The elevator door opened. We hadn't hit the ground floor yet, and another person entered. But other people on the floor who were standing by the elevator could tell that something was amiss with one of the passengers. Something was amiss with me.
"Oh wow, is that the Google gadget?" a woman exclaimed as she moved her hand between the doors, halting their closure.
"Yes, it is," I confirm, instinctively touching my right hand to the side of the device resting on my head. She comes into the elevator — even though she originally had no intention of leaving the floor — and asks questions excitedly, wondering if I'm filming video as she's talking (I'm not) and if I like it (I do). Others in the elevator seem more irritated than curious.
The device, of course, is Google Glass, and I've just left the official "fitting" for the device
The device, of course, is Google Glass, and I've just left the official "fitting" for the device at New York City's Chelsea Market, across the street from Google's New York headquarters. The fitting was on the 8th floor, and before I even got to ground level I was already getting more attention than your average celebrity gets in public, especially a play-it-cool place like NYC.
"You know, there are dozens of these in the building," I tell the woman.
She ignores my comment and continues to pepper me with questions. "What are you seeing right now? Can you get calls on it? How much does it cost?"
Once we hit the ground floor, two men roll their eyes as they exit the elevator. The woman continues to ask questions that I try my best to answer, her eyes filled with excitement. She politely asks if she can take a picture of me wearing Glass, and I oblige. Others in the lobby see what she's doing and also ask for pictures. Some just take them.
Out on the street, the effect is magnified, but that's partly because Mashable video editor Evan Engel and I stop to film a video with my thoughts on the fitting (Google didn't let us shoot video at the event, but photos were allowed), and partly because we're in a touristy area of Manhattan.
"Are those Google Glasses?"
"Are they comfortable?"
"How did you get them?"
The answer to the first two questions is yes, and here's the answer to the third:
First, you had to sign up for Glass at Google I/O 2012 in order to get the current Explorer Edition. Google sent me an email last week saying I could schedule a fitting where I could pick up my unit and learn how to use it. One phone call and online registration later (which requires a Google+ account), and I had my appointment set up.
Behind Glass
Google turned the 8th Floor of Chelsea Market into a kind of high-tech (and high-end) optician, with multiple stations where various people were learning how to use Glass. "Fitting" is really a misnomer — there wasn't much at all in the way of adjusting how Glass fits on your face. It's pretty much all tutorial.
More after the gallery...
Google Glass Fitting
A gentleman named Soji showed me how to set up and use Glass. He was an excellent guide, first making Evan and me comfortable by offering us drinks and smiling a lot. He was wearing Glass, too.
Soji took us to a mirror that had five Glass units hanging near it, each a different color. After considering the blue for a minute, I eventually settled on "cotton" — the white one. (Hey, it goes with anything.) The units hanging by the mirror were just for show. Once I picked a color, another Googler went to the back to get a brand new unit, sealed in the box.
If any product packaging qualifies as "high end," it's the one for Glass
If any product packaging qualifies as "high end," it's the one for Glass. It's light yellow with subtle black lettering, and doesn't have any of the typical folds or tiny plastic bags for individual parts found in most gadget packages today. It feels suited more to a pair of expensive shoes than a piece of consumer electronics.
If you hold the lid the right way, the weight of the lower part of the box will slowly cause it to fall away, revealing a thin piece of onion-skin paper that completely covers the inside. It's adhered to the sides, an you peel it away to reveal Glass, held in a customized piece of yellow cardboard. Beneath that are the USB plug and charging cable, the latter of which is flat, allowing it to be perfectly coiled in a ring. "Chic" is kind of an understatement.
Real Pane
After opening the box, I took out Glass and began the setup, with Soji's help. When I first made the appointment, I needed to let them know my Google account, and Soji showed me how to find my Glass page — I just typed in google.com/myglass into a Chromebook Pixel they had at the station, and it was ready with a QR code for me to pair the unit.
Once paired to my Google account, Glass was ready for action
Once paired to my Google account, Glass was ready for action. The MyGlass page came alive with boxes for Device Info, Wi-Fi networks and apps (among other things). Soji asked me what kind of phone I wanted to use with Glass, and I produced the HTC One loaner we reviewed last month. It's a temporary home, of course, but better than my personal iPhone since there isn't yet a MyGlass app for iOS.
There is an app for Android, of course, so once I had Glass paired with the phone, I could control the device's settings right from the phone. It was easy to set up Wi-Fi networks so Glass didn't have to rely on the phone's connection at the Mashable offices or at my home. I also turned on all the "official" apps, which at this point amount to Google+, Google Now, Gmail, The New York Times and Path.
Soji walked me through taking pictures, recording videos, performing Google searches, getting directions, changing settings — basically the whole Glass experience. He showed me how to adjust the prism so I could see it best, and he cautioned me about the two activities that drain the battery most: active navigation and recording extended videos.
As we were wrapping up, Soji encouraged us to do whatever we wanted with Glass. He emphasized what Google has publicly said — that Glass Explorers should feel free to "hack" the device at will in pursuit of creating great apps for this new wearable-tech experience. We told him we'd do our best.
The Future, Refracted
In all, the fitting was great. The Google guys were very accommodating, even though we were clearly from a media company looking to document Glass as much as possible. Our guide prepped us well for the experience of operating Glass.
What they couldn't prepare us for was the experience of wearing Glass, at least in public. Google Glass looks a lot less dorky than it could have, but it still stands out — and everyone wants to know what that contraption is on your face. And if they already know, it's even more likely they'll say something.
Almost all the people who have stopped me in the street to ask about Glass are enthusiastic. Whether or not they've heard of it, they view the little connected device with curiosity and wonder. I remember the same feeling when I saw many Googlers sporting Glass at Google I/O last year: Here's a shard from the future, and it's not some abstract concept discussed in a keynote or white paper — it's sitting right there on someone's face.
Images by Evan Engel, Mashable
