Google’s much talked about Glass project is getting a fillip. A Glass Collective has been formed to support the start-up ecosystem that can enrich the Glass experience.

The futuristic project seeks to turn ocular glasses into Web-connect computers. Using them, you can record videos or search for information on the Internet, using voice commands. Connected to an Internet-enabled device through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, the glasses promise to open up a virtual world as you walk.

A pen drive-sized device would be attached to one of the two lenses that convert the glasses into a screen, a camera. Google has readied a prototype of Glass Explorer.

After the initial successes with the project, Google now has called out for start-ups to come out with apps that can enrich the Glass experience.

New initiative

Google Ventures has teamed up with the two technology venture firms Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers to support the start-ups. They call this initiative the Glass Collective.

A new world of development opportunity is expected to be built around Glass. “Glass is a potentially transformative technology. It’s a window into the world’s information, and a new way to share experiences with those you care about,” Bill Maris, Vice-President of Google Ventures, said, while announcing the formation of Glass Collective in Google’s official blog.

“We’ve formed the Glass Collective, an investment syndicate between our three firms, to provide seed funding to entrepreneurs in the Glass ecosystem to help jump-start their ideas. Smart entrepreneurs and engineers are going to develop amazing experiences through Glass. If you’ve been mulling over a brilliant idea for Glass, let us know,” he said.

>kurmanath.kanchi@thehindu.co.in

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