glass

Glasses with Google Glass: Prescription versions appear at Google I/O

SAN FRANCISCO--Google Glass currently comes in five colors and has a pop-in sunglass visor, but no version of the Explorer Edition comes with prescription lenses. For glasses-wearers like me, that means getting contacts or jamming them over my frames. Next year, that may change.

You had to look closely on the Google I/O show floor, but a few Google employees were wearing Glass prototypes with actual prescription glasses attached. Designed in-house at Google, they actually look good: crisp modern lines, but not exactly for the Ray-Ban set. Mark Shandy, seen above, was kind enough to show them off … Read more

Meta glasses bring 3D and your hands into the picture

Meron Gribetz and Ben Sand just rolled into Silicon Valley from New York, landing at Paul Graham's Y Combinator startup incubator with some angel money in their pockets and the bold conviction that they can deliver the next major technology transformation.

Their startup, Meta, is developing wearable computing eyewear, but unlike Google Glass enters 3D space and uses your hands to interact with the virtual world. The Meta system includes stereoscopic 3D glasses, supplied by Epson, and a 3D camera to track hand movements, similar to the portrayals of gestural control in movies like "Minority Report" and &… Read more

Google Glass as congressional catnip: That didn't take long

Let's stipulate for the record that Congress has every right to ask questions of private industry as it works on the nation's behalf. I remember reading something to that effect when I was studying social studies once upon a time.

Then you have this: A public letter sent to Google CEO Larry Page by eight members of Congress inquiring "whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of the average American."

News flash: Congress has discovered the 21st century.

It's not that the congressional representatives who signed onto to this letter were necessarily naive … Read more

Google Glass apps: Striving for the familiar (hands-on)

To hear the news today, yes indeed, Google Glass has a number of new apps available for it: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, CNN, Evernote, and even Elle Magazine join The New York Times, Path, Google+, Gmail, and Google Now, starting today.

But, what does that mean? For those who haven't worn Glass (and that's most people), hearing "apps" suggests standalone ecosystems, like iPhone or Android apps. Actually, that's not what they are at all.

As far as Facebook and Twitter on Glass go, there isn't really all that much to it: the Glass apps (or &… Read more

Google Glass spurs privacy questions from Congress

Several members of Congress sent a letter to Google to ask about privacy concerns related to Google Glass, including how the company will prevent Glass from unintentionally collecting data without user consent.

"Because Google Glass has not yet been released and we are uncertain of Google's plans to incorporate privacy protections into the device, there are still a number of unanswered questions that we share," the Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, led by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) wrote in a letter to Google CEO Larry Page.

Eight members of Congress signed the letter, and they want information from Google … Read more

Twitter unveils Google Glass app

Twitter launched its official app for Google Glass on Thursday.

The app lets Google Glass users tweet photos and text, as well as reply to, retweet, or favorite tweets and notifications. When you share a photo using the app, it will automatically put the words, "Just shared a photo #throughglas," in the tweet. If you're one of the elite few who own a pair of Google Glass frames, turn on the Twitter option here.

There was already a third-party app that let users tweet from the wearable tech, but it could only share photos. Twitter was caught … Read more

Facebook launches app for Google Glass

Facebook on Thursday launched a version of its app for Google Glass, becoming the latest technology company to release software for the computing eyewear.

The app allows users to upload photos from Google Glass directly to their Facebook timelines. They also can add optional photo descriptions, just by saying the information out loud. Right now, users can't tag people in photos from Glass, but they can tag the pictures after sharing them by going on a computer or mobile device. … Read more

Glass to get streaming video, official development kit

SAN FRANCISCO--Google's got video streaming and a development kit for Glass in the works, the company confirmed on Thursday in front of an overflow crowd at Google I/O 2013.

In addition to those features, Timothy Jordan, a senior developer advocate for Project Glass, said that offline support and media access will also be coming to Glass. Jordan did not reveal a release date for the improvements, only saying that they would all be "coming soon" to the wearable Internet-connected headset.

Google, he said, wants to hear from developers about what they want in the Glass Development … Read more

Google I/O: What we didn't get

The Google I/O keynote for 2013 is here and gone, but not without a fight; at nearly 4 hours, it was enough to challenge even the most rapt attention span.

Yet, Google I/O's central keynote event had precious little of the things we dreamed of and even downright expected. Instead, all most of us can seem to discuss is what we didn't get. Well, for starters:

No new Android OS: Despite a preshow rumor that Android Jelly Bean 4.3 would be unveiled, there wasn't any news. No Android 5.0, not even Android 4.… Read more

Google CEO Page: Glass production numbers TBD

When it comes to Google Glass, it's a brave new future loaded with possibilities for Larry Page. But Google's chief executive told attendees at the company's big developer confab Wednesday that it was still too early to gauge consumers' reaction once the products go on sale.

"I don't know what the production numbers will be," Page said during a Q&A session following nearly three hours of presentations at the company's the annual developer conference in San Francisco. He described Glass as "a new category" with no parallel to existing … Read more