“‘OK Glass,'” Stephen Shankland reports for CNET. “Those are the two words that Google showed today will initiate a variety of commands for its Glass computerized eyewear.”
“In the Google Glass ‘How it Feels’ video, people speak the words ‘OK Glass’ and then pick from a list of featured voice commands to send a message, record a video, take a photo, launch a video-chat hangout, conduct a search, check the weather, or get driving directions,” Shankland reports. “The Glass eyewear perches a screen just above a person’s ordinary field of view; the device itself is equipped with a processor, camera, head-tracking orientation sensors, and other electronics drawn from the smartphone industry. Google began selling Glass developer prototypes called Explorer last year for $1,500 that are due to ship this year.”
Shankland reports, “Wearing the devices might be very personal for the user, but wearing Glass makes you look a bit cyborg. Surely many folks talking to a Glass-wearing person will be put off by the knowledge that there’s a microphone and camera pointed right at them. Think of how differently people behave when the camera comes out for a photo op. In time, people will adjust, as they have to people talking on phones as they walk down the street — especially if Glass becomes mainstream. Google expects Glass will be ready for consumers in 2014.”
Read more in the full article here.
This is the thing Which leads Google into a wrong direction . Let’s see .
The wrong direction is that bold blind area that blacks out half of your right eye vision and leaves flaring/light-struck after-effect once you put off those damn glasses.
People hate to wear glasses even just to two hours of watching a 3D film before their home screens, let alone that kind of glasses that Google showcases.
If there will be ever a version with almost non-existent blind area, then such things could be more popular.
I’m sitting in a coffee shop trying to get a little work done away from the office (and, well, reading MDN).
In the corner is the loudest idiot I’ve ever heard talking on a phone. I can barely hear myself think. She’s exactly the kind of obnoxious person I imagine will be wearing these things (and shouting into these things) when they hit the market.
God save us from the loud-talking cyborg real estate agent geeks.
How is this different from talking to someone with any other device? Or even just talking to someone that’s actually there with you?
Because it’s always ‘on’ and people will forget they’re using it.
It will be like the lady on the mobile phone, but everyone and always.
I hope these glasses have a motion detector that disables them when the wearer is moving unless there is a “passenger” mode. They strike me as a major distraction while walking, biking, running, driving, etc.
Okay, I just watched the video.
Are any of those activities actually enhanced by the Google cyborg glasses?
Most of them look absolutely dangerous.
with JAVA/SCRIPT off the video is unavailable. LOL.
Java and JavaScript are completely different things.
“No Glasses”
Just what the world needs – something else that distracts people and causes accidents. This is something only Big Brother could love. Glass my ass.
well it is a solution to hands free navigation and communications which might be suitable while driving in a car
I much prefer the watch idea!
i hate both watch and glasses,
iPad mini with telephone capabilities is the right size to carry and use daily on the go.
Apple, please just add Cellular phone capabilities.
One device, no watch, no glasses. Thanks.
Google’s stock is around $800 and Apple’s stock is around $450… When Google steal (Java from Oracle, IPs from Apple…etc), Google got rewarded handsomely; When Apple work its ass out to design and create insanely great products based on its own hard work, it got gang-banded by all side even from our own gov. It sure is a “WTF” moment!
I guess Google’s bribe…. I meant “lobbying” $$ do help to smooth things around in Washington a bit…
or else wall street loves to wear glasses
I applaud Google for their innovation and effort. The glasses are an interesting cyber toy and may prove to be useful. I wonder what Apple has up its sleeve?
yes agreed – where are you on this Apple?
busy anticipating Slamdung wrist watch challenge?
meanwhile Google is finally innovating and openly doing so.
though i do not like it, it is different and hands free
Heh, the amount of negativity here surprises me. Every new idea has its detractors. But these glasses create some *very* interesting possibilities. I believe Google is on to something really big here. It might take a company like Apple to break it wide open.
Recall that Apple didn’t invent the mouse or the graphical interface or the MP3 player or the cell phone or the tablet computer. But they utilized creativity and talent to take it where no one else had.
MP3 players were the next step in mobile music after the walkman and discman. nothing new
smartphones and tablets all had problems that they solved
what problem does google glass solve? i can find uses for an iwatch but what would i do with google glass i can’t do now?
I will tell you… its totally hands free.
For me it’s less about the technology, and more about people. It’s a neat idea, but I don’t see people using a technology like this in day to day life.
It’s a little like the lean forward / lean back between computer and tablet use patterns.
To me it seems that most information worth accessing is worth a “head’s down” interaction.
Now maybe that’s the whole point. That “head’s up” type information is becoming more prevalent in our world. There’s just more information we’d like to interact with, without shifting focus (incoming texts? way-finding, location-specific notifications, and more). But our capacity to deal with more than one thing in focus has not changed.
Most of this stuff is not really “head’s up” type information. Can you extract anything valuable from a Wikipedia article without pausing your meat-space conversation?
On the other hand I’m starting to think a watch is the right model. Do I need to pull out my phone to read a response screen presented for a question or task I’ve asked of Siri?
looking up, look way up…
its much more positive.
Heads Down is negative.
Up or forward is far more natural. Simple ergonomics.
Something learnt early on in life.
Look to the stars my friends.
George: I’m not sure that I like the glasses? But you’re right about the negativity here. It’s nearly impossible to throw out an objective comment without being called a troll. If Apple had brought out the idea of glasses, there’d be very little negativity here.
I hope they include a Google snorkel with it, because we’re going to look like scuba idiots with these things on our heads.
do we need a bluetooth wireless computer in our pockets to connect these glasses to its processing power?
fail if so – cant see goggles from google packing such power into a small foot print and having any battery life for it worth to work
This is another fad/gimmick that will not catch on. There is no real benefit to this. Google is full of them. It is one of the main reason that they have copied most of their projects rather than real innovation. Its easier to just copy other good ideas than innovate.
hands free is entirely beneficial.
I’ll buy a pair when they drop the price by about $1,480.
Hopefully they’ll create a version that doesn’t lean so much towards making us look like creepy puzzle-basement cyborgs.
agreed, price needs to be 20 to 200 bucks
… change the “200” to “40” and then we’re in agreement and pushing the limit.
Maybe you can wear them on your wrist?
What is the solution for those who already were glasses?
Suddenly my four eyes has more negativity.
Simon says, Blue Ant, Computer, all these are command based prompts to activate the computer to know when you are requesting it for help.
Again, Apple, I believe was commercially first with that.
While other technologies have grown, expanded and improved on Apples initial introduction, don’t think that Apple is not watching?
I can’t wait to walk up to someone wearing these and say, “OK Glass, fade to black.”
“OK Glass, snap a discrete photo of the woman sitting across from me and upload to randombabes.com.”
There’s 95% of your use cases right there.
Too bad it won’t have a zoom feature.
What’s that sticking out of your forehead? Are you happy to see me or just zoomed in?
“OK Glass, what is she really thinking?”
“I’m sorry, Dave, but your ego will not tolerate that information.”
It is claimed that Apple is betting the future on a watch device while Google is obviously working in Glass. If this is true I think Google has the natural advantage unless Apple can pull a massive rabbit out of their hat.
One of the problems with voice recognition is filtering background noise from the spoken commands. A face mounted device would have a huge natural advantage over a device worn on one’s wrist as bone conducts sound very well and could be used for noise cancellation.
Google Stock Close $792.46
Apple Stock Close $448.85
Apple is still a nice $400 stock and the market keeps dragging it back down despite the fanbois.
I’ve been wearing contact lenses for years so I don’t have to wear glasses. Glasses can be uncomfortable, they leave marks on your nose, they need cleaning all the time and aren’t good in the rain, they mist up when you go indoors when it’s cold outside… personally I think it’s a stupid idea.