Understanding Google Glass

Google Glass might be the most anticipated gadget due in the near future. It is generating high expectations and also major concerns at the same time.

In this post I’ll talk about the capacity of Google Glass: what we should expect and also what we should be worried about.

What Google Glass Can Do

• Take pictures
• Take Videos
• Web Browsing
• Augmented Reality
• Hangouts
• GPS

What Google Glass Can’t Do

• Watch Youtube videos
• Face Recognition
• Highly demanding CPU tasks
• Multitasking
• Porn (don’t worry – the link is safe)

Google Glass Limitations

As we can see, there really isn’t anything our current mobile phone can’t do. The only real advantage of Glass is that we can do these tasks having our hands free.

Secret snapping/filming

But this is also one of the major concerns since people are debating its privacy aspects. Nobody likes to be photographed without knowing. But to be honest, this currently happens with our mobile devices. It is not hard to hide our mobile phones and take a quick snapshot without anybody even realizing it.

Sort of augmented-ish reality

One of the direct advantages of Glass and something people think right away while talking about the device are its Augmented Reality features. I must admit I was also excited at first when I heard about it, but after having a deeper read on how it would work I realised it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The information Google Glass displays isn’t as accessible as you would think. Instead of the display being right in front of your eyes you actually have to look up a little to see it. This makes genuine multitasking near impossible. Constantly looking away from what you’re doing is no good when driving for instance.

Battery life

Another big issue is the battery life. There are promises of an 8h battery life with normal use, but as many users pointed out, the reality is different. People are saying with heavy use of the device, it is giving less than 3h of battery life.

If we think a little in almost any situation we would want to use Glass we would want to use it for a demanding, power-hungry task. For instance, using Google maps on a car trip would require constant use of Glass and its GPS. Of course you’re only using it to check Twitter it won’t be an issue, but I really don’t see why I would wear a pair of glasses just for that.

Where does Google Glass fit?

I know many of my comments regarding Glass are negative but I’m just considering real life applications and the place for the product in the market. Most people tend to create false expectations around it. Due to its current limitations I really don’t think it’s mature enough to succeed in replacing smartphones. I really don’t see 200 persons at the same time saying “OK Glass, take a picture”.

Where I do see Glass fitting is in the professional sector. It could make some processes much faster and easier such as scanning tickets at the airport, stock taking, policeman using number plate recognition while walking down the street etc.

Glass definitely has its place, but I really don’t think it is for an every-day user just yet.