The Google Glass Explorer program may have ended, but the project, which now is under Nest CEO Tony Fadell, is very much alive. On Monday, an FCC filing hinted at the next version of Google Glass, sharing details of the rebooted device that appears to be targeted at the workplace.
Google Glass not dead
The FCC filing reveals a photo of the device’s external design, internal circuitry and a basic user manual. The filing also includes a statement on company letterhead that allows a third party to help the Internet firm with the FCC’s approval process.
In the FCC documents submitted on June 12, the device was referred to as model GG1 and bears a close resemblance to the original Google Glass. According to 9to5Google, internally, the new “Enterprise Edition” is referred to as “EE.”
Form the pictures, the device appears to be a set of eyeglass frames with a floating screen above the eye. In November, a patent revealed a version of Glass that would only cover half of a person’s head. Reports from 9to5 Google and The Wall Street Journal suggest that the new edition of the Glass will come with a bigger prism and a robust design and will be powered by an Intel Atom processor.
Overcoming privacy concerns
About a year and a half ago, the project was put under Ivy Ross, a veteran luxury goods marketing specialist. Shortly after, Glass was available in Diane Von Furstenberg fashion frames, and now it is almost confirmed that the company has given up on mainstreaming Glass and is targeting the wearable at the workplace where functionality is more important than fashion.
So far, Google Glass had not lived up to expectations. The project was launched for developers in 2012 and to buyers in 2013. The expensive device was received well initially, but later it was seen as invasive as people started to fear that they were being photographed or recorded without their consent. The internet firm then stopped selling the device in January 2015. Now it appears that the company has found a way to tackle the privacy issue as a green light will blink when the camera is on.
“Press the camera button to take a photo. Hold it down to record a video. The green light shows when the camera is on,” the manual reads.
As of now, there has been no comment from the Internet firm about the FCC filing.
