing them to receive real-time instructions about
where to find items and where to put them, according to Google.
The new glasses will be sold through a network of "Glass
Partners," firms that provide training, integration and customer
support to businesses.
Write to Laura Stevens at laura.stevens@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 18, 2017 13:40 ET (17:40 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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