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Google Glass – the hands-free smartphone?

Maybe you think people spend too much time staring at their smartphones. Google thinks so, too. That’s why the tech giant created Google Glass. With Glass, Google aims to provide the features of a smartphone built into an accessory many people already wear: glasses. The Internet, text messaging, phone calls, photos, videos – all built into the frame of a head-mounted computer, all accessible by voice commands, as well as taps and gestures on the touch-sensitive bar that runs along the side of the frame.

It remains to be seen if someone using Google Glass is more in tune with their surroundings than that guy staggering through a crosswalk with his eyes glued to his phone, the one who just narrowly missed being hit by a bus.

Early adopters, termed “Explorers” by Google, have been testing Glass since April 2013, but the product is not expected to be available commercially until later this year. It’s debatable whether smart glasses like Google Glass will ever gain mainstream acceptance, but they could be useful in a variety of jobs. Perhaps greenhouse growers could use them to access pesticide information on-the-fly while spraying, or search through a plant database while both hands are busy in the dirt.

Using head-mounted displays for specific workplace scenarios is nothing new. The military has been using the tech for years, and scores of Glass Explorers have already shown novel workplace scenarios for Glass. North Carolina firefighter Patrick Jackson, for example, is working on an app that can provide firefighters in the field with potentially lifesaving information, including building floor plans and instructions for dismantling specific cars. And the NYPD is experimenting with cops wearing Glass.

The Washington Capitals, a NHL hockey franchise, partnered with an app development company to develop an app that shows fans real-time stats, instant replays and different camera angles – all through Glass. Oil services company Schlumberger’s use of the technology is closer to what the greenhouse industry would employ. Schlumberger uses Glass to give its employees access to crucial information in the field on a hands-free device.

Google’s recently announced “Glass at Work” program essentially asks businesses how they are working with Glass. The Glass at Work initiative implies the company is interested in tailoring Glass to certain workplace needs, and will probably deploy specific tools for businesses interested in making Glassware.

– Matt McClellan, managing editor, Nursery Management

For more: www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/

Multimedia Minute

From seedling to finished product
The University of Illinois Extension gives a short breakdown of how plants go from the seedling stage to finished products.
Watch the video here: http://goo.gl/EfKaHW

Blast from the past
British Pathe brings us a window to the past, a video from 1959 discussing “revolutionary” greenhouse and gardening developments.
Watch the video here: http://goo.gl/BMyeVZ

Tips for seed germination
John Wells and Clare Coleman discuss seed germination in a Rimol Greenhouse.
Watch the video here: http://goo.gl/STNM5u

From Twitter

Terra Nova Nurseries @TerraNovaNurs
#Cultivate14 is just around the corner. If you haven’t already registered to attend, click here: http://ow.ly/wO5cB , @American_Hort

Sakata Ornamentals @FlowersBySakata
• We are proud to support the annual Salinas Valley Fair & thank Holaday Seed for the help! http://goo.gl/lC7Va8

BASFPlants_us@BASFPlants_us
• 2 active ingredients + 2 modes of action = 1 broad spectrum herbicide with great resistance management! FreeHand: http://on.basf.com/1a7GDgJ

FloralEndowment @FloralEndowment
AFE’s “Murder, Sex and Greed” video brings home the gold and wins Gold Circle Award from @ASAEcenter! http://rlm.ag/12hVnQ

Proven Winners @Proven_Winners
Clap your hands if you feel like a room without a roof #happy http://instagram.com/p/n8M8P9y0FI/

DallasArbPlantTrials @DABSPlantTrials
Hibiscus ‘Cosmic Dancer’ from @BigBadFlower - stunning flower! #dallasplanttrials #summertrials2014 #hibiscus pic.twitter.com/7MfeBIFWaK

Syngenta @Syngenta
Providing food and shelter for #pollinating insects - case study: http://ow.ly/wPM2M #bees #beehealth pic.twitter.com/HWD9ZFhmr6

Steve Gutzler @SteveGutzler
Don’t stifle that voice in your heart that tells you there has to be more #leadership

PMA @pma
High-tech labs being turned into clean rooms to grow produce http://bit.ly/1sNTBFE

RHS Garden Wisley @RHSWisley
Epimediums are very popular at the moment and are selling well. This one is called youngianum ‘Roseum’ pic.twitter.com/kf0CZQdEKb

Update your Greenhouse Management app TODAY for a whole new interactive experience. To download the new app go to bit.ly/1fZx8hj.