A New Era of Computing Coming

It is only a matter of when and what form the replacement for PCS/MACs, tablets will take.

And who makes it.
 
Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge.

The info overlays are only the beginning.
 
Quinn said:
I'll repeat what I've said since the moment I heard about Google Glass: If you think people act stupid, oblivious and annoying when fiddling with their phones, just wait until this becomes popular.
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This is my reaction when people talk about flying cars. People are too stupid to drive in two dimensions. Adding a third is just going to create carnage (entertaining carnage, but carnage nonetheless).
 
Meh. To me it sounds like a solution in search of a problem. What real advantages does such a device confer? Is it really so difficult to whip out a smart phone, do what you need to do with it, and then put it away again? Always-on HUD-like displays on souped up eyeglasses are the solution to the incredibly weighty problem of having a smart phone in one's pocket?

It seems this is nothing more than an extension of the "wearable computing" development that was so trendy back in the 1990s. Can't say that really went anywhere, at least, not as it was originally envisioned.
 
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rjh01 said:
Sounds reasonable. Add a virtual reality keyboard (which may be a type of glove), wi-fi and you can do anything a PC cn do now.
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I see all sorts of "thought controlled" devices now, games, cat ears, wheelchairs. How hard would a virtual thought controlled keyboard be? Most of the TC stuff I see now requires a headband of some sort and you're most of the way there if you're already wearing these glasses.

My big problem with this would be needing prescription lenses.
 
Corsair 115 said:
Meh. To me it sounds like a solution in search of a problem. What real advantages does such a device confer?
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Privacy. Glasses do for the visual element what headphones do for the audio element -- they successfully localize it so that you're the only one that experiences it.

However, I'm entirely in agreement with those who see this as just one more peripheral for our smartphones and tablet devices - much like the Bluetooth headset. Very useful, but in no way a replacement technology. Tablets aren't a compromise; we like being able to manipulate visual objects by touching them. So I don't think they'll go away any time soon.
 
I can see this type of technology being a big deal once they soup it up with some processing power and memory and I/O, but not this particular device. Its only function seems to be to let you see the information the Jumbotron provides at stadium events without having to look at the Jumbotron. Unless money was no object, can't imagine people would pay too much for that.
 
Coupled with an accelerometer that can detect your head position, this could be an awesome peripheral in flight simulators and similar applications.
 
Personalized subtitles. Great for movie theatres in multi-lingual communities, for the opera, for the hearing-impaired.
 
Yeah, opera is supported, too. From what I gather from the full patent application, it's only intended for "live" (not sure why; maybe the venues have to be large or long-running, wouldn't make financial sense otherwise) events; the opera translation would be pretty cool though, if they weren't charging too much for it. And of course, eventually, this sort of thing will be adapted for flight simulators and the like.
 
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Tolls said:
And as for this...I develop software for a living, so this really isn't going to replace a desktop/large laptop any time soon, anymore than a tablet can.
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Yeah, until code can write itself, big display and real keyboard are critical. Also anyone who writes for a living will continue to need a keyboard.
 
The upside of this headgear is, well, something you whack for buying it.
 
CynicalSkeptic said:
Yeah, until code can write itself, big display and real keyboard are critical. Also anyone who writes for a living will continue to need a keyboard.
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When I was in grad school (Oh, about 1970) one of the big things was that the keyboard was obsolete, and would be replaced by voice recognition within ten years.
 
I don't even like headphones, mainly because I can't hear what's going on around me and I don't like that.

These things are even worse.
 
rjh01 said:
Add a virtual reality keyboard (which may be a type of glove)...
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You don't even need a glove. A miniaturised version of Kinect on the front of the glasses and you can just wave your hands in front of your face.

Wudang said:
I hate a keyboard that doesn't have a good tactile response...
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You wouldn't need a keyboard. Just learn ASL.

The Central Scrutinizer said:
I assume they'll run Windows? So the obvious question is, how do you reboot them when they lock up?
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Gang signs.
 
With my bad hands, for 20 years now I still await the 'Chord Keyboard'. Something like a Braille or court reporter's machine, with one key for each finger. Each character uses multiple fingers, and fingers never have to move. One or two fingers would give 100 choices, three fingers 1,010. Gee, when I put it that way, it seems rather "Digital" eh?

I read the term in '95 when I first got a PC. Never found one. I'm still huntin & peckin 28 words per minute with 45 mistakes, for 43 years since typing class. At least the seven surgeries to my hands since haven't slowed me down any. ;)
 
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AvalonXQ said:
Privacy. Glasses do for the visual element what headphones do for the audio element -- they successfully localize it so that you're the only one that experiences it.
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Unless someone is standing behind you, looking over your shoulder, how can they see what you're doing on your smart phone? (And in any case, it presumes the person behind you would be interested in what you're doing.)
 
Quinn said:
I'll repeat what I've said since the moment I heard about Google Glass: If you think people act stupid, oblivious and annoying when fiddling with their phones, just wait until this becomes popular.
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I'm seeing the potential for black-market apps that estimate the distraction level of the people around you to assist in picking pockets, snatching purses, etc. The pickpocket walks down the street, and his goggles highlight anyone who's multitasking too much. Try to watch a movie and answer the phone at the same time, and bang there goes your wallet.
 
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