Tag: Amazon

Amazon Frames, Google Glass and the Reinvented Future of Connected Eyewear

Carl Setzer

Today I logged into Amazon and the first thing I see is this ad: 

I’m surprised that I missed the announcement for Alexa Frames. Looks like these have actually been on the market for a few years.  Though not as feature-rich as the old Google glasses, they are definitely more discrete and attractive. 

This got me wondering about the status of Google Glass, and what similar products are on the market. With a little research, I found this piece about Google Glass. Now, I’ve known that the product is far from dead as there’s now Google Glass Enterprise Edition. But it has been more of a niche thing (here’s a post from the Verge from last February about it). 

 

As far as other products, I found this: Focals By North. Looks pretty interesting, but not ready for the mainstream yet. This video is from 2019, so perhaps they’ve updated things in the meantime. 

I think that the glasses will hold a significant part of the future of mobile computing. In particular, I’m curious about the ways VR/AR will be integrated into these glasses. Or how they won’t be. 

 

Thoughts about Amazon and Seattle 

Carl Setzer

Back in the mid-90s I worked a short project at Amazon.  The gist of it: assembling work stations in a new call center. 

It was a unique place to be. Most striking: this guy who had his corgi at the office. About once an hour, he would throw a ball down the hallway. The dog would tear down the hall, bring the ball back, rinsert & repeat. It was filled with great people and felt like a positive place to work.  

It’s gratifying to see this icon of Seattle’s tech culture growing so boldly. They’ve no grown past the 150,000 eemoloyee mark, with 30,000 of them in Washington. Though fewer than number 1 with 75k at Boeing, and Microsoft’s 44k, they’re a solid player in Seattle’s business scene. 

They’re also a player in our real estate market, with some 8.5 million square feet of office space. They’re the biggest player in South Lake Union. And their continued staffing growth will bring more home buyers, increasing the pressure on supply. 

Delighted to see their continued success and look forward to seeing what the future brings