Google presented a demo of Project Glass in a video that makes the technology look very cool and appealing, but only because it sugarcoats four facts. First, as is the case in all fabricated demos, everything works flawlessly. There are no errors or mistakes on the part of the system, no data download delays at all. The system always correctly guesses what the user wants and provides it to him instantly. Unlike, say, Siri, the voice assistant is accurate and responds instantaneously, and the servers are always available. In reality, such glasses would work like other things do, with errors and delays.
Second, the "experience" shown in the video is not the experience you would have in real life. Images would be projected into one eye but not the other. This will no doubt cause the same discomfort as 3D glasses, a cognitive dissonance where the brain repels the information as presented by the eyes. I believe Project Glass technology will be psychologically uncomfortable to use.
Third, the Google video shows what Project Glass looks like from the wearer's perspective. It doesn't show how idiotic the wearer looks. Augmented-reality glasses would have you looking around like a crazy person, blinking commands like in I Dream of Jeanie and walking around in public talking to no one. Plus, people are very picky about eyewear. Glasses are a fashion accessory like jewelry. Who wants jewelry designed by Google?
And finally, Google's Project Glass has a built-in creepy factor. It's capable of taking pictures and videos. It would allow you to point your camera phone at everyone you talk to, without them ever knowing whether you're recording them or not.
I believe Google 's Project Glass will result in real products, and that some (very nerdy) people will buy and use them. The vast majority of us will not, however.
Why you won't use Microsoft's virtual reality PC
Futurists have been talking for years about virtual reality (VR) -- a virtual environment featuring computer-generated objects that users can see and manipulate. Usually VR involves goggles. But science fiction has always promised no-goggle VR.
