So far most of what’s been written about Google Glass has been united by one commonality: It’s been written from the perspective of someone who had to wear Glass. Because they were going to write about it. But here’s when you’ll actually want to wear it. Or at least, when I do.
     |
Mark Johnson, CEO, Zite using his app on Google Glass
Zite is the news application that was bought by CNN in August 2011, its 2.0 version was launched for iOS in December 2012, and today, Android devices owners will get access to Zite 2.0. The company is going full force to Google, so the lucky people who could afford the $1500 Google Glass will be able to enjoy the wearable Zite experience.
I had the opportunity to try Zite for Google Glass during my meeting with Mark Johnson, CEO, Zite, and it was surprisingly an interesting experience. Zite gives the ability to scroll through the last ten top stories, the headlines are easy to read and you can ask Glasseitther to read you an article aloud or go to the website.
Zite Launches for Google Glass and version 2.0 on Android original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
We all know that Glass is kind of a big deal for Google right now. Or whatever. The #IfIHadGlass explorer program is going strong, and the product is attempting to prove its usefulness in a bunch of different markets. In fact it may be starting to feel overblown and even tiresome. But if Google is going to bank on this product in ways that we can imagine (targeted advertising) and ways that we can’t (Skynet?) they’re probably not gonna let up until Glass is everywhere. Even high fashion.
| |
To some, Google Glass is nothing more than a notification machine, but there are others who see Glass as an AR headset waiting to happen. OpenGlass is among those looking to give Glass augmented reality powers, and it’s figured out how to implement simple AR in real-time. The trick was accomplished by sampling the imagery pulled in by the headset’s camera and extracting the portion of that feed that corresponds to the size of Glass’s display. That feed is then sent to an OpenGlass server that overlays digital annotations provided by another users onto the video feed to augment the wearer’s reality.
There’s a video after the break demoing the AR functionality, but it’s rudimentary and laggy in its implementation. Essentially, the system serves as a telestrator that superimposes scribbles into your field of view. It’s a good proof-of-concept to show that Glass can do real-time AR, but there’s a lot of work to be done before Glass can become a fully-fledged augmented (or mediated) reality headset.
Filed under: Wearables, Google
Source: OpenGlass
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Perhaps you’ve been enjoying the fruits of Niantic Labs’ endeavors on your handset since Field Trip’s introduction on Android, and more recently, iOS. However, wouldn’t it be nice to have those nifty tidbits of location-based info provided in a less obtrusive manner? Good news Explorers, because Field Trip has arrived on Glass today. That means that all those restaurant and activity suggestions upon which you depend to keep yourself entertained and fed are now delivered directly to your eyeball instead of your pocket.
If you’re thinking that such a Glass app makes perfect sense, well you’re not alone. It turns out that John Hanke, Niantic’s chief actually made Field Trip for Glass, and the mobile versions were built simply as a way to get the app out to as many people as possible. That way, the database of info for the app could be built up and more feedback could be gathered and used to refine the Field Trip UX by the time it came to Glass. For folks wanting to see the results of all that hard work (and don’t have the $1,500 wearable needed to see it firsthand), a video of the app in action awaits after the break.
Google may keep a tight lid on Glass development, but that hasn’t stopped coders at the Breaking Glass Hackathon from building some clever wearable apps. Take the event’s winning entry, GlassFrogger, as an example: the HTML5-based game recreates Frogger on Google’s eyepiece by making players hop in the real world to cross virtual roads. It’s a multi-platform title, too, with support for any device sporting a modern web browser. GlassFrogger is free to use today, but try to avoid playing while you’re out on the street — there’s enough roadkill inside the game, thank you.
Update: We’ve since been in touch with co-author Adam Singer, who has posted both source code and the GlassFrogger pitch; you can see his team demonstrating the game after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Wearables, Internet, Google
Source: GlassFrogger
Ok Glass, you can hear the cop now. Take a picture of that license plate. Try: Ok Glass. Record a video of this five alarm fire. Or even: Ok Glass. Search: gunshot wound treatment. It doesn’t take much imagination to realize that Google Glass could be a valuable tool for first responders. And now, the first app has popped up that could make it a reality.
| |
Google already has a patent that would let Glass and other eyewear identify what’s in front of you. However, it just received a new patent for a method that could follow your exact gaze. The proposed system would include both forward-facing and eye-tracking cameras, correlating both to determine what’s grabbing your attention. It could gauge emotional responses to objects by watching for pupil dilation, and it could be used to charge advertisers based on how long wearers stare at a given ad. Google may also have an eyepiece upgrade to go along with its gaze detection, we’d note — the company just received a patent for a quantum dot-based eye display. There’s no evidence that Google will use either of these new inventions anytime soon, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they represent what Glass could look like a few generations from now.
Google’s Glass update released today adds Path and Evernote voice controls, nearby movie listing alerts, smoother video and volume controls and voice dictation for video and photo captions. Oh, and an automatic "happy birthday" message when you’re too busy to call your friends. [Google]
| |
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
