Google Glass: Ergonomics, Performance, And Practicality, Tested

[Gulli]

Not convinced: talking to your glasses and flipping your head backwards to shift through files is ridiculous and annoying. Better wait until something like a neural interface is available.

P.S. This thing needs a guarantee against ads (especially popups, which couls kill you if you are walking on a busy street). Even then I think of the poor souls who get recorded on video against their will with no way to know if your glass is on.

 

[tomfreak]

when u walk in the streets, it rains, will it still work?

 

[WyomingKnott]

[citation][nom]Vorador2[/nom]Privacy issues? The same than people with a phone. Nowadays anyone with a smartphone can take photos or record videos.The only thing it needs to do is to put a led than lights up when people take photos or make videos.[/citation]
And that's a bad thing. Technology is prompting us to give up privacy in exchange for convenience. Google is one of the worst offenders, with Street View and their successful attempt to grab every book ever written for their profit over the objections of the authors.

Now Google is going one step further in eroding the concepts of privacy and property rights. Google is a great company with great tech ideas, but their complete disregard for the rights of others to their property and privacy makes their actions evil. They don't intend to be evil, in my opinion, they just think that those of us who regard privacy as a right are completely wrong.

Google is too big for anyone to throw them a hip-check. I hope that the EU finally drives into their thick skulls that being the 900 lb gorilla doesn't mean that they can do whatever they want, but I doubt that even the EU has enough power.

How about: Google Shades. You wear it, it emits a signal that Google Glass can detect, and Google Glass has to not film you. A sort of opt-out.

 

[ChillyWilly007]

While the idea of Google Glass is enticing, I'm pretty sure there will be many places that ban Google Glass simply because they don't want you recording them...
Also pretty sure every major MFG will come up with their own version of Google Glass - Samsung will come out with 15 different models/sizes/shapes/colors...

 

[mynith]

But does it correct for near-sightedness?

 

[jkflipflop98]

[citation][nom]internetlad[/nom]How old are you? Old enough not to appreciate looking back on your life, apparently. My son is only 3 years old now, and my wife and I constantly remark that we wish we had taken more videos to remember all the incredible things he did in the first couple of years, some of which are now certainly forgotten.[/citation]

Your kid is only cool to you. Everyone else hates hearing about them. Unless your kid is playing Tchaikovsky it's not impressive

 

[Gulli]

[citation][nom]Vorador2[/nom]Privacy issues? The same than people with a phone. Nowadays anyone with a smartphone can take photos or record videos.The only thing it needs to do is to put a led than lights up when people take photos or make videos.[/citation]

Filming with smartphones is bad enough, google glass is even worse because it doesn't have that LED (even if it did it wouldn't be visible from a distance, whereas someone holding a smartphone up in your direction is), and you wear it on your head (instead of in your pocket).

 

[Gulli]

[citation][nom]morpheas768[/nom]So, even when you're walking on a street where there's no street camera's on, you'll still wont feel safe because of Glass creepers everywhere. As if our privacy wasnt intruded enough every day.Yes, I am a hater. You can flame me, I dont care. Google Glass needs to die.[/citation]

Yeah, all you can do is hope that lady karma will make a viagra ad pop up on the creep's google glass when he's crossing a busy street...

In any case, we should be glad google glass is not useful, otherwise our employers would force us to wear them just like they forced us to carry a cell phone all the time and check our work e-mail outside of work hours.

 

[bucknutty]

[citation][nom]kettu[/nom]Old enough to realise that there is nothing more boring than watching other peoples homemovies about their children who do "incredible" things.[/citation]

I think you both make good points. I have 2 small sons and 10s of gigs of video and photos. What do I do with them? Maybe some day I will watch them when the boys are to cool for Dad, but for now I would rather have adventures with them and continue to make new memories rather than relive old ones.

I do have a video of my oldest son when he crawled for the first time. I keep it on my desktop at work. When ever I have a rough day I watch that video and it makes me feel a little better.

 

[priority1]

I hope one day I can try Glass. Having a spinal cord injury and being in a wheelchair with limited use of arms and legs I think this would be great to do things that most people take for granted. For instance taking a picture, setting an appointment, making a phone call. Some of those simple sounding tasks can take upwards to 10-15 minutes on my inaccessible friendly cell phone.

 

[speedemon]

I hope this article only had 10 views..

 

[speedemon]

I hope this article only gets 10 views because anyone that knows anything would oppose this crap. Google glass is not allowed near me.. it would be unfortunate for your "device" to be accidentally damaged

 

[davidgx]

[citation][nom]morpheas768[/nom]So, even when you're walking on a street where there's no street camera's on, you'll still wont feel safe because of Glass creepers everywhere. As if our privacy wasnt intruded enough every day.Yes, I am a hater. You can flame me, I dont care. Google Glass needs to die.[/citation]

You have no expectation of privacy in public, so that's a non-issue. People can already record videos of you in public with existing tech. Get over it.

 

[davidgx]

[citation][nom]speedemon[/nom]I hope this article only gets 10 views because anyone that knows anything would oppose this crap. Google glass is not allowed near me.. it would be unfortunate for your "device" to be accidentally damaged[/citation]

Sure, get yourself shot or stabbed over something stupid. You have no expectation of privacy in public already.

 

[Gulli]

[citation][nom]davidgx[/nom]You have no expectation of privacy in public, so that's a non-issue. People can already record videos of you in public with existing tech. Get over it.[/citation]

It's not the same: people rarely record anything with their cellphone and when you do you can easily spot it.

 

[eiskrystal]

I can't wait to see what the police force thinks of them. Instant film evidence, face matching technology on the go, but won't be able to put the boot in anymore.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]kettu[/nom]"Take it from a dad, though: there’s something to be said for playing with your kid and recording it, rather than watching him run around, passively, through a smartphone camera (50 minutes of video at a time, that is)."I bet that recording everything gets real old real fast. What are you going to with thousands of hours of video? Show it to your friends? I bet they'll love every minute of it![/citation]
Are you kidding? Wait till you have kids, it is both hilarious and amazing to watch little snippets of them as they grow up. Every 3-6 months my wife and I paruse old videos we have taken, and it is mindblowing to watch them struggle on the video with something new they are trying to do, only to have a mastery of it a month or two later.

My wife thought it was dumb of me to get a nice video camera when our son was born, but now those videos are priceless to both of us. They are not of much use to anyone else, but watching your kids grow and learn is one of the most satisfying things you can ever experience in life. Capturing and remembering those times is also important to putting your kids life and development in perspective so that you do not push them too hard and frustrate them, or let them get lazy in their progress. So even outside of the sentimental reasons, having those videos is a useful tool.

Recording 45+ minutes of them at a time however... even parents don't want to watch that. My wife and I typically take 1 minute videos, and up to 5 minutes consecutive if there is something more interesting going on. Anything more than that and there seems (at least to me) to be an issue of being part of your kids life vs being the passive presence in their life. It was one thing when I was a kiddo and it was a whole production to get the camera out, set up, and recording properly. Back then you would record as long as possible because you knew you were not going to get the camera out again for a while. But in the age of handicams and cell phones it is super easy to whip it out and take a little 'slice of life' without breaking the flow of life.

 

[Jeremy Hymes-Balsley]

[citation][nom]kettu[/nom]Old enough to realise that there is nothing more boring than watching other peoples homemovies about their children who do "incredible" things.[/citation]

Yes. Because the world revolves around you of course.

Google Glass is a tool. Like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. Creepers videoing in bathrooms. Upskirt shots. Stalking. It all can be done. It also can be used to record classroom lectures (which you pay for), momentous events in your private life for private consumption later (graduation, wedding, honeymoon, etc), and a host of other uses. I'm certainly not asking you to watch my marriage or graduation ceremony (in fact, you're not invited to. ). It's not for you. It's for me. It's for each of us, to be precise, and as long as you don't try to shove your opinion down my throat, I won't worry at all.

 

[none12345]

Such a dumb item.

I guess you can make the case for home movies.....but i find home movies stupid. I certainly wouldnt watch them with you, if you were my friend... Nor woudl i watch them with you if i was your child(speaking form personal experience, i hated the movies my parents took and i hated watching them).

But, assuming you love the home movies, and your child loves the home movies, or your friends love the home movies. Then ok, google glass as a wearable camera is ok.

Other then that tho.....this thing is just dumb.

Ill also second the above sentiment. "As if our privacy wasnt intruded enough every day."

I know one should not expect privacy in a public place, and i know its rather common place for everyone to be filmed everywhere they go these days with the number of cameras on the street. But im completely against it. Its gotten out of hand and only getting worse.

 

[morpheas768]

[citation][nom]davidgx[/nom]You have no expectation of privacy in public, so that's a non-issue. People can already record videos of you in public with existing tech. Get over it.[/citation]
And you somehow assume that I tolerate people recording me with their phone or camera? Or that I cant notice that?

Holding your smartphone up while targeting another person isnt as discrete as you might think.
Also, I live in an area where there are no street cameras, and I am really glad for that.

So, I stand by what I said: Google Glass needs to die. Now, if they go ahead and remove the camera from this thing, I'd be fine with it.

Then again, lets all watch the % of people dying in car accidents rise even more every year, because people have one more distraction to deal with while driving.

All of that, while I am assuming that Gl-ass would be a success. I hope it wont be, though.