Google Glass: At a Closer Look at Its Cost, Usability and Potential for M2M

Now that Google has finally announced that this state of the art hands-free wearable device Google Glass is now available within the US at $1,500 plus taxes a piece, people are not beginning to ask if this piece of technology is worth investing on or is it just another fad that will fade away with its novelty? Will it be Machine-to-machine technology's s next killer application?

Several Google Glass reviews have been made, some at a consumer standpoint and others at a more technical perspective. Other reviews suggest that this technology may not really be worth what you're paying for and other say it's really worth the headache. A teardown analysis done by IHS Technology, the world's leading source for research analysis on technology, suggests that the product is more than the sum of all its components. Although the actual hardware and manufacturing cost each device is only $152.47, majority of the cost goes to its non-recurring engineering parts such as extensive software and application platform development.

Google invested to have the most integrated circuits in their design. Its processor is made of a 45-nanometer semiconductor chip which is two generations more advanced than those used on the latest smartphone releases in the market today. One of its most defining features is the head-mounted LCOS projector display, which comprised 20% of the its actual bill of materials. It also has two accelerometers, which is an interesting choice for the design, since most smart phones only have one multi-access accelerometers. Additionally, the Glass' frame is made of titanium, an expensive, highly durable metal commonly used in military aircraft.

On top of using Google Glass for hangout, taking pictures and videos, this may come in handy for professionals. This technology can be used as leverage in the field of Medicine and Energy Industries. According to Ryan Junee, Founder of Omnisio and Inporia, in an interview with Bloomberg Television said that doctors can use this technology to access medical records, patient information without having to type into a computer, they can have the information while engaging with the patients. Yan-David Erlich, CEO of Wearable Intelligence added that, "We removed the consumer facing software that comes with Glass, such as hang out, and replaced it with enterprise application that connects to an internal service, whether for an oil and gas setting or healthcare setting, gets information for physicians or for those in maintenance sectors."

Right now, the product is still pretty much prototypical. However, Google has started the development of Glass 2, an updated version of the first release, which offers much more. Glass 2 will have new applications and more flexibility in terms of compatibility with other OS platforms, giving enterprise application developers a much bigger playground. Other uses of Google Glass in the Internet of Things and M2M applications have been demonstrated bringing more value to this technology. In a demo done by one of the providers of a cloud-based M2M platform built for the Internet of Things, it was connected to a tank through the cloud. And was used to access the application that controls the tank, can either refill it or drain it.

LeadingQuest and Parlacom, being one of the largest M2M providers that use a cloud-based platform, with its CEO, Clovis Lacerda, when asked what he thinks of this hot-in-the-market technology, he said that he believes that a lot of other sectors, not just the health care and oil and gas industries, will benefit from this development. "We know that one of the advantages of utilizing machine-to-machine solutions is to be able to predict when machines in the field are about to fail and preventing it is very important. Scheduling preventive maintenance and services is very crucial. However, we also recognize the limitation of the system. Not all machines can fix themselves, at least not as of yet anyway", Mr. Lacerda said. "To ensure the success of the job, the best people should be deployed and in the same way, they must be given access to information that would best help them get the job done. This is where Google Glass may come into play." He further added.