Tag: google glass

Twitter and Facebook are seeing things through wearable technology glasses

| February 16, 2015

Google Play now boasts a version of both of those social network apps that has been optimized for SmartEyeglass.

Sony didn’t give very much information with regards to the release of its SmartEyeglass wearable technology product when it was at the CES back in January, but it looks as though things are coming very soon, if you base things on the moves of two large social networks.

Facebook and Twitter have both released mobile apps on Google Play meant for these smart glasses.

These wearable technology glasses work with augmented reality, worked into a headset that is linked with an Android based smartphone. The most recent speculations have been that the device will finally have its launch in certain markets before March comes to a close. There haven’t been any details released with regards to its price. When compared to Google Glass, these wearables appeared to be larger and sturdier.

The fact that social media apps are being released for this wearable technology is a good sign for the gadget.

Wearable Technology - smartglassesBoth the Facebook and Twitter apps are ready to be downloaded even more than a month ahead of the expected release date of the device, itself. The social media mobile apps were also both created for Google Glass, although right before Google announced that it was putting its glasses wearables manufacturing to a stop, Twitter had already withdrawn its own application for that device.

The Sony SmartEyeglass is going to work with any type of Android 4.1 or higher device. The release of these augmented reality wearables is an important one not only for Sony, but also for the category, as a whole. Until now, there have been a few very small and limited releases of smart glasses, on top of the most widely recognized limited release of Google Glass.

As a growing number of new entrants make their way into this sector of the wearable technology market, it will help to build the interest among consumers, as is already the case with smartwatches, which are slow to take off, but that are still seeing a steady growth in purchases (and which is only expected to improve with the Apple Watch release, this spring).

Tesco launches mobile commerce app for Google Glass

| January 19, 2015

The wearable technology now has a new shopping app that is to be “the beginning of the journey” for the chain.

Tesco, the British supermarket chain, has now launched a brand new mobile commerce app, but it isn’t the typical shopping or informational app for smartphone users, as it has been designed for Google Glass.

The goal of this m-commerce application is to make it faster and easier for consumers to shop online.

Google Glass users can download the Tesco mobile commerce app for free. It is voice controlled so that the user needs only speak the commands in order to search through the database of products at the supermarket. An example of the phrases that can be used is “OK Glass, find a product: milk”. Equally, users of the wearable technology can scan the item barcodes when they are in store or if they are in their own pantry and wish to re-purchase what they already have.

The mobile commerce app also allows the user to browse for items that they can add to their basket, as well.

Mobile Commerce - TescoThat said, when they want to actually check out, they will need to use the regular smartphone based m-commerce app. The intentions to create the Google Glass based application was first announced in June 2014. At that time, it was still a prototype.

According to Pablo Coberly at Tesco, at the time of that first announcement, “We thought about how our colleagues might be able to use Glass to check stock hands-free, or how our customers might be able to add a product to their grocery delivery basket while making a cup of tea.” He also added that arriving at that phase along the way has brought about new concepts with regards to user interactions, including “user interface elements, new gestures, and input mechanisms.”

Clearly, Tesco came a long way since that time, as they have now launched the Google Glass mobile commerce experience. Coberly recently blogged on the subject, singing the praises of the SDK for the wearables, and applauding the Glass team at Google for the support and experience that they provide.