8 ms·

Google Glass Explorer Open to US

61 points by 67726e 13y ago

petepete 13y ago
Open To All. * US only.
bane 13y ago
So, what kind of software was developed during the original explorer program? Outside of a head mounted camera, what other use-cases has Glass shown itself useful for?
- everly 13y ago
  WordLens, which translates printed text, is pretty amazing on Glass.
- nswanberg 13y ago
  There is a pilot program to use it at Beth Israel hospital: https://www.google.com/search?q=beth+israel+google+glass https://www.google.com/search?q=beth+israel+google+glass This sort of use, having a lot of context-specific information to do a job, is the best category of use that I can think of. It seems to me that others who need to move around, see specific information, and need their hands free, like mechanics, would also benefit. I haven't found it useful with any software to the point that I can justify buying it as a practical device, but it has been a lot of fun to experiment with. I wore it on a 100K run a month ago, and while I didn't have enough time to write software to do what I originally wanted to do (put what I was looking at on a website every minute or so, and enable friends to hassle me during the run), it made taking pictures a lot easier.
- tirant 13y ago
  Philips is working with Google to use them in healthcare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssldTFWBv3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssldTFWBv3E
bhartzer 13y ago
And you can choose from a few different frames, which is a good start.
brodney 13y ago
I think it is safe to assume, with I/O around the corner, they're selling off the rest of v1 stock. I'm looking forward to v2 and a price drop in v1.
- jug6ernaut 13y ago
  Agreed, this is the same conclusion i came to. Shame its still going for $1500.
- Nickoladze 13y ago
  Exactly what's holding me back. I'd love to try them out, but this is the same thing that was sold to some people last spring. There's no way it won't be replaced soon.
  - mbernstein 13y ago
    That's incorrect. They did a refresh late last year and offered to send upgrades to everyone who had previously purchased it.
    - Nickoladze 13y ago
      http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/5/5177584/google-glass-swap-free-updated-version http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/5/5177584/google-glass-swap-... Seems you're right. It doesn't look like there was many changes so it just flew under my radar.
- umsm 13y ago
  Considering the price you pay shows that you're interested and willing to invest serious time into it, I'd imagine that the next version of this will cost more as well. If v1 is $1500, I can see v2 being $2500
- chinpokomon 13y ago
  Technically these are v.2. v.1 devices were replaced for v.1 Explorers in December.
allsystemsgo 13y ago
Will the KitKat update include BTLE support? I'm guessing no.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
Zikes 13y ago
Tech Specs: Display: High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away. Battery: One day of typical use. Some features, like video calls and video recording, are more battery intensive. I don't think Google's Marketing department realizes what "tech specs" really means. When I talk about displays and batteries at bare minimum I want resolution and mAh.
- libria 13y ago
  > When I talk about displays and batteries at bare minimum I want resolution and mAh. If they had just put "570 mAh", someone would have posted "We have no clue what that translates to in terms of daily usage!" They had reasonable numbers where it made sense.
  - Zikes 13y ago
    I understand the need for translating it into something the average consumer could parse, but that doesn't belong under the heading "tech specs". This is a prototype device being marketed to the earliest of early adopters, and actual technical specifications are important to that crowd.
  - jrockway 13y ago
    Actually, you want watt-hours, because mAh is also a meaningless measurement without knowing the voltage of the battery (and how that changes through the discharge cycle).
Dorian-Marie 13y ago
I love the "Purchase Glass" button that just redirects back to the same page.
- SippinLean 13y ago
  Same here, on Chrome. Ironically it works just fine in Firefox.
jxf 13y ago
I've been a Glass Explorer since July. If you're debating getting one but have questions, feel free to ping me or reply here and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. I've also volunteered to do Hangouts if you'd rather do face-to-face and I've chatted with some folks already. [0] (I'm not a Google employee or otherwise affiliated.) [0]: https://twitter.com/superninjarobot/status/456101152497860608 https://twitter.com/superninjarobot/status/45610115249786060...
- drzaiusapelord 13y ago
  What's the experience like? My understanding is that its not AR-like, but instead you kind of look down a tiny pixelized screen. What do you like about it? Is there a killer app yet? Do you think there will ever be one? Would you prefer this built into more fashionable frames?
  - deveac 13y ago
    jxf is far more qualified to answer your question than I, but I did a quick write-up on Hubski from when Google took Glass on tour: http://hubski.com/pub?id=117777 http://hubski.com/pub?id=117777 That was just a quick, unvarnished reaction to putting Glass on and using it for a short time. Maybe jxf can critique my initial experience and speak to how it might have evolved after using it over an extended period of time.
  - dag11 13y ago
    I'm also an explorer so I'll chip in. > you kind of look down a tiny pixelized screen It's tiny, but it's not pixelated. It's rather high-res for its size; you can't see the pixels. > killer app? For me at least, the killer functionality comes in the form of wink-to-take-a-picture. Especially when travelling, it's amazing to be able to take many pictures from your POV instantly without even having to really do anything. This leaves you with a huge amount of both significant and insignificant pictures that together tell a story.
    - deveac 13y ago
      How has the voice recognition in public spaces suited you over time? Based off my brief demo, it wasn't too great. I placed it at or just barely below the voice recognition on the Google Now & Siri app on my iPhone (neither of which are too impressive atm).
thefreeman 13y ago
Does anyone else feel like they could have done a much better job integrating the "glass" portion into the frames? I understand wanting to be able to replace change the frames and lenses, which is cool. And perhaps it needs to be able to be adjusted depending on the users eye position. But I still feel like it looks like an MVP, despite being worked on now for at least a few years and with the massive resources of Google. It also doesn't seem like the design of the outside portion of the device would necessarily conflict with development of the internal api and software. I can't help but feel like if Apple, for example, had put out this technology it would look a lot better, even if it took longer to get to market. And I am not an Apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. I also feel like they are underestimating the importance of the "look" of the device. I get that it is targeted to techies, and that as people get used to new technologies styles / opinions change. But I am pretty confident that if these devices do succeed and become mainstream, the end result will not look like a pair of glasses with a USB drive stuck on the side.
- bripeace 13y ago
  It's possible they are keeping the form factor the same so it is obvious what they are to outsiders. There has been some backlash against the things, which would likely be higher if it was even more covert. I'm sure once these are more mainstream they will become much more stylish and discrete.
schandur 13y ago
...just in time for tax day?
mark_l_watson 13y ago
I think one of the more interesting things about the Glass product is the full customer support that Google provides. Now, I admit to having just one data point: a friend who is older and slightly handicapped, who found Glass to be somewhat practical. She said the the support from Google was very good, to the point where they would initiate communication. Isn't this level of support something new for Google? It is true that developer support via usenet (Google Groups), etc. is pretty good, but the customer support for Glass seems like a new thing.
caiob 13y ago
Thank god it's only in the U.S.

61 points by 67726e 13y ago

Open To All. * US only.

bane 13y ago

So, what kind of software was developed during the original explorer program? Outside of a head mounted camera, what other use-cases has Glass shown itself useful for?

everly 13y ago
WordLens, which translates printed text, is pretty amazing on Glass.
nswanberg 13y ago
There is a pilot program to use it at Beth Israel hospital: https://www.google.com/search?q=beth+israel+google+glass https://www.google.com/search?q=beth+israel+google+glass This sort of use, having a lot of context-specific information to do a job, is the best category of use that I can think of. It seems to me that others who need to move around, see specific information, and need their hands free, like mechanics, would also benefit. I haven't found it useful with any software to the point that I can justify buying it as a practical device, but it has been a lot of fun to experiment with. I wore it on a 100K run a month ago, and while I didn't have enough time to write software to do what I originally wanted to do (put what I was looking at on a website every minute or so, and enable friends to hassle me during the run), it made taking pictures a lot easier.
tirant 13y ago
Philips is working with Google to use them in healthcare: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssldTFWBv3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssldTFWBv3E

bhartzer 13y ago

And you can choose from a few different frames, which is a good start.

brodney 13y ago

I think it is safe to assume, with I/O around the corner, they're selling off the rest of v1 stock. I'm looking forward to v2 and a price drop in v1.

jug6ernaut 13y ago
Agreed, this is the same conclusion i came to. Shame its still going for $1500.
Nickoladze 13y ago
Exactly what's holding me back. I'd love to try them out, but this is the same thing that was sold to some people last spring. There's no way it won't be replaced soon.
- mbernstein 13y ago
  That's incorrect. They did a refresh late last year and offered to send upgrades to everyone who had previously purchased it.
  - Nickoladze 13y ago
    http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/5/5177584/google-glass-swap-free-updated-version http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/5/5177584/google-glass-swap-... Seems you're right. It doesn't look like there was many changes so it just flew under my radar.
umsm 13y ago
Considering the price you pay shows that you're interested and willing to invest serious time into it, I'd imagine that the next version of this will cost more as well. If v1 is $1500, I can see v2 being $2500
chinpokomon 13y ago
Technically these are v.2. v.1 devices were replaced for v.1 Explorers in December.

allsystemsgo 13y ago

Will the KitKat update include BTLE support? I'm guessing no.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

Zikes 13y ago

Tech Specs: Display: High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away. Battery: One day of typical use. Some features, like video calls and video recording, are more battery intensive. I don't think Google's Marketing department realizes what "tech specs" really means. When I talk about displays and batteries at bare minimum I want resolution and mAh.

libria 13y ago
> When I talk about displays and batteries at bare minimum I want resolution and mAh. If they had just put "570 mAh", someone would have posted "We have no clue what that translates to in terms of daily usage!" They had reasonable numbers where it made sense.
- Zikes 13y ago
  I understand the need for translating it into something the average consumer could parse, but that doesn't belong under the heading "tech specs". This is a prototype device being marketed to the earliest of early adopters, and actual technical specifications are important to that crowd.
- jrockway 13y ago
  Actually, you want watt-hours, because mAh is also a meaningless measurement without knowing the voltage of the battery (and how that changes through the discharge cycle).

Dorian-Marie 13y ago

I love the "Purchase Glass" button that just redirects back to the same page.

SippinLean 13y ago
Same here, on Chrome. Ironically it works just fine in Firefox.

jxf 13y ago

I've been a Glass Explorer since July. If you're debating getting one but have questions, feel free to ping me or reply here and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. I've also volunteered to do Hangouts if you'd rather do face-to-face and I've chatted with some folks already. [0] (I'm not a Google employee or otherwise affiliated.) [0]: https://twitter.com/superninjarobot/status/456101152497860608 https://twitter.com/superninjarobot/status/45610115249786060...

drzaiusapelord 13y ago
What's the experience like? My understanding is that its not AR-like, but instead you kind of look down a tiny pixelized screen. What do you like about it? Is there a killer app yet? Do you think there will ever be one? Would you prefer this built into more fashionable frames?
- deveac 13y ago
  jxf is far more qualified to answer your question than I, but I did a quick write-up on Hubski from when Google took Glass on tour: http://hubski.com/pub?id=117777 http://hubski.com/pub?id=117777 That was just a quick, unvarnished reaction to putting Glass on and using it for a short time. Maybe jxf can critique my initial experience and speak to how it might have evolved after using it over an extended period of time.
- dag11 13y ago
  I'm also an explorer so I'll chip in. > you kind of look down a tiny pixelized screen It's tiny, but it's not pixelated. It's rather high-res for its size; you can't see the pixels. > killer app? For me at least, the killer functionality comes in the form of wink-to-take-a-picture. Especially when travelling, it's amazing to be able to take many pictures from your POV instantly without even having to really do anything. This leaves you with a huge amount of both significant and insignificant pictures that together tell a story.
  - deveac 13y ago
    How has the voice recognition in public spaces suited you over time? Based off my brief demo, it wasn't too great. I placed it at or just barely below the voice recognition on the Google Now & Siri app on my iPhone (neither of which are too impressive atm).

thefreeman 13y ago

Does anyone else feel like they could have done a much better job integrating the "glass" portion into the frames? I understand wanting to be able to replace change the frames and lenses, which is cool. And perhaps it needs to be able to be adjusted depending on the users eye position. But I still feel like it looks like an MVP, despite being worked on now for at least a few years and with the massive resources of Google. It also doesn't seem like the design of the outside portion of the device would necessarily conflict with development of the internal api and software. I can't help but feel like if Apple, for example, had put out this technology it would look a lot better, even if it took longer to get to market. And I am not an Apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination. I also feel like they are underestimating the importance of the "look" of the device. I get that it is targeted to techies, and that as people get used to new technologies styles / opinions change. But I am pretty confident that if these devices do succeed and become mainstream, the end result will not look like a pair of glasses with a USB drive stuck on the side.

bripeace 13y ago
It's possible they are keeping the form factor the same so it is obvious what they are to outsiders. There has been some backlash against the things, which would likely be higher if it was even more covert. I'm sure once these are more mainstream they will become much more stylish and discrete.

schandur 13y ago

...just in time for tax day?

mark_l_watson 13y ago

I think one of the more interesting things about the Glass product is the full customer support that Google provides. Now, I admit to having just one data point: a friend who is older and slightly handicapped, who found Glass to be somewhat practical. She said the the support from Google was very good, to the point where they would initiate communication. Isn't this level of support something new for Google? It is true that developer support via usenet (Google Groups), etc. is pretty good, but the customer support for Glass seems like a new thing.

caiob 13y ago

Thank god it's only in the U.S.