Virgin Atlantic Eyes Google Glass To Give Service A More Personal Touch
Google Glass is starting to see experiments in how it can be uses outside of the usual navigation purposes, which is good for such a niche device. However, some of the uses might still manage to raise some eyebrows and shake some heads due to concerns over privacy, not to mention practicality.Google's smart eyewear might be fancy and interesting but it will undoubtedly have a hard if not slow time reaching the hearts of the mass market. Some might argue that a smartwatch is a wearable that is easier to sell due to its more orthodox form and design. Even in the realm of navigation, where Google Glass seems to be a natural fit, the device is seeing no small amount of resistance, especially from lawmakers and enforcers.
But Google Glass is more than just a glorified and geeky navigation equipment. Almost hands-free control, connection to the cloud, especially Google's services, and affinity with Android are just some of the advantages that the device can be proud of. There are already a handful of uses that put Glass' particular and peculiar nature to good use, in medical fields, in education, and even, ironically, in law enforcement.
The latest to put Glass to the test is, strangely, Virgin Atlantic. The way they will use Glass is also rather interesting, if not questionable. Here they will use Glass to identify Upper Class lounge passengers and get access to pertinent information that will allow them to offer a more personalized service. Imagine an attendant knowing your name even before your first contact. Or knowing about the weather and airport information at your destination to help give you an update. It might give some a warm, fuzzy feeling or an image of efficiency, but it will also undoubtedly creep some out.
It remains to be seen what will come of this trial run, which is set to last just six weeks. It will definitely raise some questions regarding privacy. Google has also been rather firm in its stance against face recognition Glassware, or software designed for Google Glass, so a use case such as this might go against the company's vision for Glass. In the end, while the experiment will be interesting and entertaining, Virgin Atlantic might be better served by some other form of wireless identification technology like Bluetooth.
Source: The Daily Mail
VIA: Android Community