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The Requirements And Future Of Glass

Google Glass: Ergonomics, Performance, And Practicality, Tested
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The Requirements of Glass

MyGlass, running on Android 4.2.2MyGlass, running on Android 4.2.2

It’s also worth noting the limitations of Glass in its current incarnation. First of all, while it paired just fine with my iPhone 5 over Bluetooth, turn-by-turn directions and text messaging aren’t available. For this, you need an Android 4.0.3 or higher-based device and the MyGlass app installed. TechCrunch claims that this will soon change, but to get my initial impressions down, I had to run down to the local AT&T store and buy a new phone.

After that $700+ spend, I figured out that Glass also needed a Wi-Fi connection to the phone in order to connect to the Internet. That means you need a tethering plan. I’m seldom on the road, so I was cruising along with 300 MB/month of data. Now I need 5 GB/month to get mobile hotspot functionality (which turns off Wi-Fi when it's active, meaning you’re pulling a lot more information down over LTE than before). That’s $20 more a month.

The Future of Glass

Glass hasn’t even officially begun its life yet. It’s in the hands of very few folks, and the capabilities Google shipped it with are still few. Already developers are arming Glass with lock screens, wink-recognition (for snapping photos), support for Reddit, and Twitter access. To the folks derided Glass as a buggy first-generation product, give it a chance to get out of the training wheels. Yeesh.

As Google improves Glass through updates like XE5 and gets the platform onto more heads (hopefully at a better price than the $1,500 we spent), you’re going to see a lot of people using Google’s software products that weren’t before. I’m on Facebook fairly often. I use Twitter occasionally. Google+ is not in my regular rotation. Post-Glass, however, it’s obviously a lot more important. And there are clear paths to the company’s other technologies, too.

How about Glass in the Angelini household? It’s certainly not leaving with me every time I run an errand, and mostly because of the form factor. I’m just not comfortable wearing Glass everywhere, and I’m not carrying them around in a pouch when they’re off my head. I don’t have unrealistic expectations about the battery, the projector doesn’t give me a headache, and I had minimal trouble with Google’s voice recognition—many of the gripes I’ve read elsewhere haven’t soured my experience. But Glass is as inconvenient in your hands as it is helpful sitting on your head, I’m not particularly enthused about adding $20 to my cell plan, and some of the rough edges (like low call volume and poor A/V quality in hangouts) still need to be smoothed over.

Google Glass from the Eyes of a Toddler

Regardless of what Google eventually charges for Glass, I see a lot of folks waiting on the sideline for their killer app. Take it from a dad, though: there’s something to be said for playing with your kid and recording it, rather than watching him run around, passively, through a smartphone camera (50 minutes of video at a time, that is). And if you want a different perspective, try turning the tables. I did it as a joke (and because I figured my wife would find it cute). Turns out it's actually pretty cool to get reminded what everything looks like from half my height.

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  • 5 Hide
    Benthon , May 14, 2013 10:03 PM
    I'm personally excited to see where this takes off to. They just need to bring the price down and they have a new generation of product. Great review! It definitely was cute to see your kid walking around and getting him water/playing with him from his perspective.
  • 0 Hide
    blackmagnum , May 14, 2013 10:05 PM
    Elitist geek tech. Making it illusive like Gmail beta. We can only watch and dream.
  • -1 Hide
    witcherx , May 14, 2013 11:01 PM
    why not just make lens.. come on aliens...
    why give us outdated products...
  • 6 Hide
    CaptainTom , May 15, 2013 12:30 AM
    This really is the future. It will just take the third generation or so before it becomes mainstream practical. Oh and I want the lenses to be screens themselves, that would be cyberpunk badass!
  • 0 Hide
    virtualban , May 15, 2013 1:25 AM
    Why do you keep saying "Equivalent of a 25-inch HD screen from eight feet away"? The resolution, according to other sources, is not even 720p.
    You could say "Equivalent of a 16:9, 25-inch screen from eight feet away"
  • 3 Hide
    cats_Paw , May 15, 2013 1:37 AM
    Considering the Privacy issues this will bring on the population, this product might be a big fail.

    I know if i had any form ob bussines, i would not allow my customers to be filmed there. That means, no google glass.
  • 0 Hide
    Vorador2 , May 15, 2013 3:23 AM
    cats_PawConsidering the Privacy issues this will bring on the population, this product might be a big fail.I know if i had any form ob bussines, i would not allow my customers to be filmed there. That means, no google glass.


    Privacy issues? The same than people with a phone. Nowadays anyone with a smartphone can take photos or record videos.

    The only thing it needs to do is to put a led than lights up when people take photos or make videos.
  • 1 Hide
    kettu , May 15, 2013 3:53 AM
    "Take it from a dad, though: there’s something to be said for playing with your kid and recording it, rather than watching him run around, passively, through a smartphone camera (50 minutes of video at a time, that is)."

    I bet that recording everything gets real old real fast. What are you going to with thousands of hours of video? Show it to your friends? I bet they'll love every minute of it! :) 
  • 3 Hide
    randomizer , May 15, 2013 4:00 AM
    That is going to be shown at his 21st isn't it?
  • 1 Hide
    butremor , May 15, 2013 5:49 AM
    I like this video showing how it looks like looking thoriugh a glass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-y3bEjEVV8
  • 1 Hide
    ruffopurititiwang , May 15, 2013 6:52 AM
    I'll wait until apple comes out with their version, made of glass and aluminum. Because more weight means higher quality. Patented, of course.
  • 0 Hide
    AndrewJacksonZA , May 15, 2013 7:45 AM
    What I wouldn't give for a recording of my Dad and my Mom playing with me as a child, from my perspective and from theirs.
  • 0 Hide
    Tuishimi , May 15, 2013 9:10 AM
    The video was adorable. :) 
  • 0 Hide
    TeraMedia , May 15, 2013 11:28 AM
    Next it will be at weddings - possibly even as part of a photog package. Brides and Grooms can see the entire affair from each others' perspectives, as well as from that of guests, etc.
  • 0 Hide
    internetlad , May 15, 2013 11:42 AM
    kettuWhat are you going to with thousands of hours of video? Show it to your friends? I bet they'll love every minute of it!


    How old are you? Old enough not to appreciate looking back on your life, apparently.

    My son is only 3 years old now, and my wife and I constantly remark that we wish we had taken more videos to remember all the incredible things he did in the first couple of years, some of which are now certainly forgotten.
  • 1 Hide
    kettu , May 15, 2013 1:56 PM
    internetladHow old are you? Old enough not to appreciate looking back on your life, apparently. My son is only 3 years old now, and my wife and I constantly remark that we wish we had taken more videos to remember all the incredible things he did in the first couple of years, some of which are now certainly forgotten.


    Old enough to realise that there is nothing more boring than watching other peoples homemovies about their children who do "incredible" things.
  • 2 Hide
    travish82 , May 15, 2013 2:12 PM
    I think I'm done with technology until batteries advance. As it stands now, my smartphone has to sit on the charger for half the day, and it looks like these glasses are no different. The only battery powered tech I own that's worth a crap is my eInk Kindle Touch. EVERYTHING else should last a month on one charge. I'm not kidding. Make this happen. You can have all the money I have if you give me a month long cell phone battery. Otherwise, keep your garbage outta my face.
  • 1 Hide
    AnUnusedUsername , May 15, 2013 7:56 PM
    travish82I think I'm done with technology until batteries advance. As it stands now, my smartphone has to sit on the charger for half the day, and it looks like these glasses are no different. The only battery powered tech I own that's worth a crap is my eInk Kindle Touch. EVERYTHING else should last a month on one charge. I'm not kidding. Make this happen. You can have all the money I have if you give me a month long cell phone battery. Otherwise, keep your garbage outta my face.


    The average $15 "dumb" phone will last a week or more on one charge, just FYI.
  • -1 Hide
    morpheas768 , May 15, 2013 10:08 PM
    So, even when you're walking on a street where there's no street camera's on, you'll still wont feel safe because of Glass creepers everywhere.

    As if our privacy wasnt intruded enough every day.

    Yes, I am a hater. You can flame me, I dont care. Google Glass needs to die.
  • -1 Hide
    Gulli , May 16, 2013 6:32 AM
    Not convinced: talking to your glasses and flipping your head backwards to shift through files is ridiculous and annoying. Better wait until something like a neural interface is available.

    P.S. This thing needs a guarantee against ads (especially popups, which couls kill you if you are walking on a busy street). Even then I think of the poor souls who get recorded on video against their will with no way to know if your glass is on.
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