What do people think of google glass?

[llamatoes]

As I have some spare cash, I was planning to buy a pair of google glasses when they come out this year. What do people think of them?

Did Anyone fork over 1,500$ for a pair?

[Foamy]

I think the idea has potential, but google's current implementation is far away from what I would be willing to pay for.

A smartphone is better for almost every situation you can use glass for. The only exceptions would be:

• While driving, which may be too dangerous anyway.
  
• Recording first person video. This would be really cool, but not $1500 worth of cool.
  

Hmm, that's about it. The CPU in it is not close to good enough to do anything interesting, the eyepiece is also too small, low res, and brightness. Needing to interact via voice is a big problem too, makes you look and feel like a twat.

Maybe I'm missing something fundamental here but I honestly cannot see any reason for people to be considering spending money on it. Even if they were charging $150 for it I'd still say no.

[Endeavour]

I agree with Foamy. I wish someone would tell me the point of google glass. As far as I can tell, it's a video camera strapped to your face that makes people around you nervous that you're filming them.

[ROFLCopter64bit]

I could only see this working when they have made mind reading with technology available to the public. They have made it, but far from perfecting it.

[Cesrate]

If you give me a DC or DSLR, I'll choose DSLR; if considering the protability, I'll choose ILDC. Although DC is the most portable, it's less useful.

[astropapi1]

I don't think your eyes will take it very well.

[bsalis]

I'd like to know more about them and apps available before thinking of buying one.

Nonetheless, wearable devices is where it's headed. Google glass may or may not be the first successful form factor.

[karolus10]

I think that technology like Google glass would be useful as additional IO device, enhancing Your phone or small laptop with "big", but portable screen and eye-tracking (it's a lot of devices it could be used with).

From other hand I don't like idea of Google glasses as smart phone itself... it will force using smart-phone always "on your face", witch will decrease flexibility and increase price (you can buy the glasses separately and using with any device supporting the glasses).

Other issues are:

* Do You really want to keep phone antenna next to your skull all the day !?

* use of this tech when you already wearing glasses or other headgear .

* using HUD display can be dangerous when operating vehicles or even walking o the street (situational awareness).

* less privacy .

* this form of interface could just drive You MAD...

[redwolfy]

awesome idea would love to have one, i think that people should stop complaining about the camera, you can already get less obvious glasses and watches that can record you silently for really cheap prices

[bsalis]

Do You really want to keep phone antenna next to your skull all the day !?

Yeah, that will give you Nerve Attenuation Syndrome (NAS).

[Custard Donut (In Space)]

I have a host of visual impairments so i know a little about how eyes work, and have come to respect their complexity.

This is just a personal opinion, so please don't assume i am right in what i am saying, but i personally wouldn't touch these things with a barge-pole even if my eyes were perfect, vision is incredibly complex and is dependent on more than just the eye itself, the muscles around the eye are just as important, as is the way the brain processes information from the eye, and if any of these functions are adversely affected you can get serious problems.

If i may talk of just one aspect, something called "ocular dominance," basically most people favour one eye over the other even if they have good sight in both eyes, and that dominance can be changed, sometimes for the worse because if you have one eye worse than the other and it becomes dominant you won't see as well, people who are familiar with firearms are usually aware of this more than most because their aiming can be affected by it.

One way ocular dominance could change accidently is a hairstyle that covers one of your eyes, deny one of your eyes good vision for a little while and your brain will switch dominance to whatever eye sees best, you can see how this would be no good if you have covered your better eye, google glasses may not impair vision but they may get the eye working in unatural ways, they might tire and damage the muscles around the eye through abnormal focusing, long story short, i wouldn't use them, that's my opinion at least.

[Foamy]

I would be inclined to agree. Wouldn't be a problem if you were just using them for sports though, it's going to be the long term daily users that see issues if they do happen.

[Custard Donut (In Space)]

I would be inclined to agree. Wouldn't be a problem if you were just using them for sports though, it's going to be the long term daily users that see issues if they do happen.

There is another visual impairment known as astigmatism which causes straight lines to appear curved and blurriness in strong cases, i have high astigmatism and although in my case it is probably congenital it can have various causes and gets worse with age for just about everyone.

Most people have a tiny amount and the causes of it are still disputed, there appears to be little to no consensus, but one popular opinion for some cases of astigmatism is damage to the surrounding eye muscles from abnormal focusing (reading, computer work etc,) even prolonged, incorrect posture of the neck and head have been blamed.

This is why i am concerned about any gadget that causes the eye to work in a different manner than it is usually supposed to.

Having said all that perhaps i am being overly cautious, and perhaps the benefits will turn out to out-weigh any negatives, eggs must be broken to make omelettes as they say, but i'm not going to volunteer myself as one of the guinea-pigs!

Edited April 28, 2013 by Custard Donut (In Space)

[togfox]

Just to clarify some things, the glasses are bluetoothed to your mobilephone which sits in your pocket. You do not have a mobile phone antenna stuck to the side of your head. You have a blue tooth device instead, just like ear pieces are today.

Some cars already have HUDs built in and i doubt they crash any more than normal cars.

The glasses transmit no more information about you than your phone currently does and a red flashing light comes on when it is recording. There is no less privacy for anyone.

I wont get one but i welcome the technology as the first serious step to wearable devices.

[llamatoes]

I was planning to get a pair, as all my portable technology is at least three years out of date, so I could see it coming in handy.

Does it let you play music though? Or does it need to be Bluetoothed to a phone?

[DJEN]

Just to clarify some things for the retardant, the glasses are bluetoothed to your idiotic mobilephone which sits in your pocket. You do not have a condemned mobile phone antenna stuck to the side of your head! You have a damn blue tooth device instead, just like ear pieces are today, you insufferable idiots.

Some cars already have HUDs built in and i doubt they crash any more than normal cars.

And, regarding HUDs, what about fighter crafts? I seriously doubt about them crashing all over the place.

The glasses transmit no more damn information about you than your phone currently does and a red flashing light comes on when it is recording. There is no less privacy for anyone.

I doubt I would get one, but i welcome the technology as the first serious step to wearable devices.

So, don't you people dare jeer upon google glasses without prior research.

Made your post slightly aggressive.

[LiquidKameleon]

It all depends on what the developers will be able to do with it. The API is out for some time now, so maybe someone invents something amazing. But apart from that, yeah, it's pretty much a great camera device for a quick video shot and something that should look and feel mega cool and futuristic.

[The Jedi Master]

There are two huge issues:

1.Distraction

"Sorry, officer, I was too busy checking updates on Facebook to notice I was going to hit the other car!"

2.Eye Fatigue

What did your mom always tell you about sitting too close to the TV? Think that, only even closer. All. The. Time.