Google co-founder spotted with prototype Glasses

[Red Storm]

http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/04/05/google.co.founder.proves.prject.glass.real/

Just think, in a few years (or more), we'll have these things shrunk down to the size of a contact lens. Forget augmented reality, this is the beginning of augmented humanity. Imagine zooming in with your eyes on something hard to see. Or immediately knowing exactly how far away an object is (or its measurements in general). Looking at a restaurant sign and immediately getting the menu + reviews. Being able to take pictures on a whim essentially giving everyone photographic (and "videographic") memory. Being able to watch "full screen" pictures and video anywhere you are in any position you want without having to hold anything (the porn industry is going to love this...).

Exciting stuff for the future iterations of this tech.

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

Why isn't it The Future yet?

 

[Slick5150]

Welllllcommmmeee to the woooooooorld of tomorrrrrrow!

 

[alent1234]

i saw the youtube video a few days ago for the official unveiling. it was a joke at the office. they are cool, but no one can figure out a practical use for these things

but then again the original iphone was cool as well but useless

 

[Red Storm]

i saw the youtube video a few days ago for the official unveiling. it was a joke at the office. they are cool, but no one can figure out a practical use for these things

but then again the original iphone was cool as well but useless

It was pretty easy to think of the uses the very second I first heard about it...

For starters, having functional access to smartphone capabilities (text, chat, email, maps, calling, etc.) without having to actually use a smartphone. This is the first step in overcoming the biggest downside to hand held devices... the fact that they are hand held devices.

 

[MaxFusion16]

too intrusive, I prefer handheld devices, don't want to wear glasses.

having google ads pop up everywhere I look? no thanks.

 

[destrekor]

i saw the youtube video a few days ago for the official unveiling. it was a joke at the office. they are cool, but no one can figure out a practical use for these things

but then again the original iphone was cool as well but useless

Do you do ANYTHING with a smartphone?

I mean, you ever communicate with people, ever look up information about your local area as it pertains to you, and hell... ever wish to know a little more, but just didn't feel like pulling out the phone, swiping the lock (or typing pin), opening an app, typing some info, just to find the info you were curious about?

This looks to solve most of our lazy desires when it comes to a connected world with the information overload that we like - but has the goal of being unobtrusive (so, yeah, it sits there on your eye and you see a little of it in the corner of your eye) and allows you to quickly do everything you need or even want to do on a smartphone (in terms of finding information) without committing to much effort at all. All in all, it's probably safer too - just think of the people who hurt themselves when focusing on a handheld device and trying to keep doing what they were doing in the first place? Falling down stairs, falling into fountains in a mall, crashing cars (sometimes with lethal results for themselves, or innocent bystanders even!). I think this has a chance to allow us to remain connected like we want, and able to dig up and see a ton of useful information, yet also allows our brain and eyes to remain on the task at hand - you can essentially remain focused on walking or driving, but can see a lot of "smartphone data" with barely any movement of the eye away from the main source of attention - which allows it to quickly ignore the nearer focal point in the event anything of import happens in your cone of vision further out - instead of it being completely blocked from vision).

Part of that is because it's transparent, the other part is because it's right there in the corner of your visual field. You aren't shuffling about, trying to dig something out, or worse - holding it in front of you, at an angle, requiring large movements of the eye and a major change in focus.


I'd love something like this, but honestly, I'd hate to be ridiculed for wearing it - and people are retarded like that. But I'd love to see this thing come out pronto, and if it's simply paired with a smartphone, the technology is there for it to be released, and decently affordable, in the next few years. For it to be an all-in-one solution, shrunken down, and incorporated into prescription lenses of any sort (or any sort of contact lens, for that matter - fashion accessory or prescription), that will be a decade or two in all likelihood.

If it's affordable, and practical, I'll likely get such a thing. Perfect accessory for driving - if paired with smartphone, for instance, I can drop it from the windshield and use THIS to have a HUD-style navigation system, instead of having a device that can act as a dangerous distraction.

 

[alent1234]

there is no way you can walk the NYC streets doing all that in your glasses and not bump into people all the time.

the demo was in NYC. half the city is easy to navigate because it's like a grid with avenues running north outh and streets east west. you just need to find the address on your phone and which street it's on and no need to actually navigate while walking.

for calling i see everyone talking into to bluetooth or cheapo headphones

the last thing i want is to walk around and dodge drivers wearig these things. GPS with voice nav and a quick
glance at the screen is more than enough, and safe

and the part where it's always scanning everything and showing you a price or where else to buy it is plain annoying

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

It was pretty easy to think of the uses the very second I first heard about it...

For starters, having functional access to smartphone capabilities (text, chat, email, maps, calling, etc.) without having to actually use a smartphone. This is the first step in overcoming the biggest downside to hand held devices... the fact that they are hand held devices.

That's just how I see this concept: a new and improved interface for my smartphone. Hell, a new interface for reality eventually. Especially once the third party app devs get their hands on the SDK for this thing...

Can't wait.

 

[alent1234]

and apple is working on similar devices as well, and even then i don't see that much point

but then again i rarely use foursquare or any of the find your friend apps. and no one i know does

 

[WelshBloke]

there is no way you can walk the NYC streets doing all that in your glasses and not bump into people all the time.

the demo was in NYC. half the city is easy to navigate because it's like a grid with avenues running north outh and streets east west. you just need to find the address on your phone and which street it's on and no need to actually navigate while walking.

for calling i see everyone talking into to bluetooth or cheapo headphones

the last thing i want is to walk around and dodge drivers wearig these things. GPS with voice nav and a quick
glance at the screen is more than enough, and safe

and the part where it's always scanning everything and showing you a price or where else to buy it is plain annoying

I dont think its going to be compulsory, if you dont like it dont buy it.:biggrin:

Personally, if I can get over felling slightly silly wearing one, I'd love one. Just having the overlays while wandering around town would be fun (imagine the Google maps layers, just superimposed on reality). Guided tours when on holiday, with directions to the nearest cafe.

I cant believe you cant see ANY use for this. Even if its for watching films when on the bus.

 

[Raswan]

and apple is working on similar devices as well, and even then i don't see that much point

but then again i rarely use foursquare or any of the find your friend apps. and no one i know does

I don't think anyone over the age of 25 does, unless they are desperately trying to remain hip. The youngest generation right now can't get enough of sharing about themselves, though (no dig, we'd probably be doing the same).

Still, the glasses could be cool. I like the idea of the video share. Think how easy it would be to fix your moron friend's computer? No more Gadwin, awkward phone calls, or driving over there. Easy peasy. Plus, I like the gps overlay. I'd buy 'em, long as google doesn't try to integrate ads or constantly track my location.

 

[Red Storm]

and apple is working on similar devices as well, and even then i don't see that much point

but then again i rarely use foursquare or any of the find your friend apps. and no one i know does

Neither do I, but I still don't understand why you can't see where this is headed. This is the future of not just smartphones, but personal computing and media consumption. Who needs a TV/monitor when you already have a "full screen" display in your eye (I'm talking about future iterations, not the current glasses). They'll have to solve the "eye = finger" problem for navigating the UI, but we've already seen things like the brain mouse, so we're getting there.

These first generation Google Glasses are not going to change the world. But to get to that revolutionary, world-changing tech, we have to start somewhere.

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

I don't think anyone over the age of 25 does, unless they are desperately trying to remain hip. The youngest generation right now can't get enough of sharing about themselves, though (no dig, we'd probably be doing the same).

I'm probably the most anti-social person I know (no Facebook, Twitter, etc) and I can still see the use of this. Just as a personal information kiosk wherever I go it would be handy. Not to mention I'm a sucker for new and novel UIs.

 

[zoiks]

Love Google. Apple will likely patent various aspects of it and then call it their invention.

 

[zoiks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9c6W4CCU9M4

 

[SAWYER]

Imagine how fast those 2 gig data caps will be ate up

 

[alent1234]

i'm trying to figure out what problem they solve

smartphones gave us computing on the go.

anything from time killers while watching your kids play to navigation. and using your own phone to avoid touching the company blackberry. there were devices that did the same functions, but smart phones fused it into one device

in this case they are trying to be a lite smart phone with a different gui. i can't see myself or a lot of people watching movies on them because a lot of people watch movies in a social setting.

for navigation most people don't need to drive to different places every day and even then the biggest value of the map is real time traffic to avoid delays. walking around i don't need a map constantly displayed. i've used my iphone for walking around and all i need to know is where something is and that's it. i don't need to track my movement every second.

i don't video call every call

i don't need to buy tickets or a book as soon as i see a poster on the street. the hottest shows sell out in the first
half hour anyway
for me a killer app is to scan my mailbox and alert me for some messages

i can see a need for a GUI of a minimal amount of information displayed like the subway alert but a smartphone will do just as well

 

[WelshBloke]

i'm trying to figure out what problem they solve...

At the least they make some shit we already do easier, better or faster.

 

[Mopetar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9c6W4CCU9M4

Someone already did a spoof of it that's kind of funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRF0rBXIeg

Interesting concept, but the only thing that bugged me was that you needed to talk to it, so it has many of the same problems as Siri. Then again maybe I just think it's weird to talk to no one in particular while walking around in public. Someone really needs to build something that you can just control with your thoughts.

 

[Mopetar]

i'm trying to figure out what problem they solve

Probably the best examples are some augmented reality type stuff, where the glasses provide an overlay that provides additional information. For example, imagine being at the grocery store and being able to see nutritional facts for everything just by glancing at it and having them compared for you.

For the most part, there aren't a lot of things they could do that a smart phone couldn't, but if we eventually get the point where we can fit everything a smart phone can do into a pair of glasses, there's no real reason not to make them that way if that's what people want.

 

[alent1234]

i've used some monocle apps on iOS and wasn't really impressed. especially Yelp.

for nutrition i already know what to buy. avoid artificial processed crap and everything else is mostly OK. i was buying some juice last night and picked up the Naked Juice blue machine smoothie. only thing missing was vitamin A so i picked up a bottle of Bolthouse Juice carrot juice.

some people will jump on this. i know two people who are constantly checking into foursquare. i'm trying to think of this from the normal person perspective. and i'm someone who usually checks out new tech before anyone else. i had an iphone in 2009, built my own computers in the 1990's, etc

 

[T_Yamamoto]

The problem i see is that people will focus more on their glasses than what they are doing IE: walking or driving etc, so there will likely be more accidents

 

[BoberFett]

Love Google. Apple will likely patent various aspects of it and then call it their invention.

:biggrin:

And I think these glasses could be awesome. They can already show me a minimap, hopefully someday they'll let me easily track my health, armor, and ammo...

 

[BoberFett]

The problem i see is that people will focus more on their glasses than what they are doing IE: walking or driving etc, so there will likely be more accidents

A HUD is far less distracting than having to look down at your phone and completely away from whatever you're doing. These would reduce accidents.