Knowmads, Infocology of the future

2012, ‘New augmented-reality glasses due out in 2013’, Kurzweil.

This article talks about the technology of ‘smart glasses’. We have smart phones and now there are hints that smart glasses will be the next big thing... The particular model discussed in the article is being dubbed as Google Glass’ competitor. Vuzix Corporation has designed ‘Vuxix Smart Glasses M100’ for on the go data access from the internet and from smartphones. The device includes a camera and display. In my opinion it may be the next big thing but I’m not sure how quickly this device will catch on and how comfortable people will be with an everyday device such as this one. There is the concern of privacy; if this device contains a camera and if the general public has access to these devices… Should we be concerned?  One of the capabilities of Google glass is to share locations with social networks. It is uncertain how the general public will feel about that. There is also the issue of the cost. According to the article Vuxix will be commercially available for $500. The rumoured starting price for Google Glass is $1500. This will be quite unconventional for the general public. However, it is arguable to say we spend thousands of dollars on phones and computers… Would this be any different? The area that I feel would affect the social acceptance the most for this product would be the aesthetics of this product. In my personal opinion I would feel slightly uncomfortable to see people wearing these technologies on their face. It is comparable to cyborg, android like beings. Overall, I believe this article is useful to my essay as it discusses what we can look forward to in the future – the start of wearable technologies.