For those of you who’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, Google Glass is “wearable technology.” Basically, it’s a band that rests on your nose and ears, much like a pair of lensless eyeglasses. Its main features are a camera that sees what you see and a tiny display that sits in the upper-right of your field of vision, which can display information. It responds to voice commands (prefixed by saying “OK, Glass”) that let you record pictures and video or request information from the Internet (via built-in WiFi or using Bluetooth to piggyback on your iPhone or Android device). So far, Google has released a so-called “Explorer Edition” of Glass for early adopters, priced at $1,500. Needless to say, I don’t have a pair, although there are plenty of online descriptions of what the experience is like. Wider rollout of of a less-expensive version ($700?) of Glass—which is sure to be influenced by reaction to the Explorer Edition—is expected by 2014.
Public comments on Glass have focused on two areas: the potential for surreptitious photo/video recording (to be fair, the frame does have a “recording” indicator) and the inherent distraction of the display. Related to those two is what constitutes proper etiquette when wearing the device. For example, it’s considered polite to shift the frame to the top of your head when entering a restroom. There’s even a term of opprobrium for cooler-than-thou Glass wearers: Glassholes. Because so few people have Glass, it really separates the world into haves and have-nots. Presently, wearing Glass is not for the shy.
(BTW, it’s “Google Glass,” not “Google Glasses.” The latter usage labels you as tragically un-hip.)
While the glossy Google “how it feels” video makes Glass seem magical, it’s really just placing a screen in your field of vision. The headpiece contains a tiny projector and a tiny glass brick (a prism). Information is projected onto the clear prism, effectively overlaying it on your field of vision. While it’s certainly a potential distraction, it’s probably much safer than glancing down at your smartphone while driving. Assuming that the voice recognition is good, Glass is probably a safer way to text than what we have today.
As an aside, does anyone remember Google 411 (1-800-GOOG-411)? It was a free alternative to the phone company’s 411 service, which, as I recall, cost $0.25 per call. Google used this service to amass a vast dataset of speaking voices to improve the quality of its voice recognition software. Today, we see that paying off. Google plays a very long game.
As you might expect, Glass integrates well with many Google services, such as Search, Maps, Gmail and Translate. Access to Google Maps while driving seems particularly useful (“OK, Glass. Give me directions to NorthBay biz.”), since the map is right there at the upper right of my view of the road.
There are also a number of things Glass can’t do at present. Most important, to me, is that it can’t be worn with prescription lenses (the frame does come with a sunshield that makes you look like the Terminator). You can’t text or email a picture you snap. It also only has a 3.5 hour battery life (I’m already irritated that my iPhone can’t make it through a day of heavy use). And although it may appear otherwise in the video, Glass won’t magically search for whatever it is you happen to be looking at—you have to actually request it. It’s also worth noting that Glass isn’t a smartphone. It’s a Bluetooth headset for your smartphone.
Even with these shortcomings, I’d love to try out Glass, although not for $1,500. It’s important to realize that Glass (particularly the Explorer Edition) is the first iteration of this type of device. The iPhone of today is much improved from the one I purchased in 2007, and the Glass of 2020 will be equally distant from the Explorer Edition (or even the first broad release of the device). Developers will think of cool new things to do with Glass. There’s already a Glass app called “Winky,” which lets you snap a picture by winking (instead of saying, “OK, Glass. Take a picture.”).
I find the worry about Glass users recording video of what they see to be quite telling. After all, the person recording the event has already seen whatever transpired. The objection seems to be twofold. First, the recording is objective and permanent, whereas your visual memory of an event is neither. Second, and perhaps most important, the video can be shared without your permission. An interesting distinction between what one person sees, remembers and can verbally relate about an event versus an accurate, permanent, sharable recording. For example, a Glass user’s recording of a traffic accident would most likely be preferable to an eyewitness account. On the other hand, a visual recording of an elected official entering a strip club is somehow different than someone seeing him or her walk in and reporting it. Despite being perfectly legal, many police don’t care to be videotaped in the act of doing their jobs. Technology like Google Glass will force each of us to look more closely at whether privacy really exists. If I walk into a bar wearing Glass and record you sitting there, it doesn’t alter the fact that you were in the bar, nor the fact that I’m aware of it and can tell others. The recording is just proof. Still, at least one bar, the 5 Point Café in Seattle, has already banned Glass from its premises.
(A less-obvious way of recording people is the “keychain camera,” which will record an hour of HD video (720p at 30 frames/second) with sound. You can buy one on Amazon for less than $20. Pretty amazing.)
Glass, however, is just a step along the way to greater integration of our bodies with hardware and software. Although that can sound far-fetched, we already accept full hip replacements and implantable pacemakers without much of a second thought. Our children will be even more accepting of implantables (thanks to their piercings and tattoos), and modern health care is certainly driving in the direction of continuous monitoring of our body’s status, conveniently presented on our iPhone screen.
Brave new world or just the march of progress? Let me know your thoughts.
