
Several months after initially signing up for the Google Glass queue online, i get an email telling me that I am now being offered a Google Glass device. Wow. It seems that Google has just released rev. 2 of the Explorer Glass, which includes an earbud and capability for working with prescription glasses. So now I have to decide – do I want to invest $1,500.00 in this innovative device, with the hope and expectation that we can design an add-on or new use for the technology within the product? Of course it is worth the gamble, nothing ventured, nothing lost? i also note that people are selling v2 of these glasses on Amazon for $4,500.00. Probably a violation of the NDA, so unlikely I would seriously consider that. Trust and honesty make the world go round.

So now i have to start learning about Google Glass. There are many reviews and tests online, as well as demo videos. Time to ramp up the learning curve. One of the first things i learn is that you need an Android cellphone to tether it to, in order to take advantage of gps, location awareness and messaging. They say there is support for IOS, but nothing at present. Better to be as compatible as possible, so I add a Motorola Moto-X cellphone to the mix. The Moto-X is based on the Android OS, which includes mobility tools for Glass integration.

It is now getting really pricey, and I haven’t even touched the device yet. Am starting to devise a ramp-up strategy, including deciding which staff person is best to work with me on the test and experiment phase. Once the unit arrives, there will be no time like the present to unwrap, switch on and get going. The sooner we can create an add-on, and hopefully before the official retail release date, the better. Google says the Glass will arrive in 5-7 days.

Google has three “Glass Studios” across the country – Mountainview CA, Los Angeles CA, NYC. you can pickup your Glass at one of the studios, which includes a free day of training. i opt for direct delivery. Maybe i can arrange for a Glass Studio visit after I get the basics down. For the moment, I first just need to get the Glass.
Dec 25
the profit squeeze
Being a small, office-based computer consultancy, we have both business and home clients. Many home clients appreciate the value of our service, our technical competencies and the fact that four or five hours of our time is worth a lot less than several hours of frustrating, aggravating, non-productive hours of their time wasted trying to solve technical problems themselves. In the end, they call us anyway. When a client, no matter how small, has a crisis or emergency, one of us is willing and able to drop what we are doing and solve the problem. This is not always cost effective for us. Many problems can be solved in a short period of time, but what some clients forget is that it took 30 years of experience to solve a complex technical problem quickly and correctly. An example, we carry this pictured surge protector – top quality, good specs and capable of supporting a laser printer (most don’t). It costs a bit more and for good reason. We don’t carry cheaper units – they are not cost-effective. So this client had a ‘crisis’, he downgraded his internet service by himself, was sent a new router, installed it himself, and has now been having network problems for the last several days. He says “I have wasted many hours trying to work with our isp to resolve this issue”. I go over, figure out the problem, return to the office, get the needed equipment, require and config. his network, it now works. It took in total about an hour and a half of my time in total, even though the actual ‘work-time’ was less. I invoice him for only 1/2 hr, plus the cost of the surge and an ethernet-to-coax adapter kit. Grateful his problem is solved (but not thanking me for the reduced labor bill), he writes a check. The next day, i get an email – ‘Hey, we found a surge laying around, so we don’t need this one any more. can we return it? I trust you saved the box.’ If people can’t willingly support local service providers, in the midst of their technical crises, then they don’t deserve to have local service providers willing to go the extra mile for little money. The answer to him will be no, but it still bugs me to have to say no… or more accurately, to have to be forced to say no, and give up what little profit i made to help him save a few bucks. I have bills to pay too.