Google Glass Explorer Open to US

The Glass doesn't do much computation locally, so it can't do a good job of "building a profile about you". It requires a linked phone to do most of its magic (e.g. GPS navigation).

So, really, the question should be: "does it frighten you that you're constantly carrying around one of the most sophisticated, widespread monitoring devices ever invented, in the form of your smartphone?"

The answer to that is that I acknowledge these devices generate a lot of data, and I take some moderate steps to restrict how much data they actually get. My Nexus 5 runs a modified KitKat that turns off most of the tracking stuff, for example.

That's about right. I wouldn't say "tiny", though -- it's a very small form factor and it's unobtrusive, for sure, but it's not hard to shift your attention to it when you want to.

It's not really "pixelated", either. The resolution is 640x360, so the apparent pixel density is extremely high when it's on a small surface. I certainly can't distinguish individual pixels, for instance.

> What's the experience like?

The experience is a bit like having a virtual assistant that you can access without using your hands. Imagine having a slightly smarter version of Google Now without taking your phone out of your pocket, for example.

> What do you like about it?

The POV recordings are super cool. I can show people what I'm working on close up and provide step-by-step directions. Normally you would need a specialized camera rig and a GoPro for that. But using it this way feels so much more natural. I helped a nontechnical friend upgrade a laptop by showing him where to unscrew and open things.

I could see a lot of applications along these lines -- e.g. imagine a Khan Academy but for car repair, filmed from a Glass.

> Is there a killer app yet?

I haven't seen a compelling reason that would make it worth $1,500 for the average consumer. I'm optimistic, though.

This is sort of meta, but I believe Glass is at least partially an experiment to discover how Glass should be used. Send it out to the most diehard people, and let them figure out how to use it and write their own apps -- then take note of that and build a business around it. "Build it and they will come" is usually a terrible strategy imo, but there are definitely a lot of developers looking at interesting ways of using it.

> Would you prefer this built into more fashionable frames?

I wear glasses and I find contacts a little uncomfortable, so the first generation of Glass was only a novelty for me: They were impossible to put on if you were also wearing your regular prescription frames.

The new generation, with prescription lenses available, made things a lot easier. Because I'm wearing it as a purely functional item, I care less about how it looks, but I can see why people would want more attractive versions. It still doesn't feel very sleek.

> you kind of look down a tiny pixelized screen

It's tiny, but it's not pixelated. It's rather high-res for its size; you can't see the pixels.

> killer app?

For me at least, the killer functionality comes in the form of wink-to-take-a-picture. Especially when travelling, it's amazing to be able to take many pictures from your POV instantly without even having to really do anything. This leaves you with a huge amount of both significant and insignificant pictures that together tell a story.

My favorite thing to use Glass for is driving directions. It is about on par with the Google Navigation on Android and isn't distracting once you get use to it. Want to see the next turn? Slightly tilt your head up and it appears in your vision, otherwise, navigation will read you turn by turn directions.

Don't forget that Glass is Android, so if you are doing development on the Android platform, you don't have to do a lot of extra training to begin moving your apps to Glass.

That was just a quick, unvarnished reaction to putting Glass on and using it for a short time.

Maybe jxf can critique my initial experience and speak to how it might have evolved after using it over an extended period of time.

I wouldn't say that Glass has been transformative for me in an everyday way. It's just enabled new kinds of interactions that I wouldn't have thought about before.

To take one example, I feel that I'm much more likely to use Glass to film myself doing something when I want to show someone else how to do it. I've used it at a whiteboard quite a number of times and I've found that to be extremely helpful, especially when I'm sharing my ideas or work with others remotely.

Before Glass, I probably would take a picture of the whiteboard and email it with some thoughts.

> Is it easy to decouple Glass from prescription glasses?

On the initial version of Glass, you couldn't really wear Glass and your own prescription glasses at the same time. It just wasn't comfortable. This was a huge drawback for me since I wear glasses, so the first version was sort of a bust.

The v2 Explorer model supports custom lenses, and those lenses are very easy to add or remove. They fit snugly into a tight metal/plastic brace embedded into the top frame. It's very easy to remove or swap them. However, the lenses are expensive (iirc $400) and it's unclear to me whether they're covered by health insurance.

> How long is the typical battery life in your experience? How long does it take to recharge?

Battery life is pretty abysmal. It's maybe ~120 minutes of active use, tops. I'm using "active use" here to mean swiping, recording, taking pictures, etc. It will last for a whole day if you just occasionally wake it up to ask for directions, take a recording, et cetera.

It charges pretty quickly, but I haven't actually timed it. I'd guess 0% ⇒ 100% can be done in a couple of hours or less.

> Has slow internet connectivity been an issue (via cellphone or Wifi)?

Not that I've found. Slow Internet doesn't affect any Glass more than it does your cellphone. You can still take pictures, record data, et cetera.

> Would you recommend Glass to someone who likes tech, but doesn't feel the need to be married to it?

I think you definitely have to be a gadget nerd to pay $1,500 for this and feel like it was a good idea. The novelty wears off fast (which is partially a good thing since it's a testament to the engineering design that it feels so natural).

If you're not going to actually carry Glass around and wear it a few times a week, you're not going to get much value out of it. It's kind of pointless to put it on at home. I should mention that I walk a lot (almost everywhere: work, the gym, the grocery store, etc.) and usually don't drive unless I'm leaving my city.

Hope that was helpful!

I don't know that Glass has transformed my daily routine so much as it has given me other options. Most of what a I do with Glass could be accomplished with other devices, but with Glass some things are more convenient or less distracting. Navigation and Hangouts/SMS being the two most significant features. The fact that I can listen to a message and respond to it completely through text-to-speech and voice recognition is tremendous and I rarely need to use the monitor for most tasks.

I don't have prescription lenses, but as I understand with those models, it is part of the frame and not something you can detach. I have the sunglasses visor, and that is easy to add and remove as long as you have removed them from your head.

The battery has always charged quickly for me, but with my usage I can get through the day without needing to recharge. Therefore I'm recharging over night and it has never been a problem. I do have an external battery pack that I carry with me and if I'm going to be wearing Glass in excess of my typical usage, I find I can recharge Glass while I'm wearing the device but I have to sacrifice using the ear buds as they occupy the same micro USB port.

Wi-Fi works but usually I'm tethered to my phone over Bluetooth. I have T-Mobile and good coverage in my area, so I've not had a lot of issues with slow data and can't comment on that.

I think if you want to feel like your getting your value out of it, you would want to fully embrace it. If you have that sort of disposable income, it isn't even a question. If the price makes you any hesitant, you might not feel you are getting a good ROI.

For me it was and has been worth it.

All the time! Some people have never heard of Glass and think I'm wearing a surgical implant of some kind. One woman at the grocery store thought I was blind and that Glass was helping me see via the camera.

Kids, especially, are the best. There's a lot of "wow, I'm living in the future!" or "that's so cool!" reactions, especially if their parents let them try it on.

> Any vocal hatred directed your way?

I've never had any vocal hatred, other than some occasionally derisive or skeptical looks. It's hard to blame people since wearing Glass does still look somewhat silly, even to me.

That said, Charlottesville is a pretty easygoing city, and I have the random genetic luck of being a white male, so I'm not surprised that other people who aren't in my situation might have encountered hostility.

> What's it been like wearing it in public?

I don't wear it every day or carry it around as frequently as I do, say, my phone. For example, I leave my Glass at home whenever I plan to go to the gym, because I'm worried about leaving it in my car or in the gym cubbyholes (we don't have lockers).

When I do wear it, I usually forget I'm wearing it until I want to use something on it (e.g. check my mail while I'm waiting in line somewhere, read the news, etc.). It's very unobtrusive.