How to Wear Google Glass and Not Be a Glasshole

Google has made public an etiquette guide for Glass users on the do's and don'ts of using the upcoming wearable tech. The list stems from advice provided by long-time Explorer wearers, as these people are shaping the Explorer community.

"Our Glass Explorer community, which consists of people from all walks of life, actively participates in shaping the future of Glass. With new technology comes new questions, and our Explorers help to answer those questions," Google's guide explains.

One of the funnier entries says not to be creepy or rude (AKA a “Glasshole"). If other people have a question about Glass, be polite and don't get snappy; a quick demo can go a long way. In situations and places where cell phones should be turned off, do the same with Glass. Being rude will not get businesses and individuals excited about Glass.

"Glass was built for short bursts of information and interactions that allow you to quickly get back to doing the other things you love," reads the guide. "If you find yourself staring off into the prism for long periods of time, you're probably looking pretty weird to the people around you. So don't read War and Peace on Glass. Things like that are better done on bigger screens."

Don't wear Glass and expect to be ignored, the guide reads. If wearing Glass during a romantic meal at a restaurant may bring on questions from other diners, place Glass around your neck or take them off completely. As a personal side note, just take Glass off during a romantic meal anyway. Seeing that camera staring back while eating is just rude.

Some of the "Do's" listed on the guide include exploring the world around you, taking advantage of the Glass voice commands, and asking for permission before taking videos or pictures of withers with the camera. Also use a screen lock.

"If you ever lose your device or have it stolen by a budding online resale entrepreneur, you can turn off Glassware and perform a remote wipe (e.g. factory reset) of the device, removing all your information from the device," reads the guide. "All you need to do is go to your MyGlass page on your browser, or the MyGlass App on your phone."

To read the full list of Do's and Don'ts, head here. Google Glass is expected to go retail sometime this summer.

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21 Comments Comment from the forums

booyaah

I bet cops will love seeing you with one of these after they pull you over.
Reply
digitalvampire

"How to Wear Google Glass and Not Be a Glasshole." Simple. Take them off.
Reply
bmwman91

There have been a couple of parties with coworkers and friends of my wife where someone will show up wearing the glasses. The second they walk in, you see their smug expression as they seem to be convinced that the whole room, let alone anyone, gives a shit. "Yeah, I am in the Glass Explorer program. I KNOW people." Most people pretend to be mildly interested and anyone that tries them on is totally underwhelmed but pretends to be impressed because giving an honest assessment to the techie-hipster that owns them would feel too much like kicking an annoying little yap dog...maybe the dog deserves it, but it's just a little dog that doesn't know any better so kicking it is just sort of cruel.Then as soon as the glass-douche bails on the party, everyone can openly say how dumb they thought the glasses, and their owner, were. I am actually heartened by the fact that the majority of people seem to respond negatively to this product. It gives me some glimmer of hope for humanity's future.
Reply
mapesdhs

I'm not sure why so many are being negative about this technology.
It's little different to various gizmos portrayed in Hollywood movies
which at the time were regarded as cool, eg. the tech in Minority Report.

Besides, people said the same negative things about mobiles 20 years ago.
Look where we are now. Ditto the Walkman and any number of clothing
styles when they first appeared.

Fashions change, things move on. What was once considered bizarre
becomes the norm years later. As soon as some big name celebs start
using Glass, or they show up in a popular movie, attitudes will change.
These things all move with mass opinion, and that's never a constant.

Irony is, some of the most useful applications of Glass may be in the
industrial/commercial sector rather than the consumer space, such as
rescue workers, police, fire, medical, environmental, engineering,
maintenance, mining, space sciences, etc. A device that provides data
I/O & coms with voice recognition while keeping one's hands completely
free is potentially extremely useful to a wide variety of people.

IMO it's a rather peculiar response to belittle this device so early in its
development based purely on personal opinions of fashion & style, and
I bet many would change their mind in a heartbeat if the majority opinion
didn't agree with their current negative view. Doubly so if one is only
thinking about its possible uses from an entertainment perspective.

Read your comment a decade from now, that'll be the real test.

Btw, given current events in Kiev, imagine this future scenario: protestors
can film what is happening in front of them, communicate with fellow
activists, etc., while having both hands free to do whatever physical
actions are required in front of them - building barricades, etc. Would
also mean vast numbers of video clips available for use as evidence
against illegal acts by police, etc. Just one example. Think about Glass
from a non-entertainment angle and its possible uses are just endless.

Glass is only the first product of its kind. Think back to what the first
reasonably viable commercial aeroplane was like, the early commercial
services of the 1920s, compare to what we have today with global
air travel. Gadgets like Glass will evolve too, become more powerful,
more flexible, etc. Could a passenger in 1925 have imagined Concorde
or the 777? Who knows what 2nd or 3rd generation Glass devices will
allow one to do? I suspect they will be welcomed openly by those in
future civil rights actions & protests.

Ian.

Reply
drwho1

Free Glasshole of Water, please. /sarcasm
Reply
jscynder

First thing I plan on doing with google Glass? throwing it at the nearest idiot in the room.
Reply
mapesdhs

12719206 said:
First thing I plan on doing with google Glass? throwing it at the nearest idiot in the room.

QED. :\

Ian.

Reply
bmwman91

Read your comment a decade from now, that'll be the real test.
A decade from now, my previous comment will read like some sort of backward-looking technophobic silliness. Everyone will be plugged into something like Glass. It is inevitable.My issue, and many people's issue really, is not that Glass is useless. It has tremendous potential for meaningful applications. The issue is that it is going to end up being the next evolution of instant gratification entertainment. TV, smartphones and Glass all have legitimate uses and can better humanity if used wisely. Instead, they are primarily big sources of brain-drain intended to get people hooked on them to ensure eyeballs are available for ads. People ARE the product with these things. Many people already treat their phones like electronic pacifiers, and Glass is just going to be the next evolution of that, making total-entertainment even more effortless. Cheap, effortless entertainment with 24/7 availability is bad for people because people are notoriously bad at moderating pleasure-consumption. I am sure that a Glass-like product will find acceptance in industrial and medical settings, but the real money maker is going to be getting people to treat this like an appendage that they cannot part with. Google is a business like any other, and their goal is to make money. All sorts of companies claim to have a "higher" goal than profit, but it's incredibly naive to believe any of them. I don't accuse Google of TRYING to make people dumber with glass, but if Glass is to be profitable, that will be the consequence. I hold the same criticisms for TV networks and various social media platforms. So do many others. It won't stop something like Glass from becoming the norm like smartphones have, but not everyone thinks that this fits the definition of "progress." It's hard to define it, but endless low-quality entertainment and the encouragement of narcissism don't seem to fit in there. They ARE incredibly profitable though, and we live in a society where profit is GOD.
Reply
schultzter

Judging by the accompanying photos I was expecting number one to be "Do be a hot babe/dude that can get away with anything with a coy smile."
Reply
typicalGeek

I can't wait to start seeing people wearing these. I'll take the opportunity to walk up to them and test out the voice circuits by saying, "glass, display nude pictures of Ernist Borgnine".
Reply

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