Google has a new version of Google Glass with a faster processor, a little more battery life, and a better camera. But for now, it remains an enterprise-only product.
Google is upgrading its Glass Enterprise Edition, which it's been selling to businesses such as manufacturers and health organizations for the past two years. The $999 wearable has now swapped out the Intel Atom processor for a quad-core Qualcomm processor, which Google says can offer better computing performance.
The same processor also features a dedicated engine devoted to handling AI-based tasks, like recognizing objects that appear in front of the product's camera. "This enables significant power savings, enhanced performance, and support for computer vision and advanced machine learning capabilities," the company said in a Monday blog post.
In addition, the company has nixed the micro-USB plug for a USB-C port that supports faster charging, and made the battery slightly larger at 820mAh, which Google says should provide up to 8 hours of mixed use. The camera has also been upgraded from 5MP to 8MP.
Buyers can expect more variety in the frames as well. "We've also partnered with Smith Optics to make Glass-compatible safety frames for different types of demanding work environments, like manufacturing floors and maintenance facilities," Google said.
But in general, the Android-powered device retains the same look as before. On the edge of the right glasses' lens is a 640-by-360 display, which can beam information from Google services and enterprise apps with the help of voice-activated controls. You can find the full tech specs here.
Google Glass initially took the tech world by storm in 2012. But it's popularity was short-lived and generated complaints about digital privacy. By 2015, the company discontinued the original "Explorer Edition" prototype of Google Glass, which was available to consumers for a whopping $1,500.
Nevertheless, the company has been quietly refining the technology, which has showed particular promise in the enterprise space, Google Glass project lead Jay Kothari wrote in today's blog post. The product has also reached the point that the company's parent, Alphabet, no longer considers Google Glass an experiment, but more of a potential business.
"In order to meet the demands of the growing market for wearables in the workplace and to better scale our enterprise efforts, the Glass team has moved from X (Alphabet's experimental moonshot factory) to Google," Kothari added.
Interested buyers can contact Google's sale team here. However, the company isn't the only tech giant trying to sell a wearable device in the enterprise space. Microsoft also recently upgraded its augmented reality device, HoloLens 2, but it costs more at $3,500.