The wait is over, Google has announced the winners of the Google Glass contest and 8000 people through United States were selected winners. However winners in this case will have to shell out $1500.00 each to take the delivery of the test Google Glass or 'Explorer' version.
Photo by Associated PressIf you have not won don't fret the winnings dont come cheap. They come at a price of $1500.00 apiece after winning a contest conducted by Google. The contest conducted by Google last month required the US citizens to submit a 50 worded essay through Twitter or Google Plus on how they plan to make use of the technology called the Google Glass. People had to apply using the hashtag #ifihadglass. Google has concluded sifting through the numerous applications and it began notifying the winners Tuesday.
The winners in addition to paying $1500.00 will have to travel to New York, Los Angles or San Fransico to pick up the device. The very though of owning one Google Glass may be very exciting to winners with some comparing it to having a ticket for unlimited supply of candy and visit to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in a popular fantasy movie. But believe me the excitement is indeed palpable from the fact that the Google Glass is a totally new kind of technology which was earlier shown only in films. The technology is called 'wearable computing' and Google, Apple and a host of companies are working of a wrist watch based on a similar tech. But taking pictures through your Glass is something even you would be proud of. In addition to taking pictures you can make the Google Glass perform many tasks using voice commands. If you remember the Google Glass is equipped with a hidden camera and a tiny display screen attached to the rim above the right eye.
The Google engineers who have build the glass say that the new technology is a way of keeping connected through email, social networking services and other crucial services without having to frequently gaze your laptop screen or taking the phone out of your pocket. They have designed a hidden camera so that users can easily take a hands-free photo or video of whatever they are doing or looking at.
The applicants had promised a whole lot of good things they wood do with the Google Glass. One contest winner promised to take Google Glass to Veteran Administration hospitals so soldiers who fought in World War II can see their memorials before they die. Another plans to wear Google Glass during a trip to Japan so she can take video and pictures that she can share with her grandmother, who now lives in the U.S. but would like to see her native country again. A zookeeper plans to use Google Glass to show what it's like to feed penguins, and another contest winner wants to use the technology to provide maps that will help firefighters in emergencies.
The Google Glass has its own set of skeptics from the security and privacy groups who feel that this may infringe on the security and privacy of the person whose photo or video is taken without letting him know.
Any way if you have won, my personal congratulations to the winners of the competition. And losers remember the finished product from Google may be available in next year in the price range of $700-1500 so you will have a second chance to own your very own Google Glass.
Vijay Prabhu
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