MDIA 4902 Blog 7

We covered a ton of topics in my New Media & Marketing class this semester, one of my favorite modules to work on would probably have to have been our 6th module:

Google unveils Google Glass Explorer Edition at I/O - CNET News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLn0cSZfl6c

Project Glass: One day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4

Google Glasses Parody! (Google Glasses vs. Siri)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVIV3UtGBtY


Please watch above three short video clips (copy and paste the links into your web browser) and answer/post the following questions on the discussion board:


1. What do you think of the Google Glass? Do you think it represents of the future of social media taking the advantage of technology development. Please explain why you think it does/does not.


2. Can you think of any technological features, according to the video clips or research you did yourself, which make social media not easy or convenient to use?

What follows are my responses to the discussion questions:
 
1. I have mixed feelings about Google Glass. Since I was twelve I'd imagined a user-interface within a pair of glasses responding to hang-gestures, so it's interesting to see Google hard at work on that. This is obviously the first step a major company has taken towards producing a more seamless interface between social media and everyday life. This is apparent by the "One Day" video that goes through an average day aided by the features and utilities of Google Glass. On the other hand, part of me feels that Glass will not be as effective as the promotional videos and reviews let on. There are many cases where a company produces a 'unique innovation that will change the industry as we know it' and that innovation either ends up flopping, or takes another 5 years to work the bugs out. As long as Google backs the Glass project intelligently I feel that Glass could be the invention of the decade. My only other concern is the fact that it is worn like a pair of glasses; how many users will be people who don't regularly wear glasses? The product has a small appeal to me already, simply because I can already connect to the 'style' of the device, it will be interesting to see what consumers think.

2. As outlined in the parody video, the 'in-your-face' style UI might get to be annoying if the device screen is directly in front of the user's eye. The I/O video seems to reinforce that the screen is not covering the eye though. Another limitation I predict is that we still have not seen a flawless sense of voice-command controls on any form of device, be it Siri, Glass, or otherwise. Part of this might be due to needing to get used to performing voice commands on the user's end, or programming a more intelligent interface on the company's end. The great part about innovation is it's constantly building upon what was already innovative.


As made apparent by my first response, this technology is something I've been fascinated with for at least the past ten years or so. We were asked to discuss something I have had a general interest in and been following (at least somewhat) since I'd heard about the announcement of Google Glass. Additionally, we were required to analyze potential cons of the product. I had to sit down and break down the product I was completely infatuated with, and determine where its faults could be. When the only thing on your mind is "this is going to be so perfect/awesome/cool/etc" it's extremely difficult to look at it through a critical lens. This module taught me to disregard my personal connections to an extent and analyze the product from an unbiased/curious consumer perspective. Because of this I feel i've developed a new skill set that I could use immediately, and only to my own benefit.