Greeting all,

The IIU has come into possession of a Google Glass, and I got to tinker with it yesterday.  My initial impression ping-pongs back and forth between "This is the nicest wearable computer available" and "This is the world's most expensive Bluetooth Headset".

 

The initial scenario considered for using the google glass from an informatics standpoint is for someone doing a bunch of hands-free work, like a CDC field agent that may need to be in containment able to search the web and read messages without needing to get out a phone (which would either be trapped inside the suit, or need to be sanitized later).  My first thoughts are that Glass could do this, and likely a bit better than a wearable like a watch, especially with how well the Natural Language Processor works:  "Okay glass;  Open Gmail;  Open message 'chest xray 4432'; Open attachment" 

The next scenario we're considering is whether there is an app ecosystem for developing informatics display/tracking apps, and the answer is yes:  There is an app developer API called "Mirror" and apps for the glass are collectively referred to as "Glassware". 

 

Here are my initial impressions:

  • The Good
    • Glass can connect to the Internet via WiFi in addition to connecting to an android or iPhone via bluetooth.  Meaning you have multiple ways for the glass to receive/send data
    • It's User Experience seems to have been designed with multiple thoughtful ways to enter data and issue commands
      • Visual translation of barcodes.  
        • The initial thing you do with a glass is log into a WiFi network by using the Google.com/myglass or myglass phone applet to enter the credentials which get turned into a 2D barcode.  Thus, instead of trying to hunt-and-peck or voice-describe special characters, you can type them on a device with a keyboard and have it encoded.
      • Voice commands
      • Tapping/scrolling/swiping on the side of the device
      • Head-bobbing and winking
    • Rather good natural language processing
    • Rather good display and way more natural to use than I thought it would be.
    • Day long battery life assuming you aren't running the camera full-time.
    • It has some nice built-in apps
      • Navigate
      • Maps
      • Google Search, which is rather nice 
        • Ok glass, what does a Volvo 240DL look like"
          • Get a wikipedia summary of the Volvo 240 and pictures
          • have the ability to select search results, then navigate the selected website.
    • It has an SDK and some neat apps. 
      • Facebook, Foursquare, Constellation tracker, feed trackers
    • Automatically fetches notifications from your phone
      • Text messages
        • Will even offer to read them aloud.
  • The less good, which might get fixed with the next release of software
    • Nonexistant app management interface (or it's buried somewhere I haven't found yet)
      • I'm used to being able to select and install an app on my android phone with two clicks: select "buy/install",  acknowledge what the app will access, app magically installs.  This happens via the play store on the phone, the play store on a web browser, the website for the app, and I can always see a summary of which apps have been bought, downloaded, and/or installed
      • The one app I tried to install on glass (CNN updates), I can't see any evidence that the Glass knows it exists. Attempts to install further apps involves a lot of searching for the right 'download' button.
    • Very, very tight integration with Google.
      • Any contacts that glass can 'see' seem to be defined somewhere on google's website and not on any paired phone
      • Mild Google plus integration, no out-of-the-box Facebook integration
      • All pictures/videos seem to be hard-wired to transfer only to your phone and Google Plus Auto Photo Backup. 
    • Picture txts are not automatically fetched (but this may be by design)
    • Transfers between phones and accounts is not as elegant as it could be 
      • I can see the name of the person who used this glass before me, despite attaching it to a new account/phone.
    • The MyGlass app is a bit wonky
      • lots of "Cannot connect to servers" type errors.
  • The less good, which might get fixed with the next release of hardware
    • Running the camera in video or "augmented reality" mode really taxes the battery and heats up the device
      • I accidentally left the glass looking for a wifi-login barcode for 20 mins and it drained the battery despite being plugged in and made it almost too hot to touch

 

Also, a bit about the unboxing experience: the box it comes in is huge, recyclable, and chock full of paper mache bits that arrange the glass Just So, accessories (styled charger, styled usb cable, branded micro-usb earbud) and little booklets that evoke that "You just got a new fun thing" that accompanies all high-end communication gadgets.  The top of the box explains how to turn the glass on, adjust the nose and eyepiece so you can see the whole 'screen' once the glass is on your face.

The startup sequence of the glass shows a little stylized 'A' that has 'GL' and 'AS' slowly fade in on the sides with a mild pinkish background. This lets you adjust the eyepiece so that the whole viewing area is in your field of vision.  The glass also has a teensy speaker that makes pleasing sounds as you navigate. The glass then shows you a (likely incorrect) time and "ok glass".  Then glass explains that you should log into "google.com/myglass" where you be asked to choose or create a google account and get shown a "Fresh out of the box" video (with a demonstration of how to move the nosepiece and eyepiece), a quick demo on how to use the side of the glass as a trackpad (forward and back will side-scroll, tapping will select, sliding down will 'go back').

The next step in online orientation is a nifty little applet that lets you type in wifi network credentials.  It will translate them into a 2-d barcode, and instruct you on how to get the google glass into "learn wifi" mode, which will prep it to take a picture of the barcode.  The glass translates the picture, then reaches out for the wifi network and connects (or lets you know it couldn't so you can re-try the password).  

 

I look forward to tinkering with the glass some more.  It'll probably be much more useful as I begin to see the API and how some developers have used it.

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