Google Glass was as controversial with ordinary folks as it was popular with the high-tech crowd. While Explorers mourned the termination of the beta-testing phase for Glass when Google unceremoniously axed the Explorer program in January, others celebrated the fall of so-called “Glassholes.” Now it seems the public gloated too soon.
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal that Google Glass is far from dead — In fact, it’s just getting started. The smartglasses were simply placed in the capable hands of Tony Fadell, head of Google Nest and the connected home, “to make it ready for users.”
Schmidt dismissed claims that Glass will never see the light of day again, and criticized those who were so quick to crow over the death of the project.
“It is a big and very fundamental platform for Google,” Schmidt said. “We ended the Explorer program and the press conflated this into us canceling the whole project, which isn’t true. Google is about taking risks and there’s nothing about adjusting Glass that suggests we’re ending it.”
Schmidt added that like all long-term projects that are too futuristic for the present day, Glass will take some time to perfect. He argued that the tech community shouldn’t call Glass a failure just because the beta testing ended, but rather accept that more work is needed to complete the product.
“That’s like saying the self-driving car is a disappointment because it’s not driving me around now,” he said. “These things take time.”
Schmidt didn’t give any indication of when Glass will be ready for prime time, and Fadell didn’t comment on his boss’ statements. However, earlier reports jibe with Schmidt’s reassurances that Glass is here to stay. The next-generation Google Glass may have improved battery, sound, and display tech.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.