Hasta La Gadget!

With Google Glass expected to be released to the public sometime later this year, as a glasses-wearing American, I have always wondered if I’d need to ditch my prescription glasses in order to enjoy the device. It seems Google has been hearing that same concern from their potential customers and have addressed it on their Project Glass Google+ page.

If you’ve been wondering if Google Glass will be available for prescription glasses, Google confirms there will be something for us in the future.

“The Glass design is modular, so you will be able to add frames and lenses that match your prescription,” the Project Glass page says. “We understand how important this is and we’ve been working hard on it. We’re still perfecting the design for prescription frames. Although the frames won’t be ready for the Explorer Edition’s release, hang in there — you can expect to see them later this year.” (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google Glass To Feature Own Voice Controlled App Library, Brain-Controlled Headphones Automatically Plays Music Based On Mood,

It’s time again that Google makes their Project Glass initiative clearly stated, complete with a push for not just those who wouldn’t normally wear headgear on the regular, but those of us with prescription lenses as well. You’ll find that Google’s confirmation this time around is not guaranteed for the Explorer Edition of the headgear, but a release “later this year” is in the works. And yes, if you didn’t know already, that means that we WILL be seeing Glass as a consumer product inside 2013!

Google’s note today was posted via Google+ where they’ve also released a photo of one of the official Glass team members Greg Priest-Dorman working with a pair of prototype glasses with Glass attached. At the moment, Google isn’t letting us know if the final Glass release will be attachable to the lenses you’ve got now, or if they’ll be provided attached to your prescription right our of the box. Have a read of what the team has confirmed today:

The Glass design is modular, so you will be able to add frames and lenses that match your prescription. We understand how important this is and we’ve been working hard on it. Here’s a picture of +Greg Priest-Dorman, a member of the Glass team and an early pioneer in wearable computing, wearing one of the prototypes we’re testing. 

Google has also noted that “the short answer is: yes!” when it comes to “a prescription solution for Glass.” As this is a “short answer” sort of situation, we’ll be going ahead and saying that yes, Google certainly will tend to those of us with glasses, but a final edition of what they’ll be looking like is not going to be shown until we’re much, much closer to the final consumer product.

Have a peek at the timeline below for additional Project Glass announcements and up-close looks and get pumped up for the final release later this year. Meanwhile we’ll be having our own variety of looks at the headgear as they arrive in the developer-centric Explorer Edition package sooner than later. Stick around our Project Glass tag portal as well for more information up to and through that fateful day!

[via Glass]

Google Glass re-issues Prescription Lenses assurance is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier at SXSW, Google showed off Glass, giving a demonstration of the device in use and providing developers with their first glimpse of the Mirror API. The demonstration showed the device being used to perform searches, take a photo, view the weather, share with Google+, and more. You can check out a video of the demonstration after the jump.

Other apps that were demonstrated included ones from the New York Times, which offers an article and its relevant information, Evernote, Path, and Skitch. As you might imagine, Glass allows users to share with Skitch and Evernote, such as sharing a photo, while the Path app lets users post comments and view updates.

Gmail, meanwhile, supplies users with new message notifications and utilizes voice commands for tasks such as replying to messages. Demonstrations are given of voice command searches and image taking, and viewers get a glimpse of features, such as pulling up the weather. There’s also a quick run down of using gestures for controlling the device, including tapping and swiping.

As for development, data is supplied to Google Glass via what is referred to as timeline cards, which have video, images, text, and HTML, among other things. Reports TechCrunch, developers also have a “bundles” option, which is, as its name suggests, a bundle of cards that device owners can “shift” through via gestures or voice commands. The apps will have some Google-imposed limitations, however, such as avoiding a barrage of notifications and presenting useless data, as well as avoiding unexpected notifications.

[via TechCrunch]

Google gives developers a look at Glass Mirror API and apps at SXSW is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In just about every James Bond and Batman film, there is a segment where Q (or Morgan Freeman) introduces us to a few new gadgets. At first, the hero looks over the objects quizzically, but then the handler demonstrates how to use them, unlocking their mystery and inviting both the hero and the audience to imagine how the tool might become integral to the story about to unfold. More »

A Seattle dive bar has decided to ban the use of Google Glasses at its location. The bar, called 5 Point Cafe, says that the use of Google Glass in its bar would be a violation of its customers’ privacy. Dave Meinert, the owner of 5 Point Cafe, stated that “People want to go there and be not known… and definitely don’t want to be secretly filmed or videotaped and immediately put on the internet.”

Google Glass does raise the issue of privacy, especially since anyone using the tech gadget could easily and secretly record video. Meinert says that the 5 Point cafe could be a kind of “seedy” and “notorious” place, but that isn’t too uncommon for a place like a dive bar. With the 5 Point Cafe being the first business (in Seattle) to ban Google Glasses, this may drive many other businesses to initiate a ban on the gadget as well.

Meinert admits that the ban was partly just a joke and was meant to instigate a reaction from people, but most of it is due to privacy. Meinert also recently updated the 5 Point Cafe’s Facebook page to say, “They[Google Glasses] are really just the new fashion accessory for the fanny pack & never removed Bluetooth headset wearing set.”

Privacy is always a concern, and there will most likely be more bans of Google Glass by certain businesses. Some businesses that come to mind include movie theaters, bars, and clubs. It will be interesting to see what kind of regulations will be put into place when Google Glass comes out, but at the same time, how many people will actually be willing to spend $1500 on a pair of tech glasses? How do you feel about Google Glass and privacy?

[via MyNorthwest]

Seattle bar bans use of Google Glasses is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.