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Comment by bobsy | Hacker News Reader

I didn't realise how bad it looks. The premise looks awesome. The demo video... awesome. The way the product looks on someone's face... this isn't the finished product right?

I think Google should look at designer glasses and outsource the design to someone who knows what they are doing.

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I still don't get why everybody is so upset over the aesthetics of these things? Nobody is going to force you to walk around with these on at all times. Like anything else, you'll choose when to put them on and use them. The alternative today is to walk around with your arms up holding your phone in front of you. Is that any better? The long-long term version of this looks like contact-lenses. We're just not there yet - so if you want to play with version one, this is how it'll look when you choose to wear 'em.

If the first iPhone was embarrassing to use, would it have hindered or enhanced adoption?

Jonathan Ive will design a nice version, Apple will own the market, and google will aghast "but... we were first...".

Google glasses look cool as an object - it's just that they look bad when worn. For a start, make them symmetrical (even if the "other" projector is fake).

I completely agree. I think this is the reason why bluetooth headsets haven't really had overwhelming appeal (except with certain marked segments, such as businessmen). If a product isn't sexy, people won't use it – and that's especially true with wearable technology.

For me, it's not the asymmetry of the projector but the massive back-end. You can tell even Google knows this is unattractive because their model is wearing a hoodie to cover it up.

While I respect the attempt to make a standalone device, I think Google would be better off introducing this as a lower-cost peripheral for those who already have android smartphones. I think this would get them market penetration and slim down the design (but that's just speculation).

Also, it's probably safe to say that early adopters would already have a smartphone, and if they don't it could be a game changer to get people on Android.

Was that just in the early prototype? The bulk at the back of present design looks OK to me: http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/ (3rd image from the bottom). Just going by appearance, there are ordinary sunglasses with a similar bulk. And the compute unit will only get smaller year by year.

I'm actually kinda amazed they've managed to make it that small - OTOH, I see the key point of the project is a way to make hardware smaller yet still be usable (because we don't need a large screen).

Didn't mean to sound unimpressed - it's absolutely amazing how compact they have managed to make it (although I'd like to dive deeper into specs before I make a full judgement).

It's really hard to tell from those photos because they don't provide a great reference. The best I saw was the "strong and light" photo, so I'm going to go ahead and say it's about the same size as my thumb.

That's pretty small, but I'm not sure its small enough to have an iPod-like takeoff (yet!).

Unless you're bald or buzzed. I'd expect this thumb sized computer... to be covered by your hair either entirely or mostly. That is if it doesn't wrap around your head.

Looking at most devices people have used on their head & the capabilities of this?! I can't complain even one bit.

http://econogirl.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/braces.jpg

The metal line is reminiscent of a head brace, while the projector makes you look like cyborg escaped from a Halloween party. They will need a stunning amount of marketing and advertising for this to become socially acceptable.

I guess it could be a little bit worse, I can see they were trying to go for sleek...

I think the greater problem was that the actual uses they showed were so uninspiring. They should get more creative. The utilities arise from where (a) where we have difficulty giving meaning to something in our visual horizon, or (b) we wish to use a handicap (this normally requires hands and is better if hidden.)

Imagine going to a band's gig and you don't need to worry about only knowing the verses to some of the songs because you can see the lyrics? Hopefully the microphone could tell you if you're singing off-key...

Imagine busking with the lyrics, chords and notes for the song appearing in front of you as you play. No need to memorise everything.

Imagine walking up to an acquaintance and seeing their name next to their face; or walking into a pub and a bubble appearing when you see somebody telling you that they are the family member or friend of a close friend.

Or speaking to somebody and the software recognising their emotional cues for you. Pupils dilating, nostrils flaring, a fake smile, self-comforting, etc. Maybe you say something and a bar alerts you immediately to signs you have said the wrong thing; or a change in the tone of their voice signifying seriousness or interest.

It's hard to care about the time or temperature. And car's already have GPS...

"They will need a stunning amount of marketing and advertising for this to become socially acceptable."

Come on, people with these things http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detai... on their ear look cool, busy and important ;)

Sorry but honestly these examples are repulsive to me

Yes, the creep factor is very high with the facial and emotional recognition. Few people would trust a person with Glass if they knew the person <i>might</i> be using it as a tool to gain a social advantage.

Interesting point.

"Is this guy recording me?"

It's okay, don't be sorry.

I assume you're talking about things which give you a social edge. Unfortunately you will just have to deal with it as reality slowly attunes itself with science fiction.

If you're in conversation with me wearing one of these things, I'm going to ask you to take it off.

That's how I'm "just going to deal with it".

Are you interesting enough for me to comply or will I just walk over to somebody else.

If that makes you walk way, I'll live.

Turn-by-turn directions alone for pedestrians, cyclists and motor bikes is probably enough to make a successful product. Google Now with glass could also be pretty amazing, and since you always have the sound on it could actually make push to talk (or.. talk to talk) a reality (since before it was too cumbersome to hear something, open your phone, say 'what', they repeat... 'oh ok', repeat..)

Like your ideas though, hopefully third party devs can make them a reality (I'm guessing battery is the issue on the persistant video recognition stuff). Seriously upbeat about this, it could change lives

That is a relatively small niche, they are looking for something much bigger. I personally can't see the use of wearing one, but then again, i still have a feature phone.

> Turn-by-turn directions alone for pedestrians, cyclists and motor bikes

Would the glasses fit if someone was wearing a motorbike helmet?

I think that niche of travelling which requires your hands is definitely worth it. This is the reason why I don't like using a bike for long journeys.

Google directions steer me wrong as often as not. I just use maps.

I would be willing to pay a fair share of money for the identification feature. It doesn't even have to identify strangers, just help my incompetent name-memory center remember the names of people I've met and where I met them. Some people can't remember names; some people can't remember faces. I can't remember either. :(

I can remember names and faces, but many times I have trouble remembering the mappings between them.

I always imagined a world where some device would do the auto ID. Guess we're now living in the future. :)

They will need a stunning amount of marketing and advertising for this to become socially acceptable.

Not necessarily, the popularity of hipster glasses is a perfect example of something ugly and awkward becoming hip. It's very possible for these to ride the coattails of geek chic and become widely accepted.

That doesn't mean it will be easy, there's a fine line between geeky (hipster glasses) and dorky (bluetooth headsets, Segways). And of course, price will have a lot to do with it, a $700 fashion statement serves a very different niche than a $70 one.

The coattails of geek chic has a lot more to do with retro than it does new technology and geekyness.

Coattails are beyond retro, at this point.

If they could look just like hipster glasses, you'd have lots of adopters right there.

When you are continually assisted like this, won't your own ability to do these things go unexercised and start to atrophy?

As another commenter mentioned -- police, yes. Good use case. Firefighters as well. (I assume the military already have similar gadgets.)

But the general public? I don't think so. Too creepy.

I disagree. I think around the home and at family gatherings it would be really cool. I can just wear the glasses as my kids do things, without worry that I might miss the "perfect" timing of an event. No more reaching for my Canon Rebel/iPhone/etc--it's just on. How many parents knew that their kids were about to take their first steps, only to miss the opportunity to record it. Yes, it's silly, but parents are very sentimental and the idea of preserving family memories like this is very attractive. Or even video conferencing with grandma, etc. I see the attraction to this product coming from private people rather than public. I.e. they'll want to use it as a way to record their private lives, share memories, etc.

They will need a stunning amount of marketing and advertising for this to become socially acceptable.

Well, according to the already existing marketing, if I buy one of these things, I'll have a happy family, dance with a classy, beautiful woman, have fun at New Year's, travel to Sedona, ride a snowboard, see the Brooklyn Bridge, shop for veggies in Chinatown, and travel some more.

You know what's interesting to me is that none of the faces staring back at "you" in the marketing are wearing Geordi La Forge glasses. If they were, would these "friends" seem as interested?

The initial reaction to portable headphones was probably similar.

"It celebrated its debut in July 1979 for about $200. Truthfully, many were skeptical if this portable audio thing would take off. "

https://blog.sony.com/2010/08/flashback-friday-tps-l2-walkma...

http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/history-of-headphones/

> The initial reaction to portable headphones was probably similar.

To be honest headphones are still seen as an utilitarian thing only.

> To be honest I still see headphones as an utilitarian thing only.

FTFY. There are a _lot_ of people who would disagree with you (which is why Beats/Skullcandy/etc headphones are so popular).

My bad, English is not my primary language and for whatever reason I was thinking of phones' bluetooth headsets. You're right :) Also, I probably need more coffee.

It's not as bad as you think. I saw someone walking around with it the other day and at first I thought they just had designer glasses on. Someone had to point out that they were wearing Google Glass for me to even notice.

Was it in NYC?

I saw a girl in a bar in SF wearing them. She was a Google Glass model, and it was her job to wear them in public to raise interest.

Or she was just an employee who was lent a pair, and this is an easy explanation to give to random people in a bar.

No, Los Gatos at the Netflix Open Source meetup. I'm pretty sure he was a Googler.

I actually rather like the design. I'd love to see it be able to be integrated with proper lenses (perhaps via a slick interchangeable lens system?)

When I first heard of Glass, I was worried people who jumped on board would look like Geordi. This feels, to me, like a good starting point. It's a little sci-fi, but that's okay. That aspect can be toned down by adding glass in front of the projector, making the glasses look more like, well, glasses.

Version 1.0 is always going to look bulky and weird. After a few iterations, they should look a lot cooler.

After people start wearing them around everywhere they'll become a lot cooler.

Fashion now != Fashion later.

One might say they are already cool because of the price tag and scarcity. Remember that $1000 jewel iPhone app?

That was never cool.

I'm waiting till they come out with a monocle version so I can wear it with my top hat :)

http://www.medquarterly.co.uk/mq88V1/images/stories/futurama...

It actually doesn't look as bad with the sunglasses/shades clip in. No more so than the bluetooth Oakley sunglasses at least.

On their Google+ they have some additional photo's of people wearing the device and thb ... it could really be a lot worse.

https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts/N95x6MCS...

Hmm, they look almost photoshopped.

And if the "screen" was at the height of your eyebrows it would be completely unusable!

The top of the screen is around eyebrow level. The glass is below.

The idea is that it's not always obstructing your view. You have to glance up to see it.

The whole point of models is that they look good no matter what ridiculous crap you put on them.

Here are some images from "Fashion Week", when they had it looking as good as possible. https://www.google.com/search?q=google+glass+fashion+week

http://www.bigdamngeeks.com/geek-showdown-the-borg-vs-daleks...

The technology is not limited to one design. Just like mobile phones look different.

This is one of the funniest things I've ever read here! Nicely done.

(can't upvote)

We all looked pretty stupid with giant brick phones jammed in our ears back in the day too but no one seemed to mind. I think the rule is "whatever rich people do is cool by definition".

Get a couple of trend-setters to sport these and your perception of how it looks will change.

I read somewhere (but can't find it now) that they're teaming up with sunglass and glasses companies to integrate it into their products, and that this is just the "base" model direct from Google, aimed more at geeks/early adopters.

And once it's integrated into your normal glasses tastefully, they just have that pesky social problem of having a voice-control-only gadget in public.

"Touch-computing is a fad, according to Newell. The future is in things like wrist-bands with highly-accurate motion controls."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/12/10/why-valves-s...

Where are the images of people wearing it ? Can't seem to see any.. which is sort of telling in itself really.

Edit: ah nevermind, on the how do i get page. still, not a very highlighted part of the product.

I bet that in one year everybody will love the way they look.

cough http://ries.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345194a469e20120a666f07d970...

As much as I'd prefer things to look as nice as possible, the truth is that the market often doesn't care. I suspect people would allow Glass to slide, largely due to its futurist connotations, the same way they let many electric cars slide.

The Prius doesn't look the way it does, because people let it slide. They look that way, because they want to make a statement and be seen.

You can't do the design until you know exactly how large each needed component will be and what hardware UI will work for a wearable computer that hasn't been people-tested for long yet.

They're not mass-producing them yet - the visuals can be defined much later than the actual tech.

Plenty of people have no qualms about wearing their Jawbone Bluetooth headsets in public.

Any suggestions to how you would prefer them look? I'm not sure the concept of Glass would work well with sunglasses for example. At that point you'd need it to be a HUD for one of the lenses, and I think that's really distracting.

It would probably look nicer with actual lenses, even if the lenses are just clear glass for people who don't need corrective lenses. I imagine it'd also help if the design was symmetrical, rather than having a bulge on one side that reminds everybody else they're constantly being recorded.

Of course, I also imagine the Glass design team tested those options, and decided to go with the current iteration for a reason.

Just my three cents - but I'd hate 'zero' lenses on Glass. My eyesight is just fine, and I find glasses to be huge hassle and generally annoying, having pieces of glass that just sit there without a reason would be very annoying.

Surely they could provide it as an option. Most of the glass photos I've seen have had no actual glass (ha), while some of them had sunglass lenses or actual lenses. I'm sure there will be options to suit your tastes.

I'm farsighted and I've been using glasses since I was ten. You get used to it. To the extend that they completely disappear from your mind if they're good glasses. Titanium frames are something incredibly awesome.

but you would have a large hunk of glass sitting in front of your face anyway.

or LED displays

I wouldn't want 'zero' lenses either, they obstruct your vision by getting dirty and having light reflexes etc and also are an additional risk to your eyes in case of accidents.

Some symmetry would help. They could probably have a smaller profile if they had the components on the right arm and batteries on the left. Then encase each of the arms in some plastic for protection and fluid form. I think they would look better with some actual lenses but I wear glasses and I don't know how someone without glasses would feel about that.

I wonder how difficult it would be to lose the metal band and have it secured by only the ear. It would look much better in my opinion.

My first thought was "I would totally pierce a couple of holes in my head and put in some geometric mounting studs for one of these"

I don't even have any piercings but it would be pretty awesome.

Haha, not exactly what I had in mind.

This could eventually be in a PTZ earring, like the size of a pearl earring.

Most devs (including myself) are butt ugly - these glasses won't make you look worse.

Oh look - a downvote for a shallow response to a shallow comment.

It doesn't take much for someone to appreciate the humor in the HN crowd trying to predict what is or isn't going to become fashionable.

Speak for yourselve. I'm as beatiful as a butterfly...

... in the larvae stage.

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