Google Brings Field Trip To Glass, Turns Out The Travel Guide Was Conceived As A Glass App First | TechCrunch (original) (raw)
Google has just released a version of Field Trip for Glass Explorers, meaning the Niantic Labs project that offers users fun destinations, tips, facts and other information about the world around now has a very logical place on the computer you wear in your face that constantly whispers in your ear.
It’s so logical, in fact, that Field Trip was actually originally designed for Glass, according to Niantic Labs boss John Hanke speaking to CNET. In a video demoing the Field Trip on Glass experience, you can see how the app works in action as you day trip around and do fun things like hike through Napa Valley. It seems like a pretty good fit based on that demo, though how it works in person is likely somewhat less idealized.
Field Trip launched on Android about a year ago today, and the Glass app was the original target, but the platform wasn’t ready for it at the time, Hanke told CNET. He also added that a future convergence with Google Now might be in the cards (that’s an amazing pun), which also makes sense given how similar Field Trip’s functions are to the omnipresent Google Android assistant.
The Glassware for Field Trip is essentially a stripped down version of the Android app as-is, and allows people to get more or less information on a more or less frequent basis about the world around them based on customized settings. It’s a passive experience that presents Cards, and can even read them to you automatically depending on your location, and it shows one of the ways in which Glass’ unique design could give it a definite advantage or traditional devices like smartphones.
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Writer covering space, science and health tech. Formerly covering automotive and mobility tech, and previously an employee of Apple and also of Shopify.
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