Google Announces an Updated Google Glass for Enterprise

Google initially launched Glass as a consumer device in 2013, but the age of face computers never arrived. There was an undeniable creepy factor when talking to someone wearing Glass, and society wasn’t ready for that. Google ended up pulling Glass from sale in 2015, but an enterprise version has continued to exist. Unlike consumers, workers in some industries actually have a use for a head-mounted holographic display. To accommodate those workers, Google today announced a new version of Google Glass for enterprise.

Glass Enterprise Edition 2 still looks almost identical to the Google Glass of old. There’s a long arm on the right side of the glasses, which houses the hardware and battery. The prism display extends out in front of the right eye up toward the top of the lens. The effect is like having a small display floating at the top of your vision. It doesn’t completely overlay the world like HoloLens or MagicLeap, but that might be preferable for some industries. The inside of the new Glass is, well, new.

The Glass Enterprise Edition 2 leaves behind the dated processing hardware of the old Explorer Edition. It’s now based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform. The XR1 has a quad-core 10nm CPU (the first of its kind, it would seem), a more powerful GPU, and a robust AI engine. The result is much better performance than the previous hardware with longer battery life.

The camera built into the front edge of the Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is better, but Google didn’t say how much better. The new glass also joins the modern era with a USB Type-C port for charging.

Google Glass is no longer a consumer device, but development is still important — possibly even more important in some ways. Developers from various industries need to be able to create custom applications for Glass, and the new Enterprise Edition 2 should make that easier. Glass still runs Android with expanded API support, and the new version adds Android Enterprise Mobile Device Management.

Google’s new Enterprise Glass starts at $999, which is by no means cheap. However, it’s a significant discount from systems with similar applications like the Microsoft HoloLens 2. That system starts at $3,500. Google even offers discounts for companies that do more business with Google. Interested parties have to go through Google’s enterprise sales representatives.

• Google Killed Nest’s Interoperability Last Week, Ends ‘Works With Nest’
• Project Mainline Is Google’s Latest Attempt to Fix Android Updates
• Google Is Working on a Foldable Phone Prototype, Too

Continue reading

Time to Update: Google Patches 2 Severe Zero-Day Chrome Vulnerabilities

Unlike the last few zero-days, Google didn't find these security holes itself. Instead, it was tipped by anonymous third-parties, and the problems are severe enough that it hasn't released full details. Suffice it to say, you should stop putting off that update.

Samsung Starts Rolling Out Galaxy S20 Android 11 Update on Verizon

Not only does this include the Googley Android 11 enhancements, but it also has numerous Samsung-specific changes as part of the One UI 3.0 revamp.

Apple Urges Immediate iPhone Update to Block Active Online Hacks

There's a new version of Apple's iOS software for iPhone and iPad devices, and as usual, Apple is going to start pestering users to update. This time, the nagging for iOS 14.4 comes with a little more urgency.

Samsung Promises to Update Its Android Phones Even Longer Than Google

Smartphone updates have been a mess for as long as the modern smartphone has existed, but Samsung just took a big step in the right direction: The company has decided to extend security update support to a full four years.