Google on Monday unveiled a Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, a new model of its Google Glass that’s catered specifically to business uses.
The aptly named Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR1 platform. The chip, which is ”significantly more powerful” than the previous version’s Intel Atom SoC, is designed especially for AR and VR applications and features a 1.7GHz clock speed, four cores, and an eight-hour battery life thanks to the 820mAh cell.
Other improvements include an increase in the camera quality, going from 5MP to 8MP in still resolution. A “similar” 640 x 360 optical display remains, and buyers have the option of Smith Optics safety frames or using a thin wire frame.
The new glasses cost $999, but that price may be lower for some firms depending on the business and contracts with Google. That’s far less than Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, which is also used by businesses and even the U.S. military, but starts at $3,500.
Microsoft’s new solution, unveiled in February, is more powerful than Google Glass and overlays information on top of the real world that users can view through both eyes. Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2, like the first model, only has a small projector that sits in front of one eye.
Google says developers will find the new version of its glasses easier to develop for, as it is built on Android and supports Android Enterprise Mobile Device Management. The glasses run Android 8.1 Oreo and may be upgraded to Pie and Q in the future.
