Hasta La Gadget!

Google has a long history of doling out easter eggs to amuse and delight the public, so naturally it decided to sneak one in the Explorer Edition of Glass as well. New Glass Explorer Jay Lee discovered that when you select View Licenses under Settings and Device Info, then tap the touchpad nine times (an audible beep increasing in pitch will follow each tap), you’ll be able to see the entire Project Glass team in a panoramic shot. Mike LeBeau from the Glass team confirmed that he snuck that easter egg in to pay tribute to his colleagues. Naturally, now we can’t help but wonder if shaking your head in tune to the Konami Code (sans A and B button-pushing) will uncover more hidden gems.

Filed under: Wearables, Google

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Via: Living thru Glass, Karthik’s Geek Center

Source: Jay Lee (G+)

How Google Ventures and the Glass Collective are taking Glass to the next level

“The initial versions of Glass were just Sergey [Brin]’s Oakleys with a phone taped to them,” Bill Maris, managing partner of Google Ventures, told me in a noisy cafe in Midtown Manhattan. Given his position and our topic of conversation — Google’s Project Glass — he was conspicuous for wearing no eyewear whatsoever. “[Sergey’s prototype] was not very compelling.” You’d forgive him for being a bit skeptical back then about what the company’s leadership was hoping would be the next big thing — or, at least, a thing worthy of the time and money required to iterate from those humble beginnings to the sleek device we now know and covet.

So, then, how did we get from those initial doubts to the launching of the Glass Collective, dedicating millions of dollars to finding, funding and fostering innovative applications (not just of the software variety) for Google’s new wearable? Maris spoke of Glass project lead Steve Lee and a later prototype that took photos every few seconds. “Imagine if you had this for your entire life. You could ask: ‘What did I do 10 years ago today?'” That was compelling enough for Maris to commit to the foundation of the Collective, helping Google move the project beyond a single product and into the all-important realm of the platform. This is a platform, he believes, that could change our lives over the next 10 years just as smartphones have over the past decade.

Filed under: Wearables, Google

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While perusing the code for Google Glass’s companion Android app, Reddit user Fodawim chanced across several lines of code that could offer up some interesting navigation options for your Glass. Titled ‘eye gestures,’ it looks like the wearable’s built-in sensors should be able to detect eye activity and integrate that into device input. Two lines of code mention enabling and disabling eye gestures, suggesting it’ll be an optional feature, while other lines hint that it would have to be calibrated to your wink before use. Get your well-timed slow-wink at the ready, however, as the final line spotted suggests that a wink gesture can command the 5-megapixel camera to capture whatever you’re looking at. Google was already granted a patent for unlocking a screen using eye-tracking information, although wink-based commands sounds a shade easier to deal with — as long as it doesn’t think we’re blinking.

Filed under: Wearables, Google

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Via: Glass-apps

Source: Reddit

You’re not a developer and didn’t win out over the other trillion people who entered Google’s #ifihadglass contest, so you’ll just have to wait until the proper release, right? Perhaps not — if you’re rich, that is — as one unit is being offered on eBay, with bids already clocking in at over $90,000. If you’ve got that kind of money, don’t get excited just yet — for starters, the seller claims they are one of the lucky contest winners, but won’t actually pick up their pair for a “few weeks.” We don’t have any reason to doubt the seller, however, as they’ve been an eBay member since 2004, and with 100% positive feedback, a false listing would arguably be out of character. Google may not be happy, though, as it was very clear that the Explorer Edition coming to devs was not to be resold or even gifted, and we assume the same restrictions will apply to contest winners. Thus, we expect El Goog will intervene, but before it’s possibly pulled, you can watch the bids rise at the source link below.

[Thanks, Nochum]

Update: And… it’s gone. We imagine the seller was contacted by Google, and a note on the now defunct listing shows they weren’t happy with the amount of attention the listing received, nor with those “who have driven up the price for their own amusement.”

Filed under: Wearables, Google

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Source: eBay

Between word that Explorer Editions are being produced, a reveal of spec details and documentation for the Mirror API being published, it’s been a busy night for Google Glass announcements. Now, Mountain View has pushed up the hardware’s Android companion app, dubbed MyGlass, to Google Play. Sure, you can download it on any device toting Android 4.0.3 or higher, but Page and Co. say, “If you don’t have Glass, then downloading this will be a waste of time.” Launching the app takes users through a setup process for the eyewear, which the search behemoth has made available on a webpage as well. Google’s also posted a “help” directory to give folks unfamiliar with the glasses a tour of the spectacles. Hit the source links below for the app, the setup experience and the newly added overview of the device.

Filed under: Mobile, Google

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Via: Android Police

Source: MyGlass (Google Play), Glass Setup, Glass Help