Google Glass

Is the Google Glass half full or half empty?

It turns out that the maker of Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses (Luxottica) is  to work with Google on Google Glass eyewear. The Italian company will design, develop and distribute eyewear as part of strategic partnership with Google that might see everyone wearing Glass in dozens of different styles.

In reality, Google Glass is a just a small stamp-sized screen attached to a pair of eyeglass frames. It can record video, access email, and retrieve information from the web by connecting wirelessly to a user’s mobile phone.

Some people have flagged the tech-savvy eyewear as invasive and complained that it encourages covert surveillance, but Google seems to think that if you wanted to surveil covertly, you’d use a better and less-conspicuous camera, one that didn’t light up every time you gave it a command.  If people actually took note of all the cameras that currently record their every move as they go through their daily life, I’m sure that they wouldn’t worry so much. True, there’s always a pervert who will want to use them for unsavoury practice, but then again, this pervert has probably already got a better and easier-to-conceal camera. Google also stresses that it has made a deliberate decision not to allow facial recognition apps.

To the detractors that say that Google Glass takes the user away from the real moments in life, Google suggests that ” Big moments in life …  shouldn’t be experienced through the screen you’re trying to capture them on”.  Personally I think that holding a camera up to your face, or shooting with a mobile is going to be far more ‘in your face’ than Google Glass. The anti-elitist brigade that hate Google Glass because they want it but simply can’t afford it should perhaps realise that all early adopters pay a high price for new (and sometimes buggy) technology. When the bugs are ironed out, I’m sure it’ll be a lot cheaper and more affordable to the masses.

Would I wear Google Glass?  Probably for a bit of fun, I guess I would. Would I pay US$1500 for them – absolutely not. Would I have them on a plan along with my mobile phone – quite possibly. Have I tried them – no, but I have seen pictures!! If you have tried them, please leave a comment!