Google has consistently shown face in the tech world, with their “uncanny knack for returning extremely relevant results,” as PC Magazine reported back in 1998. And they’ve been efficacious, to say the least.
Since 2015 when Alphabet was created as the parent company of Google, we’ve been on watch to see what was to come next. Now that multiple companies are housed under one roof, it’s only a matter of time before mere collaboration brings something phenomenal to market.
Since the start, however, one market in particular has looked very lively over at Alphabet headquarters. The Alphabet shelves have been packed with wearables, from physical devices to unearthed wearable designs. Including virtual reality, eye-care, and augmented reality, Alphabet has covered more than just wrist wearables. Google, specifically, has provided Alphabet with a number of pieces, such as Android Wear, Google Fit, and Cardboard VR.
Android Wear was, in my opinion, a flop, as none of the top five wearable sales OEM providers are on board. Google Fit, on the other hand, performed fairly well, with between 10 and 50 million downloads. But the most successful by far is Google’s Cardboard VR, which is being used by hundreds of schools to take students on tours of the world. In fact, they’ve even taken it a step further by collaborating with GoPro to bring the adventure tours to the web. The camera has a 360-degree VR recording rig for videographers that want to upload their VR content. Who knows what is next for Google in regards to the virtual reality market, but I would be very surprised if they weren’t planning to continue their VR ventures.
Project Aura, the team who previously worked on Google Glass, has the second version of Google Glass in the works. Tony Fadell, the creator of the Nest, is aiding the team to design the device, with hopes of eliminating kinks that made the original version unappealing to most consumers. Rumor has it that the second version will feature two models, one for consumers, and one for industry (think medical, construction, law enforcement, etc.).
As they always do, two years ago Alphabet was thinking ahead by launching smart contact lenses, capable of tracking blood glucose levels for people with diabetes. Since then, pharmaceutical giant Novartis has licensed the product, and we might see them go on sale next year.
And, although wearables currently lack in the health industry (blame standards, legalities, and the FDA), Alphabet is developing a variety of health-focused wearables, including wearables that can detect cancer and perform drug tests.
Will this round of wearable tech be successful for Alphabet (Google)? We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, they’re strategically planning for victory.
Filed Under: M2M (machine to machine), Virtual reality
