A few years ago, Google announced a wearable device that would help consumers with everyday tasks like navigation, taking pictures and communicating with peers without even having to take out one’s phone. It was called the Google Glass. It was a device you wear like normal sunglasses but allows you to augment reality with a heads up display or HUD. To some, it was the perfect complement to their lifestyle and the potential was deemed limitless. But it failed. By January 2015, Google had announced it would stop producing Glass prototypes for consumers but would still look into its possible uses. So what went wrong?
It wasn’t because it was useless. In fact, I see a lot of ways it can be used. Doctors can review patient records on the fly or during operations. The police and the military can record encounters and later study what went wrong or right, or even see a layout of the building they’re infiltrating. Photojournalists can instantly take photos of moving subjects with a wink. There are other applications but as I see it, most are for professional use. Sounds awesome but only if you’re using it for work. It’s such a shame that Google passed it off as a consumer product for everyday use, because the capabilities of the device gave rise to sensitive issues like security and privacy for instance.
Imagine being a lady in a bar and some dude just takes a photo of your cleavage without you even knowing it. No wonder the term “glasshole” was coined. Google clearly had a great intention but they announced it to people without considering the potential damage the Glass’ features can cause. However, Microsoft’s recent announcement of their latest innovation convinces me that wearable augmented reality devices just took a step in the right direction. They listened to what people said about the Glass and didn’t make the same mistake Google did.
Enter the HoloLens – Microsoft’s newest gadget that made me squeal like the nerd that I am when I watched the intro of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace when it came out years ago. (Too bad the movie wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be mostly because of JarJar Binks but that’s for another discussion.) The HoloLens is a wearable device that gives you more than just a HUD, but holographic overlays of whatever is programmed into it. Absorb that for a minute and think of all the times you wished for holograms. The 2Pac hologram back then that we all thought was cool pales in comparison to this one. Are you smiling now? Good, because folks and fellow nerds, it’s about to become a reality.
For me, the HoloLens is a million times better than Google Glass because Microsoft clearly defined its role. This is a device meant for use indoors to augment your activities at home or in the office. Imagine you’re an architect. You can create scale models that you can zoom in and out of with a few hand gestures and make instant changes without physically building one. Don’t want to miss Game of Thrones because you have to take a bathroom break? Watch the episode while sitting on your throne. The wall becomes the TV! Think how immersive video games could become, with bullets flying right before your eyes, or have NPCs (non-playable characters) feel like they’re right there beside you. Feeling artistic and want to sculpt? You can do that since you can lock down the piece to an area and walk around it to make modifications then send it to your 3D printer. Oh, and some of you are probably thinking of ways to use this for porn. Admit it. See the difference between this and Glass now? It can do so much more without the privacy and security issues – though there’s a possibility that it could also surface but not on the same scale as Glass. Plus, you’d look like an idiot walking down the street wearing this so keep it at home or at the office.
If you want to get one now, too bad. It won’t be available for a while. No word on the exact launch date or how much damage it’ll cause our wallets just yet but we’ll let you know the moment those are announced. In the meantime, search YouTube for HoloLens demos and feel your jaw drop.