Gary Shteyngart, novelist and fond admirer of Koreans, wrote maybe the best explanation of what it’s like to use Google Glass for The New Yorker this week. Shteyngart was one of the first to receive Glass, as part of the Glass Explorers program, and he writes about a week’s worth of the telling little moments of using it.
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While we love our gadgets for their glass-capacitive touchscreens, they can be sensitive to scratches and fingerprints. Corning, best known for protecting our phone and tablet displays, is introducing Gorilla Glass NBT for touch-enabled laptops. This new ultra-strong covering promises enhanced scratch resistance, reduced flaw visibility and better retained strength once a blemish occurs — basically, the same benefits as GG3. Dell is the first manufacturer to jump on-board with NBT and plans to use it on some notebooks this fall. Does this mean you wont have to be nearly as careful when schlepping your computer in a messenger bag? Probably not, but at least your precious displays will be safer from errant kitty paws. PR after the break.
Google announced at its I/O event in May that a Glass Developer Kit is on the way so devs can build more advanced apps for its headset than the Mirror API supports, but it’s still not quite ready. In a post on Google+, team member Alain Vongsouvanh encouraged developers to use the current Android SDK (API level 15) to try out ideas. The team has also posted code samples with examples like a stopwatch, compass and level, and says devs can access the device’s accelerometer and play media. If you’re ready to get to work all the necessary info is linked in the post, we hope to see the fruits of such labor in the Play store very soon.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Alain Vongsouvanh (Google+), Google Glass Development Kit, Glass GitHub
Among other things, Google Glass is bringing to light how wearable computers and the new wave of web-connected objects collectively known as the Internet of Things are introducing new security vulnerabilities to the puzzle of mobile computing.
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“What do you do with it in the men’s room?” That’s the number one question I get about Google Glass, the face-mounted wearable computer from Google.
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“OK, Glass.” It’s a phrase that’s become synonymous with Google’s trailblazing wearable tech, and with good reason. As the headset’s hotword, it must be uttered by the user (with varying levels of self-consciousness) to activate Glass’ menu. Amanda Rosenberg, the Product Marketing Manager for Project Glass, took to her Google+ page today to share both the phrase’s history and a few scrapped ideas. During dinner with Mat Balez, the Glass Project Manager, Rosenberg learned that the product required a simple, culturally resonant term that would let Glass know that it was go-time. Accompanied by what we can only assume was a choir of angels singing, Rosenberg realized that “OK, Glass” would be both functional and subtle enough to not embarrass users in public. It’s an interesting anecdote, which you can read in full at the source link, but we have to admit . . . we’re kind of sad “Go go, Glass” was never given a chance.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Amanda Rosenberg (Google+)
Third-party apps have begun trickling out for Glass, but if Google expects thousands of add-ons to make their way to the public, it’s going to need a searchable database of available downloads. And that structure could very well come in the form of a Glass-optimized Play Store. Android and Me noticed a “Google Glass 1” entry pop up in the device field following Mountain View’s Play refresh that hit the web last night. It’s not possible to push apps directly to the wearable at the moment — the Glass option is not currently live — but it’s entirely possible that the device could be selectable in the near future. Take a closer look in the screenshot at the source link below.
Filed under: Displays, Wearables, Mobile, Google
Source: Android and Me
Todd Blatt wants to have more fun with Google Glass than just the occasional game of Battleship, and he has been crowdfunding 3D-printed GlassKap add-ons to spice things up. His newest additions to the line have us especially intrigued, though: he just unveiled a set of crosshairs (pictured above) and a macro lens (after the break). Both function as you’d expect, letting Glass wearers either live out their future soldier fantasies or snap up-close photos that they’d normally miss. The September launches for both accessories are contingent on Blatt reaching his $1,500 funding goal, although that should happen soon when it takes a $30 pledge to set aside a GlassKap. The real challenge is obtaining Glass in the first place.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: Kickstarter
While there have been Google Glass apps for lock screens, the Tesla Model S and even The New York Times, we’ve been wondering when we’d see a traditional game. Today, the wondering stops. GlassBattle is a Battleship-style, voice controlled, turn-based affair using the wearable’s Mirror API. Sadly it won’t be available to the public until developer Brick Simple’s API quota limitations are lifted, but that doesn’t stop us from fantasizing about gaming while we do other stuff. Like, you know, playing video games. Yes, we hear you loud and clear Xzibit. To see people game while grocery shopping and walking around a pond, hit the video after the break.
Via: Joystiq
Source: Det Ansinn (YouTube)
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