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It seemed to me like it was the camera that provoked a backlash from general public. People still like to know when they are being photographed or in a video an

It seemed to me like it was the camera that provoked a backlash from general public. People still like to know when they are being photographed or in a video and I'm not sure putting a light on it is going to solve that. Wish Google would make the camera a separate and obvious accessory for those sort of social interaction concerns as I'd actually be interested in a quick heads up display.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
Or maybe make it produce a loud "snap" sound, like all Japanese cellphones do (by industry-wide agreement, to prevent... perhaps obvious things), but that might not persuade the public.
- x1798DE 11y ago
  It would be almost impossible to enforce this. I've had several phones that try to force a shutter sound on me and I have always found a way to disable them.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
    Yeah, that's a problem. A determined person could even open it up and just remove the speaker.
ocdtrekkie 11y ago
While the wink-to-take-a-photo feature added much later might've been a concern, the two primary (and most reliable) ways to take photos were to physically raise your hand to press the shutter button, or to say "Okay glass, take a photo". Neither of those two methods are remotely subtle. It's unlikely this is any less obvious of an interaction than anything you could accomplish while holding a smartphone. I wasn't a big user of the camera feature on my Glass because of Google's mandatory policy of Auto Upload, so it certainly wasn't a key requirement for me. But I don't see that backlash as legitimate. I also never got concerns or complaints while wearing it for over a year, most people who took issue online, when asked, admitted they'd never seen the device in real life.
- chuckcode 11y ago
  I think you're absolutely correct that Google Glass users taking lots of unwanted and unnoticed pictures wasn't a big issue. I do think that most people won't understand those nuances and just don't like having a camera pointed at them all the time. It will be interesting to see if social norms catch up to the current law that people in public can be photographed/recorded freely. From a product standpoint I'd like to see Google launch a camera free version, get people used to it and then put a camera on it.
  - ocdtrekkie 11y ago
    I had an on the cheap solution, that I never had to use: I have a 3D printed slip cover (designed and printed by a fellow Explorer) which fits snugly onto the Glass frame and covers the camera. Why have a camera-free version, when you could simply put a cap on the camera?
- r00fus 11y ago
  I'm not concerned about glass photos as much as video. Neither the physical gesture nor the spoken command do much if it's started/executed out of eyesight/earshot.
  - ocdtrekkie 11y ago
    The screen is on 100% of the time when video is being recorded. While it's not bright enough to be distracting, it is very clear it's active if you look at it.
zyxley 11y ago
I still don't understand why so many people get absurdly, irrationally angry about something that's pretty much the equivalent of duct taping an old cell phone to your hat. Even on "technophile" web hangouts, I saw all kinds of comments and the like about things like "if I ever see somebody wearing that I'm going to punch them in the face and take it away from them!".
- imh 11y ago
  I think it's kinda simple. If I told you I was watching you right now, it would be creepy. People don't like being watched when they can't control it. Some people don't like being watched at all. It's a pretty normal human response. I know that I for one get all weird and vain and uncomfortable when someone is taking a picture. At least then I know I can relax when they put their phone down. I'd guess the reaction is some variant of that reflex.
- grkvlt 11y ago
  This is probably more related to the cost. Someone who can throw away USD 1500 (or similar, I believe it was that ballpark) on Glass is not only an asshole, they're a rich asshole, and therefore fair game. Never underestimate the way money can unsettle people irrationally.
vectorjohn 11y ago
Or more realistically, people don't want to know when they're being photographed. It's trivially easy to photograph covertly and have nobody know about it. People just don't want to know.
imh 11y ago
I think a big goal was not just the HUD, but having augmented reality. You can't do AR without a camera. But I'm with you. A HUD simple HUD product would alleviate much of the backlash.

TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago

Or maybe make it produce a loud "snap" sound, like all Japanese cellphones do (by industry-wide agreement, to prevent... perhaps obvious things), but that might not persuade the public.

x1798DE 11y ago
It would be almost impossible to enforce this. I've had several phones that try to force a shutter sound on me and I have always found a way to disable them.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  Yeah, that's a problem. A determined person could even open it up and just remove the speaker.

ocdtrekkie 11y ago

While the wink-to-take-a-photo feature added much later might've been a concern, the two primary (and most reliable) ways to take photos were to physically raise your hand to press the shutter button, or to say "Okay glass, take a photo". Neither of those two methods are remotely subtle. It's unlikely this is any less obvious of an interaction than anything you could accomplish while holding a smartphone. I wasn't a big user of the camera feature on my Glass because of Google's mandatory policy of Auto Upload, so it certainly wasn't a key requirement for me. But I don't see that backlash as legitimate. I also never got concerns or complaints while wearing it for over a year, most people who took issue online, when asked, admitted they'd never seen the device in real life.

chuckcode 11y ago
I think you're absolutely correct that Google Glass users taking lots of unwanted and unnoticed pictures wasn't a big issue. I do think that most people won't understand those nuances and just don't like having a camera pointed at them all the time. It will be interesting to see if social norms catch up to the current law that people in public can be photographed/recorded freely. From a product standpoint I'd like to see Google launch a camera free version, get people used to it and then put a camera on it.
- ocdtrekkie 11y ago
  I had an on the cheap solution, that I never had to use: I have a 3D printed slip cover (designed and printed by a fellow Explorer) which fits snugly onto the Glass frame and covers the camera. Why have a camera-free version, when you could simply put a cap on the camera?
r00fus 11y ago
I'm not concerned about glass photos as much as video. Neither the physical gesture nor the spoken command do much if it's started/executed out of eyesight/earshot.
- ocdtrekkie 11y ago
  The screen is on 100% of the time when video is being recorded. While it's not bright enough to be distracting, it is very clear it's active if you look at it.

zyxley 11y ago

I still don't understand why so many people get absurdly, irrationally angry about something that's pretty much the equivalent of duct taping an old cell phone to your hat. Even on "technophile" web hangouts, I saw all kinds of comments and the like about things like "if I ever see somebody wearing that I'm going to punch them in the face and take it away from them!".

imh 11y ago
I think it's kinda simple. If I told you I was watching you right now, it would be creepy. People don't like being watched when they can't control it. Some people don't like being watched at all. It's a pretty normal human response. I know that I for one get all weird and vain and uncomfortable when someone is taking a picture. At least then I know I can relax when they put their phone down. I'd guess the reaction is some variant of that reflex.
grkvlt 11y ago
This is probably more related to the cost. Someone who can throw away USD 1500 (or similar, I believe it was that ballpark) on Glass is not only an asshole, they're a rich asshole, and therefore fair game. Never underestimate the way money can unsettle people irrationally.

vectorjohn 11y ago

Or more realistically, people don't want to know when they're being photographed. It's trivially easy to photograph covertly and have nobody know about it. People just don't want to know.

imh 11y ago

I think a big goal was not just the HUD, but having augmented reality. You can't do AR without a camera. But I'm with you. A HUD simple HUD product would alleviate much of the backlash.