How will nexus integrate with glass?

Google has long been one of the true titans of global technology, but over recent years it has increasingly moved into hardware. The initial launch of the Nexus One in 2010 was Google first foray into the nascent smartphone market, and since then the Nexus series has gone on to sell millions of handsets across the world. The Nexus series also branched out into the tablet market with the launch of the Nexus 7 in 2012, which was the first device to run Android 4.1. Google's move towards developing new hardware seems set to continue, and there was a particularly exciting new innovation unveiled by the company more recently.

 

Google Glass is a wearable computer with a head-mounted display unit, which is part of the wider Project Glass research and development initiative. It displays information in a hands-free format and can be operated by users through the use of voice commands. According to Bandwidth Blog, Google senior developer advocate Timothy Jordan revealed more information about the device at a conference in Texas. He told attendees that a range of Google apps will be integrated into the Google Glass technology, via the "unified timeline cards interface". Relevant information will be displayed in the user's peripheral vision depending on what app is being used.

 

The Gmail service, a crucial part of Google's operations, will also be integrated into Google Glass. Users will be notified when emails arrive, and they can then dictate a response to the device. Google Glass will also be equipped to receive the latest news updates from sources including the New York Times, with users then able to request that individual stories are read aloud to them if they so wish. The Evernote app, meanwhile, will allow users to share photos via Skitch as well as through Google.

 

An article from Techradar.com observes that Google Glass is likely to make its debut in 2013, ahead of earlier estimates which suggested it may have been scheduled for a 2014 release. The device will use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to access content, and it's even possible that bone induction technology will be used for sound, vibrating the skull to transfer sound into the inner ear. It is also expected that - like Nexus - Glass will run on a modified version of the Android operating system, and it will also include a GPS chip as well as a reasonably high-resolution camera. Although no finalised price has yet been announced, Google says that Glass will cost around the same amount of money as a smartphone - so that could be somewhere in the region of £500.

 

Just how Glass will fit in to Google's wider technological strategy remains to be seen. However, the fact that there's so much emphasis on Google's existing range of apps and services suggests that there's likely to be some sort of crossover between the two. Google's wider aim appears to be to integrate the user experience into a cohesive whole, so this is highly likely to involve closer links between the various aspects of its technological canon. So the next time you come to buy Nexus 10 cases, you might want to ponder just what innovations lie ahead over the next few years.