Students will soon be able to leave their cell phones and glasses at home and replace them with a pair of fresh and functional shades by Google. These Smartphone glasses, set to release at the end of 2012, will include all the features of an average Smartphone and will change the way users view the world.
According to a Feb. 22 Fox News article, these glasses will have the appearance of Oakley Thumps and will cost between $250 and $600, the average price of a Smartphone. The Google glasses will stream a feed, which would normally appear on a cell phone, through a small screen placed a few inches from the user’s eye.
“It sounds really interesting because it’s like futuristic technology,” junior Bolaji Masha said. “It could be the start of a new trend.”
According to 9to5Google, a blog about recent and upcoming Google products, the company does not expect people to wear the glasses constantly but rather use them like Smartphones, whenever they are needed.
According to a Feb. 21 NY Times article, the glasses will have either a 3G or 4G connection and will be Android-based, allowing users to check their email or update their Facebook anywhere. They will also feature a built in GPS system that will pick up the user’s location and supply information about surrounding buildings and friends in the area.
The glasses will feature technology that allows users to access the Internet similar to an average Smartphone.
According to 9to5Google, users will tilt their heads in different directions to scroll through and choose pages on the screen.
Some students believe that they will be very practical and more fun to use than a traditional cell phone.
“It’s a really cool and innovative idea,” senior Sarah Adams said. “I think that it could possibly deter attention away from companies like Apple, however, and make the industry more competitive.”
Other students worry about the safety aspect of the device. They are concerned with accidents that could happen when users drive or walk around and get distracted.
“It would be very dangerous if someone had the glasses on, and they were driving too because it would be just like driving while talking on the phone,” freshman Jack Brinkman said.
Some students also feel apprehensive about the cost.
“I would not get them because they are too expensive,” sophomore Will Spivack said. “They seem pretty cool, but I would rather spend my money on something else.”
Junior Indira Zahra does not believe that the glasses will be an improvement over a normal cell phone.
“I think it’s a pretty cool idea but it’s kind of unnecessary because we already have Smartphones, Zahra said. “I think that people would rather hold something in their hands than see it through their glasses.”
According to Gary Williams, owner of Colonial Options in Potomac Village, Google is not the first company to use technology in glasses.
“They didn’t re-invent the wheel with these new glasses,” Williams said. “This type of technology has been used in other applications. For instance, Apache helicopter pilots wear a helmet with a shield that has an image on it, and Zeal Optics is currently making ski goggles that have cameras built into the lenses.”
Many are also concerned with possible long-term vision issues that could occur due to the glasses.
“I would assume that it would not hurt the eyes because this technology is already being used in other ways,” Williams said.
