MEXICO: Move over Google, Mexico's budding tech whiz David Alfonso Quiroz is promoting a home-grown version of internet-enabled glasses that he says will offer serious competition to Google Glass

Record ID: 306347

  • Title: MEXICO: Move over Google, Mexico's budding tech whiz David Alfonso Quiroz is promoting a home-grown version of internet-enabled glasses that he says will offer serious competition to Google Glass
  • Date: 9th August 2013
  • Summary: EXTERIOR OF TECHNOLOGY PARK VARIOUS OF QUIROZ EXPLAINING INVENTION (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) INVENTOR OF SMART GLASS, DAVID ALFONSO QUIROZ, SAYING: "My interest was that the user had a better interaction between the real world and digital (world). Previously we knew that to ask for information from the internet we need to access a computer, ask for this information and receive the required information, but this required various processes. The change with the Smart Glass is that this process is more efficient, with buttons that allow for interaction with the glasses and this gives me more autonomy and the information I'm receiving." VARIOUS OF QUIROZ DEMONSTRATING INVENTION (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) INVENTOR OF SMART GLASS, DAVID ALFONSO QUIROZ, SAYING: "What the Smart Glass can do is the user can programme the language they want, download information and can make their own application. This is the advantage that the Smart Glass has over other competitors." VARIOUS OF QUIROZ DEMONSTRATING INVENTION (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) INVENTOR OF SMART GLASS, DAVID ALFONSO QUIROZ, SAYING: "The Smart Glass is undergoing some tests in the real world meaning that where I put it, if the hardware is bothering me, it takes note of this and fixes these problems bit by bit so that the glasses can have a better evolution. So that in the end these initial problems." VARIOUS OF QUIROZ TESTING SMART GLASS LOGO AT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MONTERREY EXTERIOR OF UNIVERSITY
  • Embargoed: 24th August 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Mexico
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Science / Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVA3E4I27VEWAUKT0ANL8RQSF0EH
  • Story Text: A young Mexican tech entrepreneur is challenging the might of Google with a version of smart glasses that he says are more cost effective than Google Glass and give users greater flexibility.
    25-year-old university student David Alfonso Quiroz revealed his Smart Glass at Mexico City's Campus Party fair of cyberactivists and tech enthusiasts.
    Made in Mexico, the high-tech specs are a labour of love from Quiroz who invested his own money to create a prototype product where he could perfect voice-activated internet navigation and messaging tools with just the touch of the button.
    Quiroz's Smart Glass is the third iteration of that prototype. It's made of recycled materials and new components.
    Quiroz says he hopes his new invention will break down the divide between the real and digital world and make obsolete, traditional tech mediums such as the keyboard and monitor.

    "My interest was that the user had a better interaction between the real world and digital (world). Previously we knew that to ask for information from the internet we need to access a computer, ask for this information and receive the required information, but this required various processes. The change with the Smart Glass is that this process is more efficient, with buttons that allow for interaction with the glasses and this gives me more autonomy and the information I'm receiving," said Quiroz.
    The Mexican inventor has grand plans for his Smart Glass, hoping to refine his products design and make it attractive for sale in the billion-dollar tech market.
    Quiroz is also angling for some competitive edge with his invention, allowing users to configure settings on the Smart Glass as well as allow developers to create their own apps and software.

    "What the Smart Glass can do is the user can programme the language they want, download information and can make their own application. This is the advantage that the Smart Glass has over other competitors," he added.
    Aware of stiff competition from the likes of Google, Quiroz's estimates he will need another 18 months to ready his product to take on the internet world's major players.
    He says his device differs from Google's in some important areas. His unit comes with a processor that will alow users to control household appliance remotely with inbuilt solar cells to keep it charged. He says Smart Glass's operating system is faster and allows users to manipulate the display position on the screen and, crucially, he says, Smart Glass will cost much less to buy when it comes to market. He says it will sell for between and five and six hundred dollars compared to an expected $1500 per unit for Google Glass.

    "The Smart Glass is undergoing some tests in the real world meaning that where I put it, if the hardware is bothering me, it takes note of this and fixes these problems bit by bit so that the glasses can have a better evolution. So that in the end these initial problems," said Quiroz.
    Not fazed by the competition ahead, this Mexican inventor and university student is powering ahead with his invention without company backing and in the process is hoping to show off Mexico's capacity for technological innovation.
    Having already collaborated with NASA on its Robotic Refuelling Mission and now building a name for himself in Mexico's local tech circuit, David Alonso Quiroz believes he and his Smart Glass are well positioned for a bright future.
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