Just days after Google said it has begun notifying winners of its Google Glass contest held in February, the company says it's now forced to disqualify some of the lucky winners for good reasons.
For those now appearing on Google's new blacklist, disqualification means they won't be required to drive to New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco to shell out $1,500 for an early "Explorer" release of Google's wearable tech. As it stands now, the retail version is expected to arrive in 4Q13, but the release could be pushed back into 1Q14 if any issues arise.
Based on several previously qualifying applications that are now being rejected by Google, it seems that a number of hopeful testers weren't really out to gain a pair of Google's specs at all. Instead, they were obviously just trolling Google for a few laughs and/or to see if they could gain entry… and somehow succeeded.
"It’s become clear that a few applications that don’t comply with our terms have slipped through the cracks, and we’re going to have to disqualify applications like these," the company said via Google Glass.
No other details were given, but the terms of the contest clearly state that submissions will be disqualified if they are "derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging… or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of #ifihadglass."
"Unfortunately your application didn’t comply with our terms, and has been disqualified," Google told one previously approved applicant via Twitter. "We’re sorry for the confusion."
One potential winner's contest entry stated that "I'd throw it in your face" while another said she would "cut a bitch!" So how did these submissions get through Google's filters? Obviously, someone was asleep at the wheel when picking and choosing potential Explorer testers. Or maybe Google didn't read them at all and just decided to use the first 8,000 submissions.
Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of wearable computing. It pulls many tasks off the smartphone and places them in the user's field of view. That means less rubbing on the smartphone's screen and more hands free, voice-controlled tasks. The specs come packed with an embedded camera that has already caused them to be banned from one Seattle bar.
