Through the looking glass: is Google's latest development right for law firms?

Google, the behemoth internet company that it now is, has the ?sort of financial muscle that few rival companies can muster, a situation ?that seems to improve for them year ?on year. This gives them a vast platform to undertake research and development on software and services, their traditional strong point. They are now turning their attention to things beyond the software ?and services scope, and have ventured ?into manufacturing.

The latest, rather futuristic, device to appear from their labs is Google Glass ?(note the singular here), and it is causing ?a bit of a stir in more ways than one.

Google Glass is a very small computer embedded in a spectacle frame. This tiny computer includes a camera, microphone, a heads up display (on the tiny lens), touchpad and wireless connectivity. They also have built in storage at around ?16GB. In other words, almost everything you would find in a smartphone or ?similar device.

Hands-free

So what does Google Glass do? Perhaps the question should be why is this an innovation, when we already have a phenomenal proliferation of devices with the same facilities. The answer of course is that this is a wearable device that can work largely hands-free. That in turn gives the user an enormous amount of flexibility in the way they use it.

The device can perform a number of tasks. It can record pictures and videos. Not an earth shattering event in itself, but because the device can be voice controlled, you don't have to manipulate anything to make it record, you simply tell it to.

This makes recording extremely easy, and also spontaneous. It also has the advantage of recording what you see, as you see it. For those currently using video cameras to record sports and outdoor events, this is ?a huge plus.

The device can show messages (i.e. email, instant messages etc) on the heads up display, so you can read and respond to emails on the move. You can also search the web, as you would with any connected device, but with the potential for more fluidity. This is especially true if you are following a map for example, as there is ?no need to stop and check the screen every ?few minutes.

While the device has its own storage, one of the fundamental principles of using it is that it has the ability to record and upload to cloud storage systems on the move. Initially it will be connected to Google drive, but this will quickly expand to include Facebook and other social media sites, so you can record and post to your Facebook account as you walk around.

Google Glass also links into the Google Now service, which provides the user with up to date information such as traffic updates, flight information, translation facilities and other real time services.

So Google Glass takes the usefulness of the smartphone concept a step or two further by removing much of the manual interaction. As they are based around a spectacle frame, you can expect a version that can be glazed with your own prescription at some point. The device is likely to be available to the general public toward the end of 2013 or early 2014. The price of the prototypes was fairly high at around $1,500, but we can expect to see that reduce before the global launch. The high price has also persuaded competitors such as Sony to produce similar devices, and these are likely to undercut Google if the predications are correct.

The big issue

There are a range of issues with this kind of technology, widely reported and commented on, starting with the problem of protecting people's privacy. A number of live entertainment environments have already stated that they will ban the devices, and there will be innumerable privacy-related problems to wrestle with. It will be very difficult to tell who is recording and where, if the devices become prolific, and the ability to immediately upload and publish causes many concerns. Areas such as schools, courts, public conveniences are not places that you would want users to record activity in. And those charging for live entertainment such as sports stadiums will have to device how to handle the issue.

Other issues arise, such as user concentration. Its all very well having a screen in front of you at all times, but driving a bus while answering your emails may not have the right end result.

Hidden benefit

In light of the issues above, lawyers may well take a deep breath before deciding to use Google Glass. There are however some potential uses for this kind of technology in legal environments. Recording meetings would be relatively straightforward, and if the resulting output can be uploaded to the firm's storage repository, or even linked to a transcription engine to produce a documented record of the meeting, it could save a lot of time.

Lawyers gathering evidence could find the devices useful by recording what they see, and those involved in investigative legal work can record as they walk around looking for evidence. This could be especially useful for those involved in licencing and IP and copyright cases.

The hidden benefit for lawyers though is the likely upturn in work for privacy and intellectual property lawyers. Technology may be devisive, but it does sometimes keep law firms busy.