Google's Project Glass

I wanted to do a story about the new augmented reality glasses created by Google known as Project Glass.  Google recently began taking pre-orders for Project Glass for $1,500, but the product will not be available until next year.  Will the high price-tag be worth it?  I personally would find it hard to spend that much money on a product I hadn't tried, or even seen in use.  There is some footage of Project Glass in action, but it's hard to tell if it's conceptual material, or if it depicts the true capabilities of the device.


Tech Radar has good article detailing what you need to know about Project Glass.  Google's product is believed to use transparent LCD or AMOLED display for projecting images in front of the user's eyes, and scrolling and mouse-clicks will be performed with a series of head motions.  Also, if you already wear glasses you shouldn't have to worry about wearing another piece of eye-wear, as Google plans to make an adaption to traditional glasses.  


It's great that more information is coming out about this exciting new product, but there is still uncertainty about whether or not it will be able to perform as well as the promotional materials suggest.  And even if it does, will it be something that resonates with people?  Will people find it awkward to move their head to control the glasses?  I'm interested in the implications of this product, but I think I will wait to see if it catches on before I spend $1,500.

Prices of Facebook Stock

I posted about the Facebook IPO when it was announced, and then again when they updated their S-1 filing, and I thought I would look into where the stock was at now.  I heard reports that the price fell quickly, but I never looked into how bad of a drop it was.  Facebook seemed like a good investment at the time, so I was surprised with the initial figures.  Then again, Facebook may have intentionally inflated its stock price, as I had heard rumored.  The release of a Facebook app store made me wonder what sort of opportunities it would provide for driving revenue, and if that would affect stock prices.

An article at ABC News states that the price of Facebook stock is down 19% from it's initial public offering of $38.  Even on the first day it barely closed above that at $38.23.  The article also mentions that Facebook is entangled in numerous lawsuits over the IPO.  I had heard there were complaints over how transactions were handled, and I wonder if enough people were able to pool their resources and file a class action lawsuit.

None of this looks good for Facebook, and yet it seems like the company is doing well if Mark Zuckerberg can purchase Instagram for $1 billion.  Will Zuckerberg decide to sell the company off, and will it become the home to so many advertisements that users move to other social networks?  Facebook still seems to be the most widely used social network, and the most recent competitor Google+ hasn't proved to be much of a threat with its minimal engagement levels.  Again, I think the Facebook apps are a good sign that people are putting money into this product, and I don't think Facebook will become the next Myspace for at least a few years.