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takyon writes:

Google Glass 3.0? Google acquires smart glasses maker North

Google Hardware's latest acquisition is North, a wearables computing company that most recently was making smart glasses that seemed like a successor to Google Glass. Google Hardware SVP Rick Osterloh announced the purchase on Google's blog, saying, "North's technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future."

North developed and released a pair of smart glasses called "Focals," which came the closest we've seen so far to smart glasses that looked like normal glasses. First, the company didn't neglect the "glasses" part of "smart glasses" and provided the frames in a range of styles, sizes, and colors, with support for prescription lenses. The technology was noticeably less invasive, too. Google Glass's display surface was a transparent block distractingly placed in front of the users' face, but Focal's display surface was the glasses' lens itself. A laser projector poked out from the thicker-than-normal temple arms and fired into the lens, which has a special coating, allowing the projection to reflect light into the eye.

[...] Google's smart glasses contribution was, of course, the infamous Google Glass, which launched in 2012 and basically shut down as a consumer product about two years later. (North CEO Stephen Lake actually called Google Glass "a massive failure" in a 2019 tech talk. Awkward!) Most people would think of the product as dead, but Google quietly pivoted Glass to be an enterprise product for assembly-line workers, mechanics, doctors, and other professions that might benefit from hands-free computing. New Glass hardware came out as recently as 2019, with the "Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2," which featured a modern 10nm Qualcomm SoC. With Apple reportedly building a set of smart glasses, the consumer market will probably heat up again soon.

It's back.

Also at BBC.

Previously: Google Glass 'Enterprise Edition': Foldable, More Rugged and Water-Resistant
Intel Abandons Vaunt AR (Augmented Reality) Smartglasses
Intel's Vaunt Augmented Reality Smartglasses Concept Lives on at Canadian Company North
"North Focals" $1000 Smartglasses Reviewed

Related: Apple Glasses Leaks and Rumors: Here's Everything We Expect to See

Original Submission

1. "takyon" - https://soylentnews.org/~takyon/
2. "Google Glass 3.0? Google acquires smart glasses maker North" - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/07/google-hardware-buys-smart-glasses-maker-north/
3. "announced the purchase" - https://blog.google/products/hardware/focus-helpful-devices-google-acquires-north
4. "basically shut down" - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/12/google-glass-isnt-dead-intel-powered-update-reportedly-due-in-2015/
5. "a 2019 tech talk" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew2KfNOeeYk&feature=youtu.be&t=147
6. "Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2" - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/google-glass-still-exists-meet-google-glass-enterprise-edition-2/
7. "building a set" - https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/05/apple-glass-ar-rumors-499-price-point-lidar-announcement-in-late-2020/
8. "BBC" - https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53235301
9. "Google Glass 'Enterprise Edition': Foldable, More Rugged and Water-Resistant" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=15/07/23/033211
10. "Intel Abandons Vaunt AR (Augmented Reality) Smartglasses" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=18/04/19/134221
11. "Intel's Vaunt Augmented Reality Smartglasses Concept Lives on at Canadian Company North" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=18/12/20/0052203
12. ""North Focals" $1000 Smartglasses Reviewed" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=19/02/07/1538216
13. "Apple Glasses Leaks and Rumors: Here's Everything We Expect to See" - https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=20/05/28/2345249
14. "Original Submission" - https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=41871

printed from SoylentNews, Google Acquires Smart Glasses Maker North on 2023-06-02 02:22:07