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Google's Steve Lee talks about the history and future of Project Glass
Details on Google's Project Glass haven't been the easiest thing to come by since the wearable computing effort was announced earlier this year, but Google execs have been getting a bit more talkative and eager to give demonstrations as of late. You can now add product lead Steve Lee to that list, who's given a fairly wide-ranging interview to Fast Company on the project's origins and its future. Not surprisingly, he confirmed that the early prototypes were a fair bit bulkier -- starting a laptop in a backpack -- and that even the current prototypes are still "very early," although they do handle more than just photos (he gives Maps as one example). Lee does see photo-taking as a "key aspect" to the device, though. He also cast some doubt on initial reports that the devices would be available this year for between $250 and $600, saying that would be "pretty aggressive timing," but he also noted that he "wouldn't be on this project if it was like a five-year endeavor." As for the future, he says that contact lenses with the technology is a natural evolution but a definite "long-term thing," and that a nearer term goal is to "serve everyone and make this is a universal device," adding that they've "prototyped lots of different form factors to accommodate all those folks." All of that comes just from the first part of a two-part interview, though -- the rest is promised later this week.
Google's Project Glass... it's spreading (sample video)
Now, we're not saying Google's elite are actually aliens managing human social affairs, but if you were our reader Ben who ran into a crew of Project Glass-equipped Googlers breaking for drinks at a Los Gatos wine bar, it might seem like a possibility. Beyond filing tons of paperwork, the team is clearly expanding quickly and most recently took part in the Google+ photographer's conference to show off what POV pictures and video (even if that's most of the functionality so far) could add to the world of photography. They wouldn't let Ben try on a pair, but Vic Gundotra reiterated that it was positioned as not to interfere with conversations, and make images appear to be floating in front of your eye. There's video of the photography presentation after the break (jump to about 45 minutes for the first person pics and video), as well as a few more pictures on Google+, but we'd keep a pair of special black sunglasses and bubblegum handy just in case. [Thanks, Ben]
