Hasta La Gadget!

Probably the first question on many developers’ minds when first hearing about Google Glass was whether the specs could be rooted or not. We now know they run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and it turns out, several developers have chimed in to say that a root for Google Glass is possible, and it’s way easier than many people probably expected.

Hacker Liam McLoughlin and Cydia founder Jay Freeman have both rooted Google Glass, McLoughlin saying that it was “easy” to do, elaborating that the “reboot-bootloader gives you fastboot OEM unlock. There is fun to be had here.” Freeman, on the other hand, also rooted his pair, but left out any details on the process.

McLoughlin says that Google Glass has a “debug mode” option that appears to enable ADB access. This was able to give developers the chance to root the glasses, and it seems we’re now off to the races. It’s still early in the rooting process, so we’re not sure what all the fun things we’ll get to do with Google Glass with a full root, but we’re guessing there will be a lot of cool stuff to come out.

It was particularly interesting to see Freeman tinker around with a pair of Google Glasses, considering his main tasks are involved around iOS. Then again, we could see jailbreak apps make their way into Cydia that will add full compatibility to Google Glass, since the specs won’t come with it by default.

[via 9to5Google]

Google Glass root is “easy,” according to developers is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve heard a little about the specs behind Google Glass, but today more information has been revealed that lists off more of what’s packing on the inside. Jay Lee, just one developer lucky enough to get his hands on a pair of Google Glasses, has revealed that they’re running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with a dual-core OMAP 4430 CPU, and 1GB of RAM.

It’s important to note that Lee wasn’t able to get all the information we wanted, specifically the exact clock speed of the processor and he’s not 100% sure about the glasses having 1GB of RAM, since 682MB of RAM are free, which leads him to believe that the rest is being taken up by the hardware.

To compare, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus runs on the OMAP 4460 CPU, which is just a step up from the Google Glass offering, which says that the pair of glasses are running on last-gen hardware, but they’re still comparable to even some of today’s mid-range devices. And this is the first time we’ve seen this type of hardware squeezed into a glasses format.

Previously, we heard that Google Glass had 16GB of storage built in, as well as a 5MP camera, which we’re guessing could be the same lens that’s in the Galaxy Nexus, but we can’t be certain. We could here official specs at Google I/O coming up in a few weeks, as well as more information on the specs, but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled until then.

Google Glass specifications reveal smartphone-level details is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google is no stranger to easter eggs – hidden items and fun things within its products for customers to find and enjoy. The first easter egg nestled in Google Glass has been discovered in near record time by one of the Explorer adopters. When following a specific series of actions, users will be presented with a panoramic image of the team that was responsible for creating the device.

The easter egg was discovered by Glass Explorer-edition owner Jay Lee, who stumbled across the hidden image while playing with his device. He took screenshots of the panorama and uploaded them to Google+, where he announced his discovery along with instructions on how other Google Glass owners can pull up the easter egg for themselves.

According to Mr. Lee, you’ll need to head into Settings > Device Info > View Licenses. After the license file opens, begin tapping the touchpad nine times in a row – you’ll know the process is working because of a beep that sounds with each tap, growing higher in pitch with every touch. Upon tap #9, you’ll be presented with a panorama of the team responsible for the device.

The discovery was followed up with a statement by Google software engineer Mike LeBeau, who said he snuck the panorama onto the device as homage to his team. Said LeBeau: “I always put an easter egg into whatever I’m building – but that was fast! I’m shocked that our Explorers found it this quickly!” And now the hunt is on for Glass easter egg #2.

[via Living Thru Glass]

Google Glass features team panorama easter egg is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google’s Glass may be sleekly comfortable enough to wear all day long, but the battery may well not be, with users taking advantage of the headset’s potential for impromptu photography finding it chews through power at a rate of knots. Real-world trials of Glass by early user Robert Scoble suggest video recording with the headset’s integrated camera could drain the battery completely in as little as 30 minutes.

Scoble, who was one of the first outside of Google to receive a Glass Explorer Edition headset, revealed his runtime figures during a Quora conversation about the Mirror API and its current limitations. Google has previously suggested the battery will last all day, but that appears to assume you’re not making heavy use of the 5-megapixel camera.

“The battery life is a real problem too. One six-minute video I did took 20% of the battery” Scoble wrote, responding to complaints that Glass was more like a wearable display to show Twitter-like cards, rather than a mobile computer in its own right. “So, Google designed these to have a very simplistic UI, cards, and have them on screen for just a few seconds, to save battery.”

Balancing battery life and bulk is a universal challenge for mobile device manufacturers, and the fact that users wear Glass on their face – where any excess weight would be more readily noticed – makes it even more important that the headset shaves bulk to a minimum. However, the flip side of that is ensuring that Glass is functional for long enough that users consider it worth charging and wearing in the first place.

As one GlassWare designer pointed out after Scoble’s comments, Google is clear that the Explorer Edition is not ready for the mass market. The eventual consumer model – not due to arrive until 2014, according to Google’s Eric Schmidt – will likely sport longer runtimes, in addition to greater functionality that has been educated by what developers cook up in the intervening twelve months.

[via LivingThruGlass]

30 minutes of video capture and Glass is dead says early-adopter is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve seen demonstrations of Google Glass, which recently started shipping out to those who purchased the Explorer edition. One criticism some have voiced is the need to speak at the device, saying certain commands for things like taking a picture. Code in the MyGlass app for Android found by a redditor suggests that such verbal commands might not be necessary thanks to a wink-control feature.

A screenshot of the code is displayed in the image below detailing EYE_GESTURES, of which one specifies “WINK_TAKE_PHOTO”, suggesting that users could snap an image with a simple wink, something far less conspicuous than saying, “Glass, take a picture.” The code suggests that the feature is optional, and can be enabled/disabled by the user.

The code speaks of calibration, which would in part keep the device from snapping a picture with every blink. The most obvious solution to that issue is that a wink is longer than a blink, and so someone with an astute eye might notice a longer-than-typical twitch of the user’s eye when taking an image. It is suggested the on-head detection sensor could be used as part of the feature.

Of course, such a feature presents a new perspective on the issue of Glass and privacy. Some bars and other establishments have already banned the use of Glass as a pre-emptive strike against privacy concerns, and Google’s Eric Schmidt recently said that the device will usher in an evolution in social etiquette. What do you say? Is the ability to take a picture with a wink welcomed or bothersome? Let us know what you think!

[via LivingThruGlass; via Engadget]

MyGlass code hints at Google Glass camera wink control is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.