With these babies you could see what a concert looks like from the bands point of view, while watching them from the crowd! Love it. C’mon Apple – whatcha got?
Google Glass
Google co-founder Sergey Brin dropped jaws at the company’s annual developer conference in San Francisco Wednesday morning with an enthralling demonstration of Google Glass, the company’s ultra-intriguing wearable computer project.
In case you missed it, here’s what happened: a team of skydivers logged into to a Google+ Hangout and jumped from a plane then sailed down to the roof of the Moscone Center where Google I/O is being held. Via streaming video, viewers watched the descent from the jumpers’ point of view in real time. As stunt bikers pedaled across the roof then rappelled down the side of the building and entered the conference hall, we saw all that from their eyes too.
It all raised a fascinating question: What about “real” sports? You know, football, basketball, baseball and the like. How could lightweight, POV cameras worn by players transform sports broadcasts? And how could products like Google Glass worn by fans at events revolutionize the spectating experience?
Changing the Game
Instead of watching a television broadcast of a game, imagine watching it via streaming video and picking your vantage point from traditional wide angle shots to feed delivered via camera glasses worn by different players. This isn’t as far-fetched as it may sound. TNT impressed NBA Playoff viewers with Overtime, a multi-angle streaming service, and Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics tried to play a game in sunglasses earlier this year. Baseball players wear shades all the time, so eyewear isn’t necessarily considered too cumbersome.
Google Glass’s still somewhat mysterious augmented reality features would really kick in when the devices are placed on fans’ heads — although there’s also the ethical conundrum of athletes being able to leverage information delivered by AR.
Eric Smallwood of the sports marketing agency Front Row described to us a scenario of fans sitting in the stands at a Major League Baseball stadium wearing glasses that project constantly updating pitch-by-pitch stats without forcing users to look away from the field of play. Augmented reality could also direct fans to nearby vending services.
“This would be a really unique opportunity,” Smallwood said, cautioning that it’s nowhere near practical today.