Donna Botti

How does it work?

It is not a finished product, but Google Glass XE includes a display for viewing information, a bone-conduction speaker for audio, voice input and a camera. Display Prism – High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

What does Google Glass do?

To use Glass, you speak to it or use the touch pad on the side to give commands. It speaks to you and displays information on the screen. The screen appears to be floating out in front of you about 8 feet away and is translucent. It is not directly in your line of sight. I compare it to looking at the rearview mirror of your car. It doesn’t directly block your vision but you can check it.

What are potential applications?

One of the reasons for the Explorer program is to see what types of applications developers and users can come up with. Google Glass is still in the early stages, but there have been some cool examples so far. In general, anywhere you might want a hands-free experience or have the ability to share what you are seeing with others are good use cases.

What is the Real World Experience Today?

Here are some of my thoughts on my experience of using them so far: Glass is really lightweight. When positioned correctly you really don’t notice you are wearing it and the screen is not in your normal line of sight. I wish the battery lasted longer. The camera is really good, and I’ve taken more pictures in the past few months than the past few years. Although sometimes my hair gets in the way of the lens!

What about privacy?

I hate to say it, but that ship sailed a long time ago. First off, Google Glass is not on all the time or recording whenever it is on. The screen lights up when it is on, so you know it is in use, and you have to be looking directly at someone to record them. The battery size and life means you can record only about 30 minutes of video from a full charge. That doesn’t mean that privacy isn’t a valid concern.