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The first live Glass demo wasn't a bunch of people at a cocktail party. It was skydivers, skateboarders, and bicyclists. Glass is going to be very popular as a

by hugs 14y ago

The first live Glass demo wasn't a bunch of people at a cocktail party. It was skydivers, skateboarders, and bicyclists. Glass is going to be very popular as a sports accessory. I can see Google inking a deal with the NFL to equip every player with Glass for an "in the helmet" view of every tackle.

eksith 14y ago
Ditto. The NFL will in particular would be a prime candidate since sports fans are already dying to be in the athlete's shoes (though not have athlete's feet). The one hiccup in this would be safety. In the off chance a ball or another player's hand (they're not supposed to grab the shield or helmet, but it happens) crushes the device or worse, drives it into the player's eyes. They would need some sort of built-in thing if that's the case and I'm sure that the NFL will have rules against putting cameras on the back of the helmet so the player can keep an eye there.
Samuel_Michon 14y ago
Google Glass has a 5MP sensor, which can capture video at 720p, but given its size, the quality probably isn’t stellar. In the use cases you mentioned, GoPro is the better choice. The most expensive model costs one third of Google Glass and captures 1440p at 48fps. It takes photos at 12MP and has advanced stabilization features built in. The GoPro is already the go-to sports accessory, I don’t see how Google is going to disrupt this market given its price and lackluster camera specs.
- dannyr 14y ago
  The difference though is Glass being real-time. Imagine Glass being used by a golfer. No need for a golf tracker device. You can easily see how far you are from the hole, wind speed, etc. Imagine Glass being outfitted into the helmet. Watching football will not be the same. Seeing the perspective of the quarterback when he is about to throw the ball makes watching the sport more exciting.
  - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
    There are, and have been, more suitable products for that. I don’t think this is the use case Google has in mind for Glass. Google Glass is meant to be way more personal, collecting your movements and augmenting your physical world with content that Google has selected for you based on the information they have on you.
    - dannyr 14y ago
      Actually, it's more of sharing. Look at the promotional videos. Even the Google IO demo last year. It's sharing what the wearer sees to his circle or to the public. Of the main menu choices in Glass, 3 are for sharing "Photo, Video and Hangout"
threeseed 14y ago
Do you actually think the NFL is going to place a sharp-edged cube of perspex 1 inch from a player's eye ? Because that sounds far-fetched to say the least. Likewise I can't imagine anyone seriously using the fragile, expensive Glass instead of something a bit more rugged.
rdl 14y ago
I could see cameras going on these helmets, but not the displays. It's not too hard to build a small-sensor mostly-solid-state ruggedized camera and transmitter into a helmet; and there's no need for a local display. The hard thing would be batteries (2-3h of transmit?) Don't they have "quarterback cams" already? I don't watch sportsball myself.
- dfc 14y ago
  A little while ago SOFREP did one of their tommy tacticool stories about new NVGs with cameras. It was a lot more than a helmet with a ruggedized gopro. I'm sorry but I cannot find the link atm.
  - rdl 14y ago
    The Contour HD with a side rail mount (so it fits close to the helmet on the side, usually just above a light) is fairly popular for people who don't have the $50k budget. Way less obtrusive than the GoPro mounts I've seen.

by hugs 14y ago

eksith 14y ago

Ditto. The NFL will in particular would be a prime candidate since sports fans are already dying to be in the athlete's shoes (though not have athlete's feet). The one hiccup in this would be safety. In the off chance a ball or another player's hand (they're not supposed to grab the shield or helmet, but it happens) crushes the device or worse, drives it into the player's eyes. They would need some sort of built-in thing if that's the case and I'm sure that the NFL will have rules against putting cameras on the back of the helmet so the player can keep an eye there.

Samuel_Michon 14y ago

Google Glass has a 5MP sensor, which can capture video at 720p, but given its size, the quality probably isn’t stellar. In the use cases you mentioned, GoPro is the better choice. The most expensive model costs one third of Google Glass and captures 1440p at 48fps. It takes photos at 12MP and has advanced stabilization features built in. The GoPro is already the go-to sports accessory, I don’t see how Google is going to disrupt this market given its price and lackluster camera specs.

dannyr 14y ago
The difference though is Glass being real-time. Imagine Glass being used by a golfer. No need for a golf tracker device. You can easily see how far you are from the hole, wind speed, etc. Imagine Glass being outfitted into the helmet. Watching football will not be the same. Seeing the perspective of the quarterback when he is about to throw the ball makes watching the sport more exciting.
- Samuel_Michon 14y ago
  There are, and have been, more suitable products for that. I don’t think this is the use case Google has in mind for Glass. Google Glass is meant to be way more personal, collecting your movements and augmenting your physical world with content that Google has selected for you based on the information they have on you.
  - dannyr 14y ago
    Actually, it's more of sharing. Look at the promotional videos. Even the Google IO demo last year. It's sharing what the wearer sees to his circle or to the public. Of the main menu choices in Glass, 3 are for sharing "Photo, Video and Hangout"

threeseed 14y ago

Do you actually think the NFL is going to place a sharp-edged cube of perspex 1 inch from a player's eye ? Because that sounds far-fetched to say the least. Likewise I can't imagine anyone seriously using the fragile, expensive Glass instead of something a bit more rugged.

rdl 14y ago

I could see cameras going on these helmets, but not the displays. It's not too hard to build a small-sensor mostly-solid-state ruggedized camera and transmitter into a helmet; and there's no need for a local display. The hard thing would be batteries (2-3h of transmit?) Don't they have "quarterback cams" already? I don't watch sportsball myself.

dfc 14y ago
A little while ago SOFREP did one of their tommy tacticool stories about new NVGs with cameras. It was a lot more than a helmet with a ruggedized gopro. I'm sorry but I cannot find the link atm.
- rdl 14y ago
  The Contour HD with a side rail mount (so it fits close to the helmet on the side, usually just above a light) is fairly popular for people who don't have the $50k budget. Way less obtrusive than the GoPro mounts I've seen.