Plotting Google glass and dying ereaders: 4 tech stories you have to read

We’ve probably all dreamed about waking up and putting on a pair of augmented reality glasses. But what should the team at Google include in its specs — and what do its users want to see? Whatever it is, tech investors don’t think you’ll want to see an ereader — or that they’ll be around in the near future. But it’ll be a future with spam bots and citizen journalists, if current trends are anything to go by. Wondering what I’m on about? You should probably read some of the most recent top tech stories we’ve found on the web:

The world is not enough: Google and the future of augmented reality

When you’re walking down the street wearing your augmented reality glasses in the not-too-distant future, what will you see? If you look around, does the system overlay information about the weather, the nearest train station, the history of the street, suggest places to visit or tell you how many of your friends have been there? While concept videos give us a glimpse into what could be possible, it’s not proving to be as straight forward in real life.

The team behind Google’s geo-publishing project, Field Trip, are seeing what’s possible with augmented reality applications, trying to figure out what you want to know and how it can fit seamlessly into your daily experience. What they learn will be baked into Project Glass, and inform the type of content its wearers will one day be able to see.

Lance Armstrong shows why the disruption in journalism matters

Building on a previous story by The New York Times, this article discusses how Twitter users and bloggers brought the history of Lance Armstrong’s doping to light.

While the mainstream press largely didn’t query the Tour de France champion’s drug tests, fearing the loss of advertisers and inside sources for taking on such an iconic sportsman, citizen journalists weren’t so constrained. They took to social media and their blogs to share information that may never have been reported on otherwise, demonstrating how they can be an important addition to journalism in the digital age.

Muzzled by the bots

They’re there when you tweet, or when you comment on a webpage: the bots, there to screen for certain words and either spam you or moderate your post. Even though the web is heralded as a space free of barriers, there are still intermediaries and gate keepers in place to check what you say… and they’re just becoming more widespread. From censoring filters to fake accounts that make it difficult to find real information by spamming hashtags, Evgeny Morozov discussed the middlemen on the web and the impact big data is having on improving their systems.

E-readers grapple with a future on the shelf

They’re still relatively new — but are they about to die out? Standalone ereaders are still a major product, but they’ve been slow to really innovate and apps on tablets all but replicate the experience. There’s nothing wrong with them — but are they just a transition device that is no longer needed?