UK Cinemas Ban Google Glass in Theatres
Wearables allow us to do more with our connected devices, but the added functionality brings with it a slew of issues as far as privacy, security, and social conduct are concerned. When Google Glass burst onto the scene last year, many people worried about how the ease with which users could record video and take photos. With Google Glass now available in the United Kingdom (the first expansion outside the United States), people in the UK are dealing with the same concerns, and it looks like UK cinemas will be the first to say 'no' to Google Glass users.
Less than a week after the device's release, the Independent reports that the Cinema Exhibitors' Association has said that users will be asked to remove their glasses in auditoriums whether the movie is playing or not. Representing 90 percent of UK cinema operators, including Cineworld, Odeon, Savoy, and Vue Cinemas, and the Independent reports that one movie-goer has already been asked to remove his headset inside a cinema in Leicester Square.
While pirates could conceivably record the latest summer blockbuster using Google Glass, it's highly unlikely that they'd actually want to. For a start, Google Glass wasn't exactly built for shooting in the dark. Then there's the fact that it can't even come close to feature length films in terms of battery life when recording video. They'd have to plug it in to an external battery while recording or choose which half hour portion of the movie they want to record before the unit dies. Then again, people had no problem downloading an early and incomplete version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine when it became available a few years back, so perhaps there is a market for parts of new or highly anticipated movies.
Google Glass launched in the United Kingdom last week and costs £1000 to buy. Google is still calling Glass a work in progress and has stressed that the device isn’t yet ready for the mass market. However, unlike the initial Explorer Program launch in the U.S., anyone in the UK over 18 can buy Glass, so the folks in Mountain View are slowly getting to a point where they comfortable selling to the every day man.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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jasonelmore People will still wear them, they'll just put them in their pocket and then put them on. lolReply -
aule10 Why would a pirate want to make external recordings? most of them get them from a cenimat and they take a copy of it.Reply -
megamanxtreme So far only one person wearing GLass was turned away. Seems like one person, so far bought a pair or these GLass-holes don't go to movies, too cheap for movies? I mean the glasses were 1000 Euros, c'mon!Reply -
Morbus ReplyPeople will still wear them, they'll just put them in their pocket and then put them on. lol
Shhhh, don't tell anyone! -
ivyanev "there is a market for parts of new or highly anticipated movies" - when you say market you mean audience - maket is when someone actually pays.Reply -
sunflier ReplySo no cameras in the theatre, how is this news?
Camcorders - of course...But perhaps you're forgetting your smartphone (like all other smartphones) has a built in camera and yet you don't see Theatres banning those. So its understandable for a heads-up concerning new technology such as Google glasses. -
gm0n3y This is a little ridiculous. Smartphones are allowed in theatres. In fact, for at least the past year they've had a pre-movie game (Timeplay) that comes on the screen before the previews that you need to play on your phone. Then there are reminders to turn off your phone before the movie starts. What is the point of banning Glass? I doubt people that watch low quality screeners would ever have paid to see the movie if the screener wasn't available.Reply