Google acquires Canadian company that makes augmented reality glasses

Google has acquired North. At the beginning of last year, that company released its Focals glasses, a kind of Google Glass. The company was working on a second version, but it is no longer coming out. North will continue to work on hardware at Google.

Google is acquiring North because of the company’s technical expertise, the search giant writes. The employees will be under Rick Osterloh, who heads Google’s hardware division. The former North team will still be based in Canada, where the company is based.

North says on its site that the Focals 1.0 glasses that were released in early 2019 will still be supported until the end of this year. Customers can contact us to request a refund. The Focals 2.0 goggles that the company was working on will not be released. It is not known whether North will continue the development of those glasses within Google.

Google says it wants to use North’s expertise in developing hardware for ambient computing. That’s the name Google gives to devices that “are all around you and simply work together.” Technology is in the background.

North’s Focals 1.0 augmentedreailty goggles look like regular goggles and feature a small laser that projects an image into the wearer’s eyes. The glasses connect to a smartphone via bluetooth to, for example, pass on notifications or give directions. The Verge published a review of the Focals glasses, which retailed for $600.

An acquisition amount has not been disclosed. Last week, The Globe and Mail already wrote about the imminent takeover. According to the Canadian newspaper, Google pays 180 million dollars for North, converted about 160 million euros. That amount has not been confirmed.

North . Focals Glasses