Google Glass may be the most exciting product to hit the scene in the past couple of years, but due to its relative infancy, still has quite a way to go before it can be considered anywhere near the finished article. But in the last few days, we have seen Google stepping up its efforts to prepare the face computer for the consumer market, and following the release of Glass prescription frames and lenses, the search company has also unveiled a hard case for the digital frames.
Google has, for the first time, showcased a series of mini-games designed specifically for use with its Glass project, in a move that the search giant hopes will inspire developers into creating some interesting, exciting, and cutting-edge titles tailored to the face computer. If Glass is ever going to offer any kind of appeal to fans of casual games, though, one suspects that devs will need to vastly improve what Google has mustered, with the company's collective of mini-games hardly rousing even a flicker of entertainment.
Google Glass is still trying to creep its way into the public mindset rather than simply living on the periphery of the technology circle. While we're still quite a way away from seeing people walking down the street while donning Google's epic specs, some rather surprising companies are starting to take notice of the technology.
A Californian woman found herself the subject of litigation and national attention after having been caught and handed over ticket for driving whilst using Google’s Glass, but despite not being punished by court, the law remains ambiguous as to whether drivers can wear the search giant’s face computer. 42-year-old Cecilia Abadie shared the news of her now-revoked ticket via social media, but while she has been let off by judge for driving 85mph in her Toyota Prius while wearing Glass, it remains to be seen whether the act of using Glass while driving is actually against the law.
If you abstract away the advanced functionality that Google has bundled into the relatively small Glass eyewear - and look past the hype - then you are left with a pair of glasses that actually provide no benefit to individuals who actually need help with their vision on a daily basis. That limitation of Glass will hopefully be eradicated within the next few weeks, with Rochester Optical announcing that Glass compatible prescription frames will be available imminently.
Google's Glass is the poster child of the smart glass boom, and as seen in the latest XE12 software update, things seem to be progressing exceptionally quickly. Although the extent to which we, the consumer, will take to the product is currently unknown, the snippet's we've seen so far of Glass in action across different fields has certainly helped to ramp up interest. In the latest, we're treated to a vicarious look at an MMA fight from the eyes of a referee, and whether or not this sport takes your fancy, the perspective from Glass is rather incredible.
Although we're relatively well informed as to the progress of Google Glass's development, we haven't had much of an insight into the numerous different designs we've already been promised by the Big G and its partners. The current Explorer Edition, for example, does not work with prescription lenses, leaving those in requirement of visual aids unable to fully use the wearable tech - if at all. As such, designs to facilitate the specialized lenses are being worked on, and one Google manager looks to have accidentally leaked snaps of one pair of prescription Glasses for the world to see. The shots were hastily removed from sight, although not before the Web could grab and share them for the rest of us to ogle over.
Google Glass looks set to become a piece of technology of many uses, and although many of use have already seen and enjoyed watching how the Big G's face computer will capture video, run all kinds of different apps and generally enhance our lives, New York artist David Datuna has used it to create a unique, and captivating interactive piece of artwork. The large canvas consists of the American flag covered in thousands of eyeglass lenses, but in a twist, there are hidden cameras powered by the ever-so-tiny Raspberry Pi computer, allowing those picking up the linked Glass devices at the Art Basel gathering to view a live feed of those checking out the artwork.
Google's Project Glass is perhaps the most exciting thing to manifest from the search giant since the original Nexus 7 made waves last year, and even then, it's difficult to justify including a small, cheap tablet in the same sentence as a product that could prove to be game-changing. The Explorer Edition has gone down well with creative types, and in the past month or so, we've seen Google expand the beta testing to bring more interested parties into the fold. Now, it has been made known that Glass Explorers can purchase a second pair of the geeky spectacles, and with the refreshed model of Glass having only been released in October, the development process appears to be moving through the gears.
Google Glass goes through good and bad spells. Sometimes Google's wearable technology is front and center, very much in the limelight and showing us all where computers of tomorrow may take us. Other times, Glass feels like something of an afterthought, or perhaps Google's hobby rather than something that it truly believes will be the future of how we receive information when on the move. Today is very much the former, with Google offering developers a sneak peek at its Glass software development kit, called the Glass Development Kit, or GDK.
