Lost Explorers: The Unrealized Vision Of Google Glass

Apparently paying $1,500 to be part of a big beta program isn't sitting well with some. Being constantly called a glasshole probably didn't help either.

But Scoble's photo added another dimension: His nerd exuberance created a G-rated, consumer-tech version of a dick pic -- the kind of unsavory anatomical photo that's ruined politicians and private citizens -- that was shared around the world. The damage was done: He had helped make Glass uncool.

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What, glassholes are angry that they were chastised for violating people's privacy? Oh poor glassholes.

You try walking around filming everything you see with a camcorder, you'll get the same reaction.

Quix said:

What, glassholes are angry that they were chastised for violating people's privacy? Oh poor glassholes.

You try walking around filming everything you see with a camcorder, you'll get the same reaction.

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The difference with the camcorder is that the battery last more than 45 minutes when you are actually using it.

ocellaris said:

The difference with the camcorder is that the battery last more than 45 minutes when you are actually using it.

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The technology being poorly designed doesn't make it any less rude.

Now we have people all over the place with GoPro's stuck to their head videoing everything yet there is no backlash from this. I see people on bicycles and motorcycles with these rigs, mostly. Ah, maybe they're doing it for 'dashcam' purposes; having video of the malevolent driver who mowed them down with their car.

amddragonpc said:

Now we have people all over the place with GoPro's stuck to their head videoing everything yet there is no backlash from this. I see people on bicycles and motorcycles with these rigs, mostly. Ah, maybe they're doing it for 'dashcam' purposes; having video of the malevolent driver who mowed them down with their car.

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I have been run off the road on my bike in a serious way that resulted in injury 4 times. There have been dozens of other times where I have been hit or run off the raod with no damage to myself or my bike. Once was so bad that I broke a rib clean in two. If being a glasshole would have helped me find those bastards it's a price I'd gladly pay. Any one of those times I could have easily died.

amddragonpc said:

Now we have people all over the place with GoPro's stuck to their head videoing everything yet there is no backlash from this. I see people on bicycles and motorcycles with these rigs, mostly. Ah, maybe they're doing it for 'dashcam' purposes; having video of the malevolent driver who mowed them down with their car.

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^ ridiculous how people will just go buck wild about 1 particular product but ignore all the other ones doing the same shit. Why don't people freak out when they see someone holding up a phone, looking at a phone in the bathroom. You don't know if they are recording.... Same with xbone, everyone went bat shit crazy over a device that had a camera that would most likely only be in your living room and you could unplug but none of these people remove the camera from their phone nor can they realistically unplug it.

For no good reason at all the masses of morons out there selectively picked 2 products out of hundreds and just started beating the shit out of them. Then took other products like phones, head mounted cameras, and so on and made them into god like products that could do no wrong. Yet they can all do exactly the same shit......

I can understand people's privacy fears, but what about the Explorers who were using it for augmented reality purposes? Digital overlays to help provide information, and developing the applications that will supply that information?

Wearables are a technology that will become more and more prevalent. Even if some people were glassholes, should the idea of Glass be universally shunned?

amddragonpc said:

Now we have people all over the place with GoPro's stuck to their head videoing everything yet there is no backlash from this. I see people on bicycles and motorcycles with these rigs, mostly. Ah, maybe they're doing it for 'dashcam' purposes; having video of the malevolent driver who mowed them down with their car.

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Such a good point.

Konig-Wolf said:

I can understand people's privacy fears, but what about the Explorers who were using it for augmented reality purposes? Digital overlays to help provide information, and developing the applications that will supply that information?

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Been down that road, the battery life and general usability issues prevented us from getting very far. Even for the limited things it did, anyone would be wrong to indicate it did those well. No one like working on the device.

And you can't do a decent AR setup because the optics are high in your field of view and on a totally different focal plane.

wow really?

Holding phone argument..

If you are holding a phone in such a way to make it look like your recording someone and they have not given you permission you are being an ass.

If you are recording your still being an ass, but its obvious that its recording and therefore people can leave the area.

Dashcam

These are not following you around or staring at you while you have an conversation, generally the footage from them will only be reviewed if something negative happens such as a crash.


Google glass

You cant tell if its recording or not regardless if the battery only lasts a few minutes, for all i care the battery could be dead, i have no way of knowing if your recording or not.

Even if you have to activate record by an eye movement or button press i might not have been looking when you started the recording.

Its the uncertainty that makes it uncomfortable.

Flakes said:

wow really?

Holding phone argument..

If you are holding a phone in such a way to make it look like your recording someone and they have not given you permission you are being an ass.

If you are recording your still being an ass, but its obvious that its recording and therefore people can leave the area.

Dashcam

These are not following you around or staring at you while you have an conversation, generally the footage from them will only be reviewed if something negative happens such as a crash.


Google glass

You cant tell if its recording or not regardless if the battery only lasts a few minutes, for all i care the battery could be dead, i have no way of knowing if your recording or not.

Even if you have to activate record by an eye movement or button press i might not have been looking when you started the recording.

Its the uncertainty that makes it uncomfortable.

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You cant tell if someone is recording on a phone or not either. And there are plenty of ways to hold a phone that don't make it obvious. Just the same as if I stare at you in the bathroom you are going to feel uncomfortable regardless of if I have google glass, regular glasses or nothing at all on. In fact I would argue that its easier to tell if someone is recording with google glass because they are forced to look with their head at what they want to record where with a phone I can position it many different ways in my hands and make it look like I am not even looking at it. All of the same uncertainty and more exists with phones but do you know why people don't freak out? Because everyone has one and they aren't willing to give them up. So they make excuses demonize products that are less popular because well it doesn't effect them personally. No one wants to give up their facebook for even one second so they choose to that anyone anywhere whom also has a phone could be recording them with EITHER the front or rear camera and they wouldn't have a clue.

amddragonpc said:

Now we have people all over the place with GoPro's stuck to their head videoing everything yet there is no backlash from this. I see people on bicycles and motorcycles with these rigs, mostly. Ah, maybe they're doing it for 'dashcam' purposes; having video of the malevolent driver who mowed them down with their car.

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No one cares if you are recording from the street while cycling.

The difference is you don't detach your GoPro from your car and bring it into someone else home to record everything. Or into a restaurant to capture videos of your friends eating. That's just rude and annoying, and we don't need that.

Hornet said:

No one cares if you are recording from the street while cycling.

The difference is you don't detach your GoPro from your car and bring it into someone else home to record everything. Or into a restaurant to capture videos of your friends eating. That's just rude and annoying, and we don't need that.

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Yet people have no problem if someone is doing this with a phone?

rudy said:

Yet people have no problem if someone is doing this with a phone?

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I would have a problem if someone walked up to my table and film me eating, regardless of whether it's a cell phone or a camcorder. And I would imagine you'd be told off by most people too if you ever try to do that.

rudy said:

You cant tell if someone is recording on a phone or not either. And there are plenty of ways to hold a phone that don't make it obvious. Just the same as if I stare at you in the bathroom you are going to feel uncomfortable regardless of if I have google glass, regular glasses or nothing at all on. In fact I would argue that its easier to tell if someone is recording with google glass because they are forced to look with their head at what they want to record where with a phone I can position it many different ways in my hands and make it look like I am not even looking at it. All of the same uncertainty and more exists with phones but do you know why people don't freak out? Because everyone has one and they aren't willing to give them up. So they make excuses demonize products that are less popular because well it doesn't effect them personally. No one wants to give up their facebook for even one second so they choose to that anyone anywhere whom also has a phone could be recording them with EITHER the front or rear camera and they wouldn't have a clue.

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Makes me wonder who you hang out with, in my group of friends if you have your phone out of pocket and its not clearly for a phone call your gonna be told to put it away.

As for taking a video and hiding it at angles you still need to check that irs caught what you want making that person check the screen funnily trying to bend there head/body in a way to check while rhe phone is in that position.. making it obvious there up to something.

Hornet said:

I would have a problem if someone walked up to my table and film me eating, regardless of whether it's a cell phone or a camcorder. And I would imagine you'd be told off by most people too if you ever try to do that.

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Ya but the problem is you don't know if people are doing this and you don't freak out every time you see someone looking at their cell phone in a restaurant so why get on google glasses case?

Flakes said:

Makes me wonder who you hang out with, in my group of friends if you have your phone out of pocket and its not clearly for a phone call your gonna be told to put it away.

As for taking a video and hiding it at angles you still need to check that irs caught what you want making that person check the screen funnily trying to bend there head/body in a way to check while rhe phone is in that position.. making it obvious there up to something.

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It has nothing to do with whom I hang out as my observations go way beyond my social circles, I observe a lot of stuff all around me the in thousands of people I interact with daily from eating, to walking on the street to going to a public restroom. You are so sure you can tell if someone is filming you but I am sure that people can hide it. Oh and for the record I very rarely see anyone anywhere for any reason tell people to put a phone away. Heck just watch people cut a line blatantly and see how few people try to stop it. Giving up something as useful as google glass because you think someone could film you without you knowing is a joke. And the saddest part is how niave it is, or full of yourself if you think you can tell so well. Just points out how you think everyone else is so stupid they couldn't do it discretely.

All this shit is just as ridiculous as the people who freak out about drones with cameras. Good grief there are literally thousands of people on the beach with cell phones and you are going to freak out because of a drone. And none of this even touches on the reality that the very people you are all so afraid of, the perverts have many other video recording options that you don't even realize they have. hidden buttons, glasses that aren't google glass, etc.....

There was a point a good 5-10 years ago where any reasonable person realized that recording technology is not something you can control anymore, don't try to ruin something great because you are all worried about, well I don't even know what, that someone might see you cheating on your wife at a dinner and record it? that your pee pee is small lol? If you care so much take your private life somewhere private and operate with people you trust. Remember long before google glass or even cell phones people were abusing video recording and getting away with it.

Also for the record, I don't own google glass and would not do so until it dipped below $300 max and I reviewed its options, but more likely sub $200. I also don't own an xbox one or any console for that matter and I don't own any drones either. My argument is one of simple reasonable logic I find it absolutely mind boggling how many people embraced cellphones in every single instance of their life yet violently oppose glass. Anything you do anywhere there are other people can be recorded without your knowing it. Act accordingly, don't try to ruin all the good that these things can do out of broken logic and stupidity.

Personal HUD in glass form factor has much more potential than watch. Just a matter of component miniaturization, design and battery life improvements will make it possible.

rudy said:

Yet people have no problem if someone is doing this with a phone?

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People have this fantasy that stealth recording with one device is somehow more welcome than recording with another device.

If people found out they were being stealth recorded by phone they'd be as unhappy as if they were being recorded by glass. The phone has other purposes and the idea of such an invasion is so abhorrent people give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Glass removes that doubt.

rudy said:

Ya but the problem is you don't know if people are doing this and you don't freak out every time you see someone looking at their cell phone in a restaurant so why get on google glasses case?

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If I knew I was secretly being recorded with some cellphone sleight of hand, hidden camera, etc, I'd be pissed to. In fact I'd rather not be with someone who feel the need to secretly record videos.

Here's my point. For example, if I knew a friend of mine have a weird fixation with recording video everywhere he goes, and he wears a miniature cam to do it, I wouldn't want to hang out with him. That's just creepy to me.

Google glass is like that miniature cam. I'm not saying it should be illegal, we already have devices that can do all of that. I'm just saying if someone have this weird fixation to easily record stuff, whether is Google glass or a mini cam, I think that's creepy and I'd rather not be a part of that, or have my personal life recorded by someone else.

TwistedAegis said:

Such a good point.

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On a totally different situation and requirement.

Konig-Wolf said:

I can understand people's privacy fears, but what about the Explorers who were using it for augmented reality purposes? Digital overlays to help provide information, and developing the applications that will supply that information?

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Except that no one was doing this, outside of social media services that would drive ad sales. Place this on an ANSI Z87 rated eye shields and look at the various industrial and construction uses it could have had. Law Enforcement, Medical, even Search & Rescue would have also benefited.

BUT it was not marketed to them and it was not designed for them. there was no app development for that. They went after the fickle and often asshole-ish social media fucks, those that don't actually work, and then were surprised when it failed.

Brilliant idea, but the target market was mis-identified and then it was poorly marketed to that same incorrect market.

Hornet said:

If I knew I was secretly being recorded with some cellphone sleight of hand, hidden camera, etc, I'd be pissed to. In fact I'd rather not be with someone who feel the need to secretly record videos.

Here's my point. For example, if I knew a friend of mine have a weird fixation with recording video everywhere he goes, and he wears a miniature cam to do it, I wouldn't want to hang out with him. That's just creepy to me.

Google glass is like that miniature cam. I'm not saying it should be illegal, we already have devices that can do all of that. I'm just saying if someone have this weird fixation to easily record stuff, whether is Google glass or a mini cam, I think that's creepy and I'd rather not be a part of that, or have my personal life recorded by someone else.

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Aside from the fact that Google Glass could record for about 30-45min before the batter died there are plenty of other ways of secretly recording. Did you know you can activate your iphone camera remotely using your apple watch? Oh yes, put your iphone on a belt holster and then use your watch to secretly record while everyone thinks you're just looking at your watch. Welcome to the future, deal with it.

If most people had a clue just how often they were being recorded anyway these days this would be much less of an issue, or the cameras on every building, street corner, stoplight, cop, cop car, etc would be more of an issue.
Either way. I hope google gives up for now and removes the camera part and carries on with the other cool features. Another screen, be it in your pocket, on your wrist, in your hand, on your arm, whatever, is not the answer to the fluid use of technology. The screens gotta go, and Google at least was trying to move toward that.

Google "hidden wearable video camera". It's frustrating for a thing to exist, in bulk, for years and years and then suddenly attract the ire of the masses when it screws up an otherwise really really cool thing.