Google has acquired North, the maker of Focals smart glasses - Engadget

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Google has acquired North, the maker of Focals smart glasses – Engadget

Published

4 years ago

June 30, 2020

Harry Miller

North

After a weekend of rumors, Google confirmed on Tuesday that it’s the new owner of North. Before today, the Canadian startup was best known for its Focals smart glasses. The wearable integrated a holographic display inside a pair of fashion-forward frames.

Google didn’t disclose the terms of the deal. However, the company says the North team will join its office in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada. “North’s technical expertise will help as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts and ambient computing future,” Google said. What’s more, North is ending support for Focals. “We are winding down Focals 1.0 and we will not be shipping Focals 2.0, but we hope you will continue the journey with us as we start this next chapter,” the startup said on its website.

SCOOP: Smart-glasses maker @focalsbynorth, once one of Canada’s most high-profile startups, is being bought by Google/Alphabet for about $180-million, sources say. We’ve learned the company likely sold very, very few Focals and was running out of money. https://t.co/SbGYyBycqt

— josh o’kane (@joshokane) June 26, 2020

According to The Globe and Mail, the search giant paid approximately $180 million to buy the startup. Despite a $400 price cut at the start of 2019, North had reportedly sold very few of its Focals smart glasses to consumers, and the Globe says the company was running out of money before the deal came about. In April, North co-founder Stephen Lake teased that North was working on a second-generation model.

With Focals, North thought of a variety of clever solutions to some of the pain points that had come with earlier wearables like Google Glass. For instance, each pair of Focals came with a ring you would wear on your index finger. It featured a small joystick and D-pad to allow you to control the smart glasses without touching them and drawing attention to yourself.

No one could accuse you of being a “glasshole” because Focals were discrete in a way that Google Glass was not. The problem was that they were too expensive. Before North discounted them, a pair of Focals cost $1,000. You also had to get custom fitted for them at a physical retail store. All of those were significant issues for technology that did not feel indispensable.

In this article:

wearables, focals, north, google, business, news, gear

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Downhill Bikes of Sea Otter – Part 2

Published

18 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Harry Miller

@juanhall: I gotta say, this was the most interesting bike in this post….love that Intense is experimenting with gearboxes…I can see it have a huge effect on DH bikes….thank god there’s still people pushing things. Now, they need to make an Enduro bike with the Pinion MGU!

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Tech

Important updates regarding the Bob-Birnie Arena

Published

19 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Harry Miller

The City of Pointe-Claire would like to inform you that the Bob-Birnie arena will be closed for its annual maintenance as of Monday, April 29. The Annex rink will reopen to the public on Monday, May 13, and the arena’s Main rink will be accessible as of Monday, June 3.

Public skating will resume on May 13, and the summer public activities programming will begin on June 3 when both rinks have reopened to the public.

In addition to the annual maintenance of the facility, two renovation projects are also scheduled to start at the same time:

Installation of new sound systems

The City will be replacing its current sound systems in both the Main rink and Annex rink, to offer arena visitors a better overall experience, whether watching from the stands or participating in on-ice activities. This project is expected to be conducted throughout the month of May.

Renovation of locker rooms in the Main Rink

The City will also be renovating the five locker rooms located in the Main rink, to bring up to date the amenities currently available to participants. These renovations are expected to begin in early May and will be completed by mid-August.

For all information about the Bob-Birnie arena, visit the arena’s page on our website.

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Surprise Apple Event Hints at First New iPads in Years – CNET

Published

20 hours ago

April 23, 2024

Harry Miller

We haven’t seen a new iPad in years, but Apple seems likely to change that in just a few weeks. All signs point to the release of new iPad models in the first week of May.

Apple CEO Tim Cook posted this GIF for the virtual event to X on Tuesday morning.

Apple/Amy Kim/CNET

This morning, I received an email invite for a virtual Apple event, scheduled for May 7 at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET). The invite, which says “Let Loose,” shows a drawing of a hand holding an Apple Pencil. Considering the iPad is the only device that uses the Pencil — that doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

Apple’s been expected to release new OLED-screened iPad Pros with newly designed Pencils and Magic Keyboard cases. New iPad Airs are also expected, including a larger-screened 12.9-inch model. Apple’s iPad Air lineup tends to be slightly redesigned versions of previous-model iPad Pros, so just look to the M2 iPad Pro lineup for a sense of what the next Airs could be. These would be the first new iPads since the iPad Pro M2 model arrived in late 2022.

Watch this: What to Expect at Apple’s May 7 iPad Event

02:55

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Google has acquired North, the maker of Focals smart glasses – Engadget

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