The recent headlines that Google Wallet is apparently coming to Google Glass pushed the BillingViews’ brain cell into overdrive. Oh, the witty headline, the bon mot, the double entendre! The world, we felt, was our oyster (avoid cliches, like the plague – ed).
Amongst the slightly daft scenarios drafted by journalists following Google’s every move are a couple of serious points. And amongst the slightly daft scenarios are several that involve sending people money. Normal people do not generally send people money. Mind you, do normal people wear glasses and then swat about them as if under attack by a swarm of flies?
The general scenario goes something like this. You are in a restaurant with friends and you decide to split the bill, all you need to do is blink or wink or wave and say ‘send money.’ Now imagine a table full of happy mellow fellows all waving and blinking and saying ‘send money.’ With wine involved.
There will be a riot. And a huge bill in the morning. Because the guys from the rugby club at the next table, thinking this is even funnier than the guys doing the winking and blinking and waving will steal said Google Glasses and set off into the night laughing and winking and blinking and waving and saying ‘send money’ a lot. Thus the huge bill for those guys left bereft of their new gadgets.
We will stick to throwing a credit card onto the plate with the bill and asking the waiter to split it six ways.
Mind you, at a recent – and very good – Sunday lunch the other day, the classic post meal scenario was played out. The bill came. Six people had eaten, one had left and left some money – but not enough – on the table. One person was celebrating her birthday, so she shouldn’t have to pay. Cringing from the kind of Maths problem that made him curl up into a ball, close his eyes and hum a lot, the BillingViews executive avoided getting into the debate. The calculation went wrong. Twice. Credit cards had to be credited, divided by two, soaked in wine and started again. All slightly frustrating, after such a jolly lunch.
Imagine managing that through Google Wallet/Glasses. It is unlikely that they can cope with complex debit, credits and refunds. And possibly would not survive the ensuing fight.
However much or little Google Glass brings out the funny side in life – and this spoof is one of the funniest – it is, when all is said and done, a device. That is controlled by Google. Who want you to stop you using other forms of payment and use theirs. Otherwise they will charge you about the same as Amex.
The other thing, of course, is that Google Glass is hackable and if Google Wallet is implemented on Google Glass, the risk must be great indeed.
Because Google Glass is basically funny you can bet your Google Boots that hackers will find it much more entertaining to see what mayhem they can cause with Google Glass than with something dull like a handset, or a car…..
Although, now you mention it…
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