What just happened? It's no secret that Google Glass wasn't a successful commercial product, but a revised version aimed at businesses---the Google Glass Enterprise Edition---proved popular. Now, a faster, snazzier, and cheaper successor to that device has been revealed.
The $1,500 price tag and concerns over privacy implications meant Google Glass never took off among consumers, but it eventually found its place as an enterprise solution. Work on a second-generation model has been rumored for some time, and Google has now unveiled this successor.
The aptly named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR1 platform. The chip, which is "significantly more powerful" than the previous version's Intel Atom SoC, is designed especially for AR and VR applications and features a 1.7GHz clock speed, four cores, and an eight-hour battery life thanks to the 820mAh cell.
Other improvements include an increase in the camera quality, going from 5MP to 8MP in still resolution. A "similar" 640 x 360 optical display remains, and buyers have the option of Smith Optics safety frames or using a thin wire frame.
Other specs include 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 720p video, a USB Type-C port for fast recharging, three onboard microphones, and a mono speaker.
Google says developers will find the new version of its glasses easier to develop for, as it is built on Android and supports Android Enterprise Mobile Device Management. The glasses run Android 8.1 Oreo and may be upgraded to Pie and Q in the future.
You can order Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 now for $999.