Google Glass is alive and well, being sent out to testers

Google Glass is not dead, as many media outlets say in headlines, but the Explorer program is, which is totally different. Google Glass, the wearable that aimed to revolutionize technology but didn’t manage to do it right, in a niche sector of the industry. According to 9to5Google, Google Glass is still in the works under the protective oversight of Tony Fadell and the company is allegedly showing off new models to Glass at Work partners already. We don’t know if it’s actually a completely new model or one based on the Explorer edition, but at least there are people out there saying that it’s alive, in development and progressing further.

9to5Google reports that their sources are confident that Google Glass is still being supported by various partners. We were rather sure that Glass 2 was in the works when Google announced that the Explorer program is over, as many of you surely knew that the project was aiming to gather feedback in order to implement suggestions and improve the wearable accordingly. It seems Google Glass 2 is in the works and being tested by Glass at Work partners who remain anonymous for the time being.

In 2015, it seems Google Glass, the new version, was shown off to these partners in order to gather support for the wearable. Rumors say the team behind the wearable is aiming for niche and enterprise consumers this time and is trying to find the middle ground between augmented reality and entertainment. The practical uses of augmented reality are evident when it comes to the workplace, especially in the manufacturing industry. With augmented reality projections, Google Glass can make the workday easier and more productive, not to mention safer and easier to oversee.

If Google Glass mark II is indeed in development, the company is keeping rather silent about the improvements and upgrades it will containt compared to the Explorer version. That strategy is understandable, as Tony Fadell and others working on the project have emphasized that his time, there won’t be an Explorer version or a preview for consumers, because the company wants to unveil a finished, completely functional product that can be mass-produced without having to test for problems or gather feedback on its uses and the implementation of augmented reality.

We’re glad to hear that Google Glass has not been scraped altogether because it remains a promising and innovative piece of technology that will surely have its benefits in the workplace, as well as enterprise and consumer markets in the end. With the stead rise of augmented reality, companies like Sony area already selling their own development kits in the form of the Sony SmartEyeglass, which function on the same basic principle. Although these wearable devices are still bulky and obnoxious, they are paving the way for the future of augmented reality.