Google is making a renewed effort to enter the smart glasses market, aiming to overcome past challenges with Google Glass. On December 12, the company introduced Android XR, a state-of-the-art operating system designed for headsets and smart glasses. This move comes as Google seeks to compete with leading products like the Meta Quest series and Apple Vision Pro, differentiating its offering by integrating its Gemini generative AI technology.
One of the first devices expected to utilize Android XR is a pair of Samsung glasses, known by the codename Project Moohan, set for release in 2025. Google envisions its future headsets and smart glasses to revolutionize how people watch, work, and explore their environments. Although Google hasn’t detailed further hardware or software releases under the Android XR banner, developers and select partners can access a preview version of the operating system.
Android XR stands out for its ability to facilitate hands-free navigation. With the combination of Android XR, Google Gemini, and innovative glasses hardware, users can engage in functions like asking natural-language questions about their surroundings, conducting online searches, managing AI-assisted to-do lists, enjoying YouTube and Google TV, and even viewing Google Photos in virtual reality. Additionally, the Circle to Search feature offers enhanced information retrieval for real-world objects and online items.
Google’s vision for Android XR includes a variety of stylish and comfortable smart glasses that integrate smoothly with other Android devices. Shahram Izadi, Google’s VP and general manager of Extended Reality, emphasized this vision in a blog post. The company plans to begin private testing soon with new hardware from partners such as Sony, Lynx, and XREAL.
The Android XR software development kit is now available for developers, enabling them to integrate existing apps with extended reality devices. The toolkit is compatible with platforms like ARCore, Android Studio, Jetpack Compose, Unity, and OpenXR, facilitating a seamless transition for developers familiar with the Android ecosystem.
Original Source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/google-android-xr/
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Publish Date: 2024-12-13 23:46:00
