After surveying some of the latest third-party Google Glass apps, Mat Honan sees a bright future for wearable tech.
He highlights some new apps produced with the Glass development kit (GDK)--such as Strava, AllTheCooks, GolfSight, Word Lens, and Spellista--and argues that they show the promise of the technology more clearly than before. Word Lens, for example, instantly translates foreign languages on signs, while Strava offers heads-up info for bike riders and runners.
As compelling as these apps are, I think Glass still needs to overcome the classic chicken-and-egg challenge faced by any would-be paradigm-shifting technology. There's no doubt killer apps are needed to get people to flock to the new device; however, app developers aren't likely to develop in large numbers until the users (customers) have already begun to flock.
It will be interesting to see how this develops. Ultimately, for wearable technology to truly break through, I think we'll need a device on the market from a company with the kind of blind allegiance Apple had when it launched the iPhone. Looking out on the landscape of the fragmented tech market right now, I'm not sure such a company exists.
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