GigaOM » Project Glass

Sorry, you can’t hide in the dark from Google Glass any more

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:16:21 +0000

If you thought you could slip into the shadows and go unnoticed by someone wearing Google Glass, it’s not going to happen. Google is pushing a software update to Glass devices to improve the camera in low light. The new feature automatically detects a low-light situation and compensates to get a more detailed, brighter picture.

The Glass team is piggybacking the improvement for bright light photos as well. After the software updated is installed, Glass will automatically take HDR, or High Dynamic Range, photos in low light or bright situations. Several of the latest smartphones support HDR photography, which quickly captures multiple images at various exposure levels. The pictures are then combined to provide an improved picture with boosted brightness in low-lit areas and toned down pixels where overexposure is detected.

Google is sharing an image gallery with before and after images that illustrate the camera improvements on Glass. Here’s an example of two similar images, first without the new software and then with the update:

Another small feature addition is the ability to caption photos directly from Glass. When sharing a photo from the wearable device, Glass will prompt for a caption. Users can tap the side touchpad of Glass and then speak their caption before sharing the image.

While the software update may appear very incremental, Google is holding to its promise of new features in monthly software updates for Glass. That means Glass owners can expect a steady stream of new features, both big and small, for their connected glasses.

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So what’s it really like to use Project Glass? Take a look

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:15:37 +0000

Facebook Home may have stolen the Android show of late, but Google’s Project Glass hasn’t lost its luster. In a video demonstration from last month’s SXSW event, Google Engineer Timothy Jordan spent nearly an hour showing off the Project Glass hardware, discussing Google’s Mirror API for Glass and perhaps most interesting, provided a walk through of the user interface. Here’s the video; jump to the 12 minute mark if you want to see the UI bits:

Although I’ve seen short demonstrations of Glass prior, this one is the most detailed and encompassing I’ve found yet. Jordan’s Glass is connected to a projector in this case, so the audience can see what he sees.

I knew that Google Now had a heavy influence on the Project Glass experience, and it’s easy to see why in this demo: Google Now provides the type of information that’s sized properly for the small screen while providing huge, immediate benefits.

The demo also illustrates how to interact with Glass using the side panel and head gestures. Tapping brings up the Home screen while sliding down on the small touchpad is similar to the Back button in Android. Voice activation is of course heavily used as are sound responses from Glass itself. But there’s no speaker in your ear to block out ambient sound; most impressive. That’s useful for the New York Times app, which can read news aloud, for example.

Jordan spends quite a bit of time discussing the Timeline cards that are supported in Glass; these are the screens of data users can see and interact with. While I’m not a developer, I found the presentation fascinating from a UI perspective, mainly because the Glass screen is limited in size and user interaction on wearable gadgets are so challenging.

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Google’s Project Glass in NYC to watch the ball drop?

Kevin C. Tofel — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:12:26 +0000

According to the official Times Square website, more than 1 million will flock to New York City to watch the ball drop at the end of 2012. At least one of those people could be wearing a prototype of Google’s Project Glass spectacles based on a snapshot found at the Road to Virtual Reality blog: Yesterday in NYC, someone was in public with the goggles, and this version supports eyeglasses.

In case you missed Google’s Project Glass introduction earlier this year, the device shows the wearer a small display in the top right corner of vision. A built-in camera captures still images or videos and the headset can be controlled with a small button or possibly with eye-tracking in the future. Voice interaction for searches, message creation, chat and other services are likely to be integrated as well, providing a near-handsfree experience. Google is selling the device to developers first; they’ll receive their Project Glass-wear in 2013.

This latest image of the prototype the was captured near Google’s New York office, so it’s possible that a Google employee was just out on the town for a work break. But the perfect “cover” to go out in public with the glasses — and capture a birds-eye view of the ball drop at midnight — would be the big event tonight. Amid a million happy New Year’s Eve party-goers wearing 2013 gear, who’s going to notice one person with a small screen and camera on their glasses?

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Media companies: Embrace Project Glass, it’s going to change everything

Paul Armstrong, @TheMediaIsDying — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:50:06 +0000

As consumer hardware goes, few items have had such an instantly polarizing effect as Google’s Project Glass, the concept smart glasses (or, to be more precise, augmented reality head-mounted display) that have become an omnipresent accessory for Sergey Brin. Granted, to call them glasses is a reductive understatement, though the company’s description isn’t much help either: “[a] technology that frees you to explore and share your world while keeping you in the moment.” Clear as mud? To the uninitiated, think of them as a small computer with a mini screen on a springy headband that sits above your eye.

Watch this Google concept video for a better idea (or to be utterly terrified):

While they were deemed stylish enough by legendary designer Diane Von Fürstenburg to put them on the catwalk, there’s still a very big split between those who instantly shout in horror and crow about security risks and those who instead envision a new dawn in computing. Perhaps they both have a point: For some they will be the ultimate intrusion yet for others they could revolutionize business or the way we interact with the world. The truth is, we just don’t know yet. One thing is for sure, however: Some have more to gain than others

Generally, I am pro Glass: After all, technology is rarely evil (technology doesn’t harm people – people harm people!) But plainly speaking, this is the first piece of tech I have seen in a long time that has the potential to truly change everything. Forget tablets, forget smartphones, the technology behind Glass is not an extension of you, it literally becomes part of you. (Crucially, unlike other tech to-date, it also leaves your hands free – a facet you can see the porn barons already dreaming about.) What is most curious, though, is that I’ve yet to see the media jump on Glass and champion it during this embryonic period. Why are we not hearing about landmark partnerships being done between Google and media powerhouses? (Or is it that Google is not playing ball with them?) Why, as with tablets, mobile and so many developments before, is the media industry so timid that they wait to be involved before leading the discussion?

Let’s take a look at a few reasons why Google Glass is poised to change everything:

Zero setup = perfection

The idea from the start is that you pop them on and truly just carry on being you – they’ll take care of the rest. This is the ultimate device that can not only benefit from contextual information but also demonstrated behavior, such as time of reading, likes, dislikes and so on. The system will quickly pick up on those variables (among many others) and soon enough take care of it automatically: no need anymore for RSS feeds, no circling, no preferences. Just read as you normally would, and it will get smarter and more precise and better at predicting your needs and wants. This fixes my main issues with the way we get news today, which still requires too much input from the user; instead Glass just gets out of the way.

Multivariate testing

Or, in other words, testing lots of variables to see which produce the best results then upweighting that combination. Adaptive marketing will be a heavily used term next year and in subsequent years as we react to the myriad devices giving agencies, planners and publishers oodles of delicious data to crunch. News should be making huge efforts to tailor their product to the individual based on their social and interest graphs (groups, likes, shares, purchases). Imagine a layout that could be tested and then updated because a different layout led to greater consumption. Currently this could really exist only on smartphones via apps, but has not been hugely raved about because of tracking issues.

Think beyond the device

Imagine an army of reporters all using these devices. It makes true real-time, breaking news very possible – in fact, it will redefine the very notion of what news is: no longer organized but reactive. Are the days of phone footage, or images being sent via email as news breaks numbered? Imagine how ordinary people could become live reporters simply because they happen to be right by the action. When an incident occurs, a quick mobile ping and you’ll know who is around to turn their head and broadcast live images and video. I’d certainly watch more of that than fuzzy, ultra-zoomed snapshots grabbed off Twitter.

Advertising ROI

While Google has been less than clear when talking about built-in advertising opportunities, it’s obvious that with the advances in augmented technologies like BlippAR, Aurasma and Obvious Engine image recognition is still sexy and – when used correctly – the results are good. The eye-tracking capabilities Google Glass poses should make not only media agencies and advertisers salivate but editorial departments as well. Shouldn’t better measurement, placement, contextualization, optimization of editorial (not to mention ads) be what we’re all fighting for? Now we might have something that can do it! What’s the holdup?

This is just a taste of what’s going to possible from what my tiny noodle can dream up. The implications of these technologies are pretty staggering when you think about the big bad data wolf that’s smiling sweetly at us in the distance. Whether we like or know it, we’re going to be wearing more and more technology. When you consider the quickly expanding wearable tech trend – not just sensors in bracelets and shoes but actual things – the future looks clear. We’ve already got Nike wristbands, headphones in hats, T-shirts that tweet, bras that help with fitness (?!), sleeptrackers, watches with emergency communication systems and about 50 prototype products from Nokia. Suddenly Project Glass doesn’t look like a crazy leap so much as a solid step in the right direction.

As with most new technologies, there are still old problems to address: namely privacy, connectivity and, of course, battery life. The last two are relatively easy to solve but the first is a deep concern for most people. Even at a surface level there are major issues here that could affect adoption (while Google has stated it has no plans to integrate facial recognition elements, it’s clearly inevitable). But personally I suspect these will be overcome with the gadget-lust/cool factor and general usability the device will inevitably enable.

Then you have the other P-word, piracy. If you think cellphones were an issue for copyright and IP theft, imagine how quickly these bad boys could destroy an industry. Taking that idea further, how would you protect your important documents in a business? What about customer service? Or will they just force us all to be in better control of these things? Ultimately, though, the deciding factor for most issues will be a lot like the success of the Nike Band: the Glass-style technology that eventually takes off will be the one that doesn’t need to be taken off by users.

Right now, this isn’t likely Project Glass for the majority of folks out there, but it does leave me hopeful that future incarnations are close by (without surgery). Whatever way this technology goes, and I believe it will go far if the marketing continues to be as slick as it has been, it’s clear the nerds – and more importantly the cultural influencers – love Project Glass.

So, media folk, I say this: Start making connections and beefing up your technology departments. Google I/O (Google’s Developer Conference) attendees were able to sign up for a beta, and they’ll start getting their units very soon. This technology or a version of it is coming, the only question is how soon.

Paul Armstrong is Head of Social for Mindshare; follow him at www.paularmstrong.net or on Twitter @TheMediaIsDying.

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If the world were your platform, what apps would you build?

Janko Roettgers — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:04:56 +0000

The media world just got used to producing content for mobile — and it’s already facing the next challenge: Soon, people could consume information on a device like Google’s Project Glass. An internet-connected set of glasses with a small display, able to overlay information on top of the real world. That’s a huge change, argues Atlantic writer Alexis Madrigal in a recent post titled “The World Is Not Enough: Google and the Future of Augmented Reality.” In it, he writes:

“Imagine you’ve got a real-time, spatial distribution platform. Imagine everyone reading about the place you’re writing about is standing right in front of it. All that talk about search engine and social optimization? We’re talking geo-optimization, each story banking on the shared experience of bodies co-located in space.”

The article is a great piece of tech writing; if you haven’t done so, you should definitely head over to the Atlantic’s website and read it in its entirety. But it also made me think: Who says media is the only thing that is going to change once we use a display that doesn’t function as a separate information entity, but instead overlays bits and pieces onto our view of the real world? And what about that camera, ready to capture whatever we see at any given time?

Chances are, the effects of Project Glass or devices like it are going to be felt far beyond the media world. Case in point: Google first introduced the device at its I/O developer conference earlier this year, and gave developers a chance to sign up for first beta versions of the device on the spot. I see that as a good indicator that Google is going to allow developers to build their own apps for Glass, with code either running directly on the device, or an API that gives apps running on your Android phone a way to exchange data with your Glass device.

Which begs the question: If your apps aren’t just running on a phone or a tablet anymore, but essentially on top of the real world — what kind of apps do you build?

It’s a fascinating question, and I suspect that we can only scratch the surface of it without actually having access to this kind of technology. But even with as little as we know now about Glass, possibilities abound:

Your video memory: An app could use the Glass camera and record videos of any conversation you have during the day. These videos could then be run through Google’s automatic captioning algorithms, which would instantly make them full-text searchable. Can’t remember the title of that book someone told you at that part last night? Just search your video memory, and you’ll be able to buy a copy with a few clicks. (Of course, this also gives Google’s goal of organizing “the world’s information and [making] it universally accessible and useful” a whole new meaning.)
The quantified world: Project Glass could take the idea of the quantified self to a whole new level. Fitbit may be able to track your exercise and sleep rhythm, but what if apps could track everything around you, turn it into data and guide your lifestyle choices? Your Glass app may notice that you haven’t seen all that much nature today, and suggest a walk in the park. Or maybe it will gamify social interaction. Got a smile from the cute barrista at your favorite coffee shop? Achievement unlocked!
Speaking of games: Can you imagine all the social gameplay that an internet-connected Glass display could enable? Forget MMORGs – it’s time for massively multiplayer live action gaming, where game play on computers and cell phones is extended with real-world action. Think Assassin on steroids.

Those are admittedly wild guesses, and chances are, we won’t really know what’s possible until developers actually have access to Glass. But why not collect a few ideas in the mean time? Feel free to leave your own thoughts on apps for the real world in comments — and make sure to check out GigaOM’s RoadMap conference next week in San Francisco to hear more about designing for a connected future.

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Got a strong neck? This hands-free video phone is for you!

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:48:38 +0000

Mobile video chatting is great, provided you have a free hand to hold your smartphone or tablet. So what might a hands-free video phone look like? For now, it would be big and bulky, but it could work. Take a peek at this prototype that DigInfo noticed: It’s created by NTT DoCoMo and uses multiple cameras to capture most of your facial movements and any scenery behind you.

Unlike traditional video chat services of today, this system renders you as a realistic looking avatar. While that seems like a step backward, I can think of a number of instances where I’d welcome it: An early morning video chat while still in bed or on a bad hair day, for example. (My solution for the latter is a hat, but now that’s a tell-tale sign of bad hair at GigaOM HQ!)

The large headgear certainly isn’t practical, but as a prototype, I see some interesting technology here. Capturing one’s face in 720p resolution with 180-degree fish-eye lenses, adjusting the actual images to compensate for the wide view and stitching the images together in real-time is impressive. The level of captured detail and subsequent rendering is nifty as well: Take a look at the avatar’s eyes when the real person blinks, for example.

Even as an early tech adopter, I realize this solution is more of a demonstration for now. Perhaps Google will take note, however, and adopt some of DoCoMo’s concept with the Project Glass headgear. Until then, I’ll rely on “old school” video calls. Now, where did I put my hat?

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How emerging technologies will influence collaboration

David Coleman — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 06:55:35 +0000

Workplaces are changing because of trends like BYOD and gamification. But other emerging technologies are also altering not only what our work and space look like but also how we collaborate on that work. This piece delves into the different types of collaboration to provide a baseline of concepts. It then examines how emerging technologies like driverless cars, brain science, and 3D printers are being used to further collaboration in the near and far future. These advancements will not only support more and better types of collaboration in the workplace but will also impact where we work, what a workspace is, what we work on (literally), and how we share our work.

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Analyzing the wearable computing market

Jody Ranck — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 06:55:25 +0000

What do Google’s Project Glass, Zephyr Technology and the Hug Shirt have in common? All are examples of wearables: computing devices that are always on, always accessible and easily worn on the body. With the growth of sensors and microelectronics, the potential uses of wearable-computing technologies now reach to health and fitness, gaming, fashion, disabilities and augmented reality. Most importantly, the widespread adoption of wearables will drive the form function and market for mobiles in vital ways. This report provides a historical background, an overview of the technologies in the wearables market and possible future trends as the market expands.

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Google wants developers to take a leap with Project Glass

Janko Roettgers — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:12:41 +0000

Sergey Brin’s extreme sports demonstration of Project Glass at Google I/O will likely go down in history as one of the most daring tech conference stunts of all time: The Google co-founder stormed on stage Wednesday, interrupting the regular keynote to show off Google’s wearable computing project by joining a live Hangout session with a bunch of skydivers, who proceeded to jump out of a plane.

Their descent was streamed in real time and culminated in them landing on the roof of the Moscone center, where they handed off a package to some mountain bikers, only to have it handed to guys climbing down the face of the building. Words don’t really do it justice, so you might want to check the video out yourself. However, the big show couldn’t really conceal that Google had little news to offer about the actual glasses.

Check out the Project Glass demo from Google I/O:

Google did start taking pre-orders on site, offering developers in attendance of the conference a chance to put their name down on a priority list for the device. But even those pre-orders won’t likely ship till early next year. Brin said that the version they’re going to make available to developers will be rough around the edges, but that the company is trying to get it into the hands of developers as early as possible. Developers that are willing to pay a premium, one should add: The first version of Glass, called “Explorer Edition”, will cost a whopping $1500. There’s no word on how much glass will set back the average consumer when it becomes more widely available, or when this will happen.

But the biggest omission during Wednesday’s Glass presentation was any peek at the current Glass UI, or any of the features it will offer end users, save for one or two: Glass will be able to record photos and video, and users will be able to share these via Google+ and also join Google+ Hangouts.

That’s remarkably less than what the company shared when it first publicly unveiled Glass in April. Back then, Google released a conceptual video that was meant to show off some of the ideas behind Glass. The video featured an augmented reality experience, letting the wearer of Glass know about interesting spaces he was visiting, notifying him of the location of his friends and allowing him to answer phone calls without distracting too much from the real world.

But ever since this first glimpse, Google has only been showing off the device’s photo and video capture capability. Brin joked on stage Wednesday that it would be hard to show off the Glass UI because it might require him to wear two glasses at the same time. Of course, the Glass experience is far from ready – and that goes far beyond the UI.

Even with as little as Google has shared so far about the project, it’s becoming obvious that Glass will offer a completely different computing experience. It’s taking computing away from the screen, and into the real world. That poses numerous challenges, as it requires Google to completely rethink the way it has been presenting information. Its new Google Now mobile search takes a first step into this direction, away from making information searchable, to more instinctively surfacing things you want to know in any given situation. Of course, there are also privacy and basic safety implications – things Google apparently wants to work out before giving us a closer look at Glass.

It makes perfect sense for the company to involve developers in this process – but it’s less certain what developers who commit to pre-order are getting out of it. Will they be able to run their own apps on Glass? Will Glass work in concert with other Android devices? Will it lead to the birth of a new generation of online services that combine location with image recognition and other types of sensory input? We just don’t know yet, and Google won’t tell.

But judging from the lines at the pre-order table, this doesn’t seem to stop developers. We’ve heard that people pre-ordering the device now won’t have to pay until it actually ships next year – but nonetheless, Google is asking developers to take a leap of faith for Project Glass. Maybe the whole jumping out of the airplane was more than just a stunt, after all.

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You’ll flip over the first video from Google’s Project Glass

Kevin C. Tofel — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:26:34 +0000

Google continues to expand its Project Glass testing with more employees getting the chance to try out the connected specs. TheVerge noticed that at this week’s Google+ Photographers Conference a number of images taken with Google’s glasses were shown off and are of much higher quality than previous samples. Additionally, the first video capture from Project Glass hardware is available for viewing, illustrating the type of video capture that’s far more difficult to take with a smartphone.

The 15-second video is embedded here in a Google+ post and was taken by someone wearing the prototype glasses while doing flips on a trampoline. The video quality of such action isn’t stellar, but it’s not bad when you consider the hardware is in constant motion and the lighting is variable. Here’s a screen cap:

I see that the video is available in 720p format, suggesting that Project Glass supports high-definition video recording. It’s clear to me that Google is working on the image capabilities of the hardware as most of the snapshots in the Google+ post show vast improvements from prior examples.

It’s interesting that so far, most of the Project Glass news is on input technologies, such as image capture. The concept was originally touted with more focus on output; providing useful, quick information at a glance. I noted this when the project was announced, saying:

“Touchable user interfaces have reinvented how we use mobile devices, but hardware design is advancing to the point where the interfaces are starting to disappear. Instead of holding an iPad or other tablet, people are interacting directly with an app, Web page, photo or other digital object in a reduced interface, with either voice or minute gestures. In essence, such glasses would allow people to digitally interact with the physical world around them without a device or user interface getting in the way.

Clearly, there’s no interface in the way of capturing images here, as a button tap is all it takes to snap photos. And although Project Glass will provide output in the form of directions, data and other information, the camera will clearly be a large factor when it comes to input, although a microphone will surely supplement it. Based on that, it makes sense to me that we’re seeing so much about the camera capabilities of the project.

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