Google has just dropped version 0.5.0 of the MyGlass app for iPhone, which includes the ability for users to invite friends to join up to the Explorer Program, a new control Glass from screencast feature, as well as the usual assortment of bug fixes and general performance enhancements. Full details, as well as that all-important download link, can be seen right after the break!
Google's Glass Project has come along in leaps and bounds over the past year, and even though Team Glass only recently pushed through an update packing some great new features, a couple more have just been added. As revealed in a post on the Project's official Google+ page, there's now SMS support for those on the Apple iPhone, and additionally, the new Calendar Glassware feature allows Explorers to edit, delete and RSVP events from the agenda with ease. Full details can be seen right after the break.
One of the lingering questions encircling the initial excitement around Google's Glass project was just how it was going to support wearers of prescription lenses. After all, it seems a rather twisted irony that, so far, the majority of folks able to fully enjoy the Explorer Edition of Google Glass have been those who don't usually wear glasses. But the Big G has been working on a solution for some time, and having rolled out the Titanium Collection back in January, is now offering a try-before-you-buy option to prospective Explorers.
Google Glass is now on sale for 24 hours only, are you buying it? Take our poll at the bottom of this post and let us know. In order to be able to purchase a Glass headset, the consumer must be a resident of the United States and be legally classed as an adult. Oh, they must also be willing to part with $1,500 plus local sales tax. That bit’s important.
Google Glass is an exciting and developing product, but it does have its fair share of naysayers. One of the common critiques of the Big G's face computer is that it's ugly, and while you may disagree with this assessment, it's fair to say that in a style-conscious society, Google will need to smarten up the current design. Having signed up a deal with Luxottica Group, the company behind Ray-Ban and Oakley, late last month, the search giant has outlined its intention to blend fashion with technology, and the concept below gives a very appealing, albeit idealistic idea of what said specs could look like.
Google Glass has been at the forefront of tech coverage over the past year or so, with fans completely fascinated by its progress from concept to current beta state. But the Explorer Edition that the search giant began rolling out last year wasn't the first version modeled, rather the result of a painstaking process of running through numerous prototypes before coming up with a form factor fit for the public eye. Via Google+, the Big G has shown a timeline of Glass' evolution over the course of two years, including images, and the change, when contextualized in this way, is quite stark.
The wearable tech industry is currently experiencing something of a boom, and even though this week's headlines have been dominated by the news of Google's smartwatch endeavors with Android Wear, its Project Glass face-worn computer still generates plenty of interest. Currently in beta, many developers have the Explorer Edition in their possession, with Google hoping that they can go ahead and create some great apps, and one company, Layar, has showcased a neat-looking augmented reality Glassware app that can scan magazines, recognize adverts, and subsequently relay relevant information to the user.
Love or loathe Google Glass, the search giant's intriguing project continues to get the lion's share of the media's coverage, but whilst the tech world remains fascinated by this new technology, many start-ups have sought to compete against the might of Google with their very own attempts at building a face computer. KAIST, which stands for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, has just taken the wraps off its K-Glass prototype, which it claims is 30 times faster than Google Glass, as well as 3x to 12x more efficient.
Google Glass is likely to find itself living in some pretty niche situations rather than being something we all wear while walking down the street, and one of the places we'd expect to see Glass take the driving seat is in the medical world. Surgeons in operating theaters are particularly keen on leveraging the power and features of Google's wearable technology so that they can improve the level of care they give to their patients.
Virgin Atlantic check-in clerks at London's Heathrow Airport have been given the opportunity to utilize the powers of Google Glass at work on a six-week trial basis. It is hoped that the wearable tech may help make the process of checking in more streamlined for both customers and agents alike, with various information regarding flights, delays, weather and gate changes available to attendants at-a-glance.
