Forget BlackBerry thumb. In the near future, business executives could be managing their schedules and sending emails through Google Glass.
This week, Google announced Glass at Work, its effort to push its wearable technology into the office.
Some businesses have already experimented with Google Glass. In February, Virgin Atlantic announced that its concierge staff would use the technology to greet its “Upper Class passengers” at Heathrow Airport in London. Retired NBA forward Peja Stojaković was recruited by his former team, the Sacramento Kings, to wear Google Glass at the team’s “technology-themed game” against his other former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Sunday.
It isn't just glamorous industries that are using Google Glass. Professionals who need to keep their hands free — like surgeons in the operating room and technicians working in oil fields — have also used the technology.
Right now, Google is just asking software developers working for U.S. businesses to contact it about Glass at Work, so it's probably a bit too early to bother your IT company about scoring you a pair.
Considering the product's steep price tag ($1,500), it does not seem crazy for Google to target large corporations who might be willing to foot the bill — either because they could really use it, or the PR boost that comes with being an early-adopter, or both.
Regardless, it seems like Google isn't willing to sit back and let this become a novelty. It went after style-conscious consumers recently by announcing a partnership with Luxottica (the company that makes glasses for Ray-Ban, Oakley and Persol) to create eyewear with, ahem, slightly more mainstream appeal. Google Glass is not commercially available yet, but people can get a pair early by signing up for the Explorer Program.
So far, other details of Glass at Work have been sparse. NBC News reached out to Google for comment, but the company did not respond. The story will be updated when new information is released.
