Google is distributing an enterprise edition of Google Glass

Better battery life and improved wireless connectivity are some improvements made to a new version targeted at industry

Google has developed a new enterprise edition of its Google Glass wearable technology and the company has already started to distributing it to partners in industries including health, manufacturing and energy, sources have disclosed.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new enterprise edition of Google Glass is equipped with a faster Intel processor and boasts improved battery life and better wireless internet connectivity.

The design of the device has also been altered, with a longer, thinner cube-like glass prism on the enterprise edition of Google Glass, improving the display. The wire frame has also been removed, allowing users to connect it to different types of regular glasses.

Version two of Google Glass also reportedly comes with a battery pack in an attempt to overcome the problem of short battery life.

Google took the original version of Google Glass off the shelves in January this year to focus on developing newer, better devices.

The device had a mixed reception with Matt Braddy, CMO of Just Eat describing Google Glass as "rubbish".

"We got one in and everyone was excited for about 10 minutes, and then you couldn't give it away. It was rubbish. So we are not working on a Google Glass app at the moment," he said.

However, other organisations were more enthusiastic.

Virgin Atlantic trialled Google Glass last year, equipping roaming staff in the company's Upper Class Wing at Heathrow Airport with the device. Dave Bulman, Virgin Atlantic's director of information technology told Computing that the response to Google Glass use was good from both staff and customers.

"In general people were very positive. They appreciated the fact that someone could have a conversation with them right there and then because before, they were used to having to go to one of the check-in terminals," Bulman explained.

"We've got some really rich data on how we improve that customer interaction, plus we've got a lot of happy customers who thought it was a cool interaction."

Privacy issues seem to be permanently associated with Google Glass and some even consider cyber espionage by Google Glass is the next major threat to enterprise security.

However, Google is reportedly skirting around the privacy issue with the enterprise version of its device, saying the fact it will only be used in private workplaces will remove some of the worries surrounding it.

Surgeons have tested Glass during medical procedures and field workers have been using the device to fix complicated machinery with the help of remote co-workers.

Google has not responded to requests for comment on the new version of Google Glass.