How Social Networking and Tech Are Changing Our View of the World

Today, Google posted a short video showing off a view from their new much talked about augmented reality glasses.

Augmented Reality (AR) places a tiny computer screen within your visual frame of reference, so you can utilize technology in a whole new way. Imagine seeing a concert poster, and then telling your glasses to call the number on the poster to order tickets. It would be like Apple’s iPhone 4s virtual assistant Siri being able to see.

Pretty cool indeed – and AR isn’t just limited to Google’s glasses. There are some smartphone AR games, which use the camera and GPS to place ghosts or other characters on the screen, using your current location as the background. You have to run around and avoid running into them.

AR is the latest in visual tech invading our mind’s eye.

Remember when 3D movies first came out? No – I’m not talking about the current crop of movies which use polarized plastic lenses, I’m talking about the original 3D movies, where you had cheap paper glasses, with a piece of red and blue plastic to see through on either eye.

I remember growing up and usually around Halloween, there’d be a scary 3D movie shown on one of the major TV networks. A fast food burger joint like Burger King or McDonald’s usually partnered in on these things, giving out free blue and red 3D glasses with their “happy meals.” The movies were cheesy B-movies, and the 3D effects weren’t that good. But as it only happened once a year, it was a different way to enjoy a night at home, with good friends, watching really bad movies.

These days, 3D movies are a lot better – the technology to produce, show and view them as changed quite a bit since the B-Movie horror days of my youth.

But you still have to wear those blasted glasses, which are never comfortable, especially for people like me that already wear glasses to see.

Now that we have 3D tech on TVs, that too is changing. Some of the major TV manufacturers are already testing out models which display 3D video, without having to wear those awful 3D glasses.

However, Google’s taken things to the next level, by incorporating high-tech glasses into our reality – to augment our reality with a smartphone.

The potential uses for AR glasses are mind-blowing. Doctors could perform surgery with greater precision, guided by their AR glasses. You’d never get lost walking in a strange neighborhood, as your AR glasses would clearly show you the way.

Forget your grocery list at home? No problem, your AR glasses would tell you what you need to buy, as you visually scan the grocery store shelves.

While at a party, you’d never forget anyone’s name, as your AR glasses could show you the person’s name, and complete contact details as you talked to them. You could even add each other to your social networks instantly, tweet about the conversation, or snap a picture or video of it instantly, without lifting your phone – just use your AR glasses.

Augmented Reality is a very cool way of seeing the future. I just hope the AR glasses are more comfortable than those blasted 3D ones we have to wear to watch movies.