Google Glasses

Google co-founder Sergey Brin recently addressed attendees at the 2013 Technology, Education and Design (TED) conference in Los Angeles. Sporting a pair of Google Glass augmented-reality eye wear, Brin took the opportunity to talk some smack about smartphone users, who constantly stare down at their phones. With Glass, Google has pioneered an unprecedented approach to wearable technology and a novel way to access the Internet. But having negotiated the technical challenges of building Glass, Google now faces the task of convincing people to buy and wear the device. Google has to take a groundbreaking device born from its top-secret lab working on sci-fi feats and make it seem normal. In a push to be sure Glass looks more like a status symbol and less like a science experiment when it makes its official debut, Google is expanding its definition of early adopter to include "real" people those outside the Silicon Valley scene to help acclimate the world to Glass. These recruits represent a strategic marketing push to teach the general public how and why to use Glass, and assure them they'll look just fine doing so.
It’s not yet clear what message wearing Glass sends. Who adopts it early on is going to play a part in creating that image, which is why the early adopters are so important,” said Bryan Bollinger, a marketing professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. “If you’re using Glass, it’s right there in your face, so the message it says is really important. And right now, I don’t see what Google’s brand is besides being seen as a company that's proficient from a technical point of view.
The company announced last week it was expanding its Glass Explorer Program in a search for “bold, creative individuals” -- a description that seems more germane to an exclusive social club -- to be among the first to try Glass. The “Explorers” selected for the program will be eligible to purchase the $1,500 glasses.

Sven Milder
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/google-glass-more-manly-phone-puh-lease-130301.htm