I'm not sure why I haven't seen this addressed yet, but doesn't the widespread use of something like Glass portend the dramatic fall of the prevalence of street crime? Widespread use of CCTV cameras are one thing, but millions of eye-level recording devices (presumably automatically beamed to the cloud at some point), would seem to me to be a major deterrent to all sorts of street crime.
I can see this effecting not just things like person on person crime (muggings, rape, battery, etc.) but also burglaries, arson, or any other crime that requires a getaway. Police or citizens could issues statements like "We had a break-in at 9:30 at 555 Main Street. If you were in a 5 block radius of that address, click here to upload your video feed from 9:00 to 10:00."
Obviously this also has terrifying privacy concerns as well, but the extent to which this could completely transform society seems to be undersold here, doesn't it?
It's awful. For ages, we've worried about The Government mounting cameras everywhere until the only private space was one's own home, and away from windows at that. 1984 famously envisioned a world where this surveillance extended to the domicile, but even then it was stationary and had blind spots.
Seems that in the near future, there will be little need for any of this, and there will be no coercion; rather, most of us will vie for the most powerful, feature-loaded head-mounted camera.
That's not to say that such an invention can or will only be used for evil. But there's no denying that this is huge progress for anybody dreaming of global surveillance or something like it.
Ask Darien Long, the "badass mall cop." He works in an area in downtown Atlanta infested with drug dealers and he constantly encounters people who want to threaten him. He has said repeatedly that his two most important weapons are his taser and his chest mounted GoPro camera, even though he carries an assortment of weapons that would make Batman jealous.
Sousveillance[1] seems to really answer 'Who watches the watchmen?' with 'We all do'. Ultimately I think not only crime will go down, but also more egregious cases of corruption. This is more harmful to governments in the long run who like a rather tight control over information, as the internet constantly demonstrates. I'm slowly learning to be okay with this aspect of AR.
It's the /services/ that Glass secretly enable for its users that I find far more worrying than mere scrapbooking of your life. Just start thinking as sleazy as possible here, for a moment. If Glass can log conversations, it can also relay conversations to other parties to comment upon.
I just can't stop imagining things like MTurk-like services staffed with popped-collar sociopaths fresh off the set of Jersey Shore, all working with your transcripts to be your 'virtual wingman' as you work your 'game' on unsuspecting people. Ridiculous, but just sleazy enough I could see it.
I imagine if we all really just wanted to depress ourselves today, we could keep coming up with more and more ideas of how to exploit AR for social advantage/manipulation.
To a point this is already happening with cell phone cameras and social media. Lots of people were identified in the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot [1] due to pocket cameras and cellphone pictures/video.
Actually, I think privacy concerns could be alleviated by something like this. It's just so much information, getting anything useful is like taking a sip from a fire hose.
Imagine your hypothetical break in is in downtown Manhattan. Do you really expect law enforcement to sift through video data of the hundreds of thousands of people who fit that profile? How would they know if someone's feed was missing? Basically, there's so much noise, the signal effectively gets lost.
Granted, big data applications could be brought to bear on the problem, but then it's the same cat and mouse game criminals and police have been playing forever.
I think the concept of mass surveillance of one other has been a concern of wearable/ubiquitous computing for a while now. Google "sousveillance" for more writing on this.
If you want a "professional's" speculation on this, read David Brin's "Earth". It's several years old, now, but this type of technology is one of the topics it took in fairly head on fashion, if also somewhat incidental to the main plot.
Avid sailor here, and I like to race, typical race is ~6 hours, but longer races too, 24-48 hours. We are continually evaluating, speed over ground, radios, depth, AIS for marine traffic, tide flow (current), GPS, charts, race course, etc. We have many devices that give us a picture of what is going on. I love the idea of Google Glass as a heads up display [1] for everyday people!
Sure, we use a computer to compile most of this data, but imagine just peering into Google Glass, and having this compiled without moving around!
I'm not too concerned about fashion or image while out on the water. My main focus is winning, or coming close to it! I'm wearing a life jacket, and rain gear most of the time ;) I guess my point is, there is lots going on in life, not just walking around, getting coffee, and reading twitter and facebook. Wear Glass when you need it and it is applicable.
I'm in the Explorer program, but practical issues like fashion/etiquette have had me reconsidering if I'd really be willing to spend money to put a computer on my face.
This review has gone a long way towards assuaging those concerns, but I wonder what they can do about anti-theft. Being pickpocketed on public transit is a very real concern in most cities with >500k people. Imagine how much easier it'd be to snatch a device you're not even holding and (hopefully) blends into your life so seamlessly you forget you have it on. It's been well-publicized that these things start at $1500.
Everyone keeps saying that it will be weird for people to wear such glasses. I don't think that wearing them is what's weird, I think talking to them is the weird stuff.
I mean phones have been around for ages and some people still don't feel confortable talking in them in public spaces.
Siri is another example, have you ever meet someone talking to Siri on the bus ? on the metro ? on the street ? Not me.
Do you imagine people yelling in the train "Ok glass, show me the weather" ?
I really think the wearable glasses format is doomed. Its just clunky and lacks style.
I was just watching a video of Sony's newest smartwatch and how it integrated with Android. I could see myself wearing that. Glass? Probably not. I'm not even someone who is into fashion. I just want crap on my face and, my god, it looks super dorky.
Google should really make a camera-less version of the Glass.
Portable eye-level display is insanely useful. But if it's burdened with something that is viewed by many as a source of privacy concerns, it would just hinder the adoption. It will make the Glass banned from corporate environments, planes and basically every place that has "no cameras" signs. Like supermarkets.
Every single person I have talked to who has used glass for more than a few days has found the instant camera to be the most compelling feature of Glass. The author of this article did as well! In that context, I can't see how it makes sense to offer a camera-less version, at least not at launch.
There's always the low tech solution: place a circle of electrical tape over the lens. Disconnecting the microphone and GPSr would be more involved, but without them the functionality is greatly reduced so maybe that's moot.
FWIW, opaque tape over the lens is the method the NSA recommends for securing the cameras on iOS devices and laptops:
If someone is being photographed, is there any way for that person to know that Google Glass is recording video? I would feel really uncomfortable if a colleague had Google Glass on at a meeting or at lunch or in my office, unless I knew I wasn't being recorded. The privacy concerns on this are enormous in my view.
Yes, FTA: As soon as we got inside however, the employees at Starbucks asked us to stop filming. Sure, no problem. But I kept the Glass’ video recorder going, all the way through my order and getting my coffee. Yes, you can see a light in the prism when the device is recording, but I got the impression that most people had no idea what they were looking at. The cashier seemed to be on the verge of asking me what I was wearing on my face, but the question never came. He certainly never asked me to stop filming.
From a legal context, is someone's right to privacy thrown out the window every time they go outside? If so, then the legal issues with people videotaping other people would be almost zero, which IMO is kind of odd to think about.
I probably wouldn't use Glass in my everyday life, but I totally see it working for tourism. Getting directions is a pretty obvious use case. But learning about what you're seeing is the biggest win. See a building you like? Ask Glass what its history is. At a museum? Get more information about the art you're seeing. Learning while experiencing sounds awesome.
Does anyone know if the visual component can be setup on the left side? I'm blind in my right eye and the product would be almost useless for me otherwise.
The most important part of this entire project in my opinion is the ability of the Glass to function as a head up display. Imagine that you can now wear it while driving, and there's an app that will show you everything about the route and your cars' statistics right in front of your eyes. Heck, if it could project the phone's screen on its own display then applications that have already been written get a new life - Think Torque or CarHUD.
Imagine that you can now wear it while driving, and there's an app that will show you everything about the route and your cars' statistics right in front of your eyes
Unless you're in one of Google's Self Driving Cars this sounds like a recipe for disaster. If these things take off I'm pretty sure wearing them while driving will be pretty quickly outlawed.
The thing I didn't get is how you operate glass? I understand you can use your voice, but surly there must be an alternative way: Google voice, as great as it is, is not really reliable enough to use it as its only driver. I also don't think Google will design a device that forces you to talk to it in public.
I think I read somewhere that there was some kind of touchpad on the side? But how do you enter text (like search queries) into the device? Or is this supposed to be operated from a connected smartphone?
Somehow related, I fear that this will take years until it reaches me here in Europe. Google Voice still only knows who's president of the united states if you ask it in english.
Its in the article. Theres a minitouchpad on the right side, you enter search queries through voice, and Glass connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth to use its 3G/4G/Wifi connection.
At least for English users, Google voice commands are pretty damn amazing these days - it's pretty rare that Google Now on my Nexus 4 misses, aside from heavy background noise and folks who decide to start talking in the car when you're trying to ask it to navigate somewhere.
For simple, prompted, two or three work commands, it would work even more reliably.
I also just find it plain weird talking to inanimate objects. I can't bring myself to use Google Now in public because I have this irrational fear of people thinking I'm a weirdo.
I would love to be able to create apps for a device like glass. There could be many vertical applications for it. The ads don't provide any information regarding apps as they are focused in taking photos and videos, doing hangouts and interfacing Google.
It's understandable but unfortunate that Google has not been saying much about accommodating prescription lenses. Some of us wear glasses already and cannot wear contacts. Later releases may support custom lenses, it seems.
The accelerometer in it could be useful from a public health standpoint. Unlikne a phone in a pocket, the head is relatively stable. Glass could detect if someone collapses and then call for an ambulance.
Have we seen pictures of Glass sans human head before? I don't recall. I definitely agree that it looks like 2013 by way of the 1960's.
This is starting to look at least as interesting as a piece of hardware as it is as a product. Pity I don't have a few thousand dollars lying around . . .
[+] [-] liber8|13 years ago|reply
I can see this effecting not just things like person on person crime (muggings, rape, battery, etc.) but also burglaries, arson, or any other crime that requires a getaway. Police or citizens could issues statements like "We had a break-in at 9:30 at 555 Main Street. If you were in a 5 block radius of that address, click here to upload your video feed from 9:00 to 10:00."
Obviously this also has terrifying privacy concerns as well, but the extent to which this could completely transform society seems to be undersold here, doesn't it?
[+] [-] oinksoft|13 years ago|reply
Seems that in the near future, there will be little need for any of this, and there will be no coercion; rather, most of us will vie for the most powerful, feature-loaded head-mounted camera.
That's not to say that such an invention can or will only be used for evil. But there's no denying that this is huge progress for anybody dreaming of global surveillance or something like it.
[+] [-] jere|13 years ago|reply
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/darien-long-mall-co...
[+] [-] neverm0re|13 years ago|reply
It's the /services/ that Glass secretly enable for its users that I find far more worrying than mere scrapbooking of your life. Just start thinking as sleazy as possible here, for a moment. If Glass can log conversations, it can also relay conversations to other parties to comment upon.
I just can't stop imagining things like MTurk-like services staffed with popped-collar sociopaths fresh off the set of Jersey Shore, all working with your transcripts to be your 'virtual wingman' as you work your 'game' on unsuspecting people. Ridiculous, but just sleazy enough I could see it.
I imagine if we all really just wanted to depress ourselves today, we could keep coming up with more and more ideas of how to exploit AR for social advantage/manipulation.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance
[+] [-] dsr_|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danso|13 years ago|reply
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/02/russian-dash-cams/
[+] [-] WestCoastJustin|13 years ago|reply
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Vancouver_Stanley_Cup_riot...
[+] [-] drcube|13 years ago|reply
Imagine your hypothetical break in is in downtown Manhattan. Do you really expect law enforcement to sift through video data of the hundreds of thousands of people who fit that profile? How would they know if someone's feed was missing? Basically, there's so much noise, the signal effectively gets lost.
Granted, big data applications could be brought to bear on the problem, but then it's the same cat and mouse game criminals and police have been playing forever.
[+] [-] md224|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pasbesoin|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] purplelobster|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fizx|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] WestCoastJustin|13 years ago|reply
Sure, we use a computer to compile most of this data, but imagine just peering into Google Glass, and having this compiled without moving around!
I'm not too concerned about fashion or image while out on the water. My main focus is winning, or coming close to it! I'm wearing a life jacket, and rain gear most of the time ;) I guess my point is, there is lots going on in life, not just walking around, getting coffee, and reading twitter and facebook. Wear Glass when you need it and it is applicable.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display
[+] [-] blhack|13 years ago|reply
Like this: http://www.reconinstruments.com/
[+] [-] bsimpson|13 years ago|reply
This review has gone a long way towards assuaging those concerns, but I wonder what they can do about anti-theft. Being pickpocketed on public transit is a very real concern in most cities with >500k people. Imagine how much easier it'd be to snatch a device you're not even holding and (hopefully) blends into your life so seamlessly you forget you have it on. It's been well-publicized that these things start at $1500.
[+] [-] theboywho|13 years ago|reply
I mean phones have been around for ages and some people still don't feel confortable talking in them in public spaces.
Siri is another example, have you ever meet someone talking to Siri on the bus ? on the metro ? on the street ? Not me.
Do you imagine people yelling in the train "Ok glass, show me the weather" ?
[+] [-] drzaiusapelord|13 years ago|reply
I was just watching a video of Sony's newest smartwatch and how it integrated with Android. I could see myself wearing that. Glass? Probably not. I'm not even someone who is into fashion. I just want crap on my face and, my god, it looks super dorky.
[+] [-] huhtenberg|13 years ago|reply
Portable eye-level display is insanely useful. But if it's burdened with something that is viewed by many as a source of privacy concerns, it would just hinder the adoption. It will make the Glass banned from corporate environments, planes and basically every place that has "no cameras" signs. Like supermarkets.
[+] [-] huggah|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tomkinstinch|13 years ago|reply
FWIW, opaque tape over the lens is the method the NSA recommends for securing the cameras on iOS devices and laptops:
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/applemac/Apple_iOS_5_Guide.p...
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/macosx_hardening_tip...
[+] [-] jkn|13 years ago|reply
What about mobile phones then?
[+] [-] molbioguy|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] missing_cipher|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dev1n|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zwegner|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bmuon|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] icebraining|13 years ago|reply
But even awesomer would be Glass + Word Lens: http://questvisual.com/us/
(Assuming it works well, I haven't tried it)
[+] [-] lukecampbell|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sigkill|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mikeryan|13 years ago|reply
Unless you're in one of Google's Self Driving Cars this sounds like a recipe for disaster. If these things take off I'm pretty sure wearing them while driving will be pretty quickly outlawed.
[+] [-] doctorpangloss|13 years ago|reply
Why Google Glass will fail: When normal people who didn't sign agreements discover just how positively awful the "screen" is.
[+] [-] blhack|13 years ago|reply
Speedo/tach/fuel get overlayed on the bottom of the windshield while you're driving.
[+] [-] bookwormAT|13 years ago|reply
I think I read somewhere that there was some kind of touchpad on the side? But how do you enter text (like search queries) into the device? Or is this supposed to be operated from a connected smartphone?
Somehow related, I fear that this will take years until it reaches me here in Europe. Google Voice still only knows who's president of the united states if you ask it in english.
[+] [-] canttestthis|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tomkarlo|13 years ago|reply
For simple, prompted, two or three work commands, it would work even more reliably.
[+] [-] mathieuh|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] terio|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hudell|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] martinshen|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rgbrgb|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mtgx|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ck2|13 years ago|reply
My mind wants the sides to be the same, they should put a fake one on the other side.
[+] [-] llimllib|13 years ago|reply
Wait, what? In what sense can google's X Lab be said to be responsible for neural networks?
[+] [-] missing_cipher|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tomkinstinch|13 years ago|reply
The accelerometer in it could be useful from a public health standpoint. Unlikne a phone in a pocket, the head is relatively stable. Glass could detect if someone collapses and then call for an ambulance.
[+] [-] erroca|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nodata|13 years ago|reply
[+] [-] guscost|13 years ago|reply
Well, that's rather obvious.
[+] [-] yew|13 years ago|reply
This is starting to look at least as interesting as a piece of hardware as it is as a product. Pity I don't have a few thousand dollars lying around . . .
[+] [-] adhipg|13 years ago|reply