It stands to reason that a nerd like me would love Google Glass. The wearable technology has it all: A tiny screen projection that hovers in front of your face, voice commands and instant response to your most critical desires. Plus, it makes you look a little bit like you’ve joined the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, that’s not why it’s the future. Google Glass could be the next big thing because it’s a piece of powerful, yet elegant consumer technology that anyone can use with almost no training.
It’s been a few days since I first got my hands on the lightweight and not at all bad-looking eyewear, and with each passing moment, I am more convinced that extraordinary promise resides in this high-tech monocle.
Over the last two days, I showcased it for television audiences, using a Samsung Galaxy S3 Android phone to screencast what I see on my screen for the viewing audience. Despite my relatively limited time with Google Glass, the segments went smoothly and
I was constantly amazed at the reception Google Glass received
I was constantly amazed at the reception Google Glass received. People are intrigued and about as excited as they were when the first Apple iPhone hit the scene. This is a paradigm shift; a game changer.
At the Today show, I had been hesitant to let the anchors wear Google Glass. It’s a touch-sensitive device and (unless you put it in guest mode), a gesture can change a setting. I told them to be careful and then gave Matt Lauer a brief tutorial. Soon he was taking pictures and issuing commands to Glass. Then he started passing it around to his co-anchors: Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Natalie Morales. Matt trained all of them. Each took photos and video. Only Roker got briefly stuck in a phone-call loop.
That wasn’t his fault. The method for navigating Google Glass is somewhat new. Yes, it’s still intuitive, but only after you understand that a tap or head nod wakes Google Glass up and puts it to sleep. Things you’ve done before are brought forward to your view by a swipe forward, and the future (or what you may encounter in your day) is found by swiping back. More interesting is that in menus with lists, looking up and down will take you up and down through the menu options. You can also use up and down gestures to dive in and out of menus.
I guess some of this sounds complicated, but I swear to you, I have now witnessed people learning this in minutes.
Wearing It
Google Glass Images
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Open Gallery
Al Roker Hams It Up for Glass
Show As List
To prepare for my segments, I started wearing Google Glass as often as possible. This is kind of a problem for me. The current units do not fit over most prescription glasses. I wear glasses every day, all day long. Still, I got used to squinting to see things in the distance and reading the somewhat blurry Google Glass screen just above my eye. Google isn’t saying when prescription models will be available, but the future is easy to see: The current model has a snap-in sunglass visor. I assume prescription lenses could be made to fit in a very similar fashion.
After a few hours of wearing Google Glass, I almost forgot I was wearing them.
After a few hours of wearing Google Glass, I almost forgot I was wearing them. For a pair that was not even precisely fitted for my head, they fit perfectly. This is saying something. I’ve had new pairs of glasses that, after a few hours of wear, felt less comfortable than Google Glass. It’s all the more surprising when you look at Google Glass: They’re the picture of design imbalance. All the technology — projector, prism, cameras, microphone, bone-conduction audio and battery — are all on one side. The reality, though, is that they manage to feel perfectly balanced.
Test Drive
Google Glass is capable of a number of tricks that you’ll end up finding far more useful than you expected.
Once you wake up Google Glass, you see the time (in rather large type) and “Okay Glass” right underneath it. That’s your control command. I found that I could yell or whisper this and Google Glass sprang into action. It did have trouble in some noisy areas, but most of the time, I could get Glass’ attention and then get something done.
The two most obvious options, and the ones you’ll likely use the most, are “Take a picture” and “Record a video.” The former captures a relatively sharp 5-megapixel image. The second grabs just 10 second of 720 p video (that’s the default; you can change it in settings). You can see some of the video I captured with Google Glass below.
All of this media goes right up to your Google+ account, where they are private by default.
Full disclosure: This Google Glass unit isn't mine. It's one of two units Mashable will receive, thanks to having attended Google I/O 2012. We bought both of them (for $1,600 a pop!). As a result, all that media ended up in my co-worker’s account. Still, even through this glass darkly, I could see the benefit of having an always-accessible life recorder on your head and connected to your social media account.
Google Glass is also incredible easy to connect. It works with any Bluetooth-enabled phone (yes, even the iPhone), but the best experience will be found with an Android phone running Google's “MyGlass" companion app.
I downloaded the free app from Google Play and used it to effortlessly add Wi-Fi hotspots to Google Glass and could also have used it to connect the eyewear to my Gmail account. It was also useful for the aforementioned screencasting (not possible on iOS phones).
There are, by the way, ample settings and controls right within the device. You have to find “Settings,” which are in the "future" direction, and then swipe through to find the desired control. Among them are the degree of head tilt you need to turn on Google Glass (the less the better since random big head nods make you look at little weird), Wi-Fi settings, tethering, battery charge level and storage space.
Every once in a while I would get confused about which direction to swipe, but I invariably managed to swipe my way home (to “Okay Glass”).
Understanding and Getting Around
Google Glass does not have a cellular radio built in, but it can make calls via Bluetooth through your phone. To be truly useful, however, it does need Wi-Fi access.
At various times I switched between my office Wi-Fi and the one available on the Today show set. Such data access enables key features like Google search and content-centric apps like The New York Times reader app. That app, while interesting, is probably not the best showcase for Google Glass. It can deliver the latest headlines, but when you ask Google Glass to read you one of the stories, which it does in a somewhat robotic, feminine voice, it only reads the first few sentences. I was left wanting more.
If you say “Google,” you’re really enabling the personal assistant side of Google Glass.
I asked it, “Do I need an umbrella?” and it responded, “No, it isn’t raining in New York.
I asked it, “Do I need an umbrella?” and it responded, “No, it isn’t raining in New York. It’s 60 degrees and overcast,” while showing me a weather forecast screen. When I asked for a translation: “How to say ‘Hello’ in Japanese,” it instantly responded with, ‘konichiwa.’ ”
As with the best consumer electronics, this all just worked. I never trained Google Glass on my voice, nor did I need to overly enunciate. Sure, my co-workers — and virtually everyone else — looked at me like I was crazy when I tried this stuff out, but I didn’t care. It made me happy.
Google Glass also has built-in GPS, which means it’s ready to help get you where you’re going by car or on foot. The problem is that I spend most of my time in the city, and Google Glass seemed unable to offer transit directions — an odd omission since Google Maps is so expert at the same task.
Connecting
What you see and capture is instantly shareable (on Google+), but if you really want excitement, you can launch a Google Hangout right from Google Glass. Hangouts, like other key features, require Wi-Fi and a Google+ account, but otherwise, it’s simple and smart. I had fun connecting with Christina Warren who, instead of seeing me on her screen, saw the view from my Google Glass Camera. You can imagine the possibilities.
Caveats
Google Glass is by no means perfect
Google Glass is by no means perfect (it did crash on me once), or even done. Battery life lasts a day, but only if you don't use photos and, especially, record a lot of video. That can cut your battery reserves way, way down.
There are still very few apps (though we hear rumors of Twitter for Glass, which would be a huge score), plus it costs over $1,500. There’s also the fact that you can’t actually buy Google Glass — that is, unless you attended Google I/O last year or made it onto the Google Glass Explorer program (8,000 people).
That hefty price, by the way, may be in place to intentionally quell consumer demand. I think Google really wants to get this experience right. Now that a whole lot more people are testing it (but those with some understanding of the platform and intentions), Google can get critical feedback and debugging for near-term improvements.
I bet that, a year or so from now, when Google Glass is available at the local Best Buy, the price will be much lower (there may also be tiers based on storage space).
Oh, and remember that voice command system? It doesn’t know who you are and if Google Glass hears someone else say “Okay Glass,” it can react.
Easily the biggest concern, though, is privacy. Wherever I wore Google Glass I would get looks. No one asked about them, but I could see them regarding the device with interest and, maybe, a bit of concern. Today weatherman Al Roker peppered me with questions about privacy. As I explained, it’s hard to surreptitiously film someone. When Google Glass is on, you can see the screen illumination –- from the outside. Roker said, “What if you’re walking behind someone?” Yeah, I guess that could happen, but then they’d likely hear you saying “Okay Glass. Take a picture.”
It’s a fair concern, but Google Glass is not a spying tool. It sits above the eye, not in front of it. To use it, I looked somewhat up. If I want a spy tool, put it right in front of my eye, so I can look at the person I’m talking to, while filming someone else.
Tech You Wear Is Where It’s At
I don’t know if Google Glass is the apex of wearable technology. In fact, I’m convinced it’s not. Instead, I see it as the first, major and likely successful step on a long journey. One day, when we’re putting on our smart watch, buttoning our invisibility shirt, tucking it into our bionic pants and gently touching the Google dot on our temple, we’ll look back on Google Glass with fondness and deep appreciation for what it started.
Google Glass Camera
This is Google Glasse's unblinking eye.
This Is Why Google Glass Is the Future
Google Glass Images
