Google Glasses Announced 249
Eponymous Hero writes "The Geordi La Forge in all of us rejoices as Google announces Google Glasses, the augmented reality glasses that will no doubt spy on everything you look at and target you with ads at that crucial moment. The only question left begging is how soon can we merge them with bionic eye implants?"
Re:Brain overload (Score:5, Interesting)
Something in between, actually.
Over time, as the information it provides genuinely proves itself useful, the brain would become increasingly dependent on the additional information being provided by it to convey an accurate presentation of things. Unless they were accustomed to dealing with periodic system disruptions, removing it for even a short period would result in the same sort of disorientation and confusion that arises if a person suddenly lost one of their senses.
It's going to Freak people out (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm already too plugged in with my iPhone and iPad (Score:3, Interesting)
The last thing I want is to be more plugged in. I don't want things popping up in my field of vision unbidden either. I am obviously not their target market. Maybe teens and college kids will love it. To me it's a total fail.
Re:Creepy (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, it depends on exactly how they implement it.
The standard advertising model is right out - I'll happily pay for it.
I'd love face recognition, but only from my personal address book. I have a horrible memory for faces, so I'd love that sort of memory aid. But having it auto-dial up Facebook and such is a bit too creepy for my taste.
It'd need to let me turn on/off notifications - I don't let my iPhone buzz when I get an email, I'm sure as hell not going to accept popups.
If there's a full-color display, I want zoom capability - use the camera, show me what I'm looking at, and then "enhance".
And if they're going to make it voice-activated, they'd damned well make sure it only listens to me. (Or else I *will* troll everyone wearing one of these.)
Most people aren't exciting enough to use these (Score:5, Interesting)
The one common thread in all of these videos with smartphones, smart glasses, etc. is an ADD-hyperactive 20-ish person who is *always* portrayed as living in a bustling city with a million different things happening at once...and never working at a job. While people in this type of environment really do exist (Strand Books is a family book store in NYC, btw), that is not how the majority of the US and the rest of the world lives.
I think a more exciting and relate-able way of introducing this technology is to show how it could be used some sort of work or industrial environment. For example, I found a lot more ways to use and relate to a smartphone at work before I could begin to integrate one into my non-work life.
Re:Always thought I'd love Augmented reality (Score:5, Interesting)
For example, instead of the annoying popup that says "Turn left at XYZ street", this thing ought to give you directions by overlaying a subtle line over the sidewalk... then you just follow the Yellow Brick Road. The popups would even be more annoying (and perhaps dangerous) while driving, while displaying a line on the road would be ok (perhaps also highlighting exit signs you need to be aware of). Or imagine AR-enabled instructions (posted on Youtube perhaps), that don't just explain you how to replace your iPhone's battery for example, but highlights the actual parts as you work on them, showing you what goes where etc.
Such AR would also enable something Google might be interested in: overlaying billboards with their own ads. Of course you could use it as a RL adblock, and remove the ads altogether (someone called this "diminished reality").