14 DAY TRIAL // I’ve been writing about Google Glass for what seems like a long time, have been watching clips, tutorials, reviews and basically anything I could get my hands on.
As I see it, it’s a very interesting device that is mostly certainly going to take over the world at some point or another, depending, of course, on Google’s long-term strategy.
That’s just one of the reasons why I wanted to get my hands on a pair, especially since, living in Romania, that’s no easy feat. I got the chance to do this at the Droidcon in Eastern Europe, which took place this week in Bucharest.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly Google bringing in the gadget, but rather a local app developer, Advanced Mobile Applications (AMA), that managed to create the first ever game for the wearable tech and who were nice enough to give people some one-on-one time with the famous gadget.
That being said, I’ll go through my brief experience with Google Glass.
First of all, it takes a while to get used to it. The actual device is light and flexible; yet, you won’t become scared it’s going to break anytime soon.
Google Glass and prescription glasses
The screen you have to look through takes some getting used to, particularly if you have eyesight issues. Unfortunately for me, I suffer from myopia, which means I stumble a lot if I don’t wear my prescription glasses.
Although I was a little worried Glass wouldn’t fit over them, I managed just fine. Not only did they fit well, but they were pretty comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that I predict anyone could forget they have them on in no time.
Now, when it comes to actually focusing on the screen, I found out that was a bit difficult at first. I tried the device with and without my glasses on and found seeing anything rather impossible in the latter situation.
That’s basically because when you look into Google Glass, you’re not looking at an inch away from your face, but rather a few feet in front of you. Looking into Glass has been likened to looking at a TV screen from a few feet away, so I suppose it’s actually advised to wear your glasses while playing around with the device, if you have issues such as I do.
That being said, I found the device easy to handle. The tapping you need to do to activate it seems natural, and the device is quite responsive, so you won’t be pushing plastic into your skull to get a reaction.
Swiping through the content also works quite smoothly and the experience is quite similar to the one you get when handling most top-of-the-line Android devices – seamless.
“OK Glass”
Many also worried and wondered how they’d be able to hear what the device was reading back to them when asking Google to make an inquiry, but the bone conductor is a really smart addition to the device, since you don’t need to have any type of headphones in your ear.
And since we’re on the subject, I need to mention that Google Glass is quite well thought out, and despite me being somewhat petite (I usually find it rather impossible to find a pair of shades that will fit right), the entire device sat well on the side of my head.
Google Glass also seems to be quite responsive to voice commands so there should be no issues when asking it to do anything by pronouncing the famous “OK Glass” beforehand.
What everyone needs to keep in mind about the Google Glass is that this current device is just a prototype, so Google could change mostly anything regarding it in the coming months. That means the device could potentially look and act differently when it becomes widely accessible.
For now, the Glass can only perform a limited number of things, such as search for things online, take pictures and videos, and send and receive emails and messages.
Glass usability
An important thing that is not that mentioned when it comes to Glass is the fact that, since it has no radio transmitter, it is absolutely dependable on a smartphone or tablet to access the Internet. Of course, it can still take pictures and videos, but the main strength of the devices comes from its Internet connectivity.
And while sometime in the future the Glass could completely replace the smartphone, for now it needs the phone (and since no one ever leaves the home without their phones anyway, it shouldn’t really be that much of an issue).
Another thing that certainly puts many people off for now is the fact that there are limited things you can do with Google Glass. Of course, as I’ve written over the past several months, there are already countless apps out there, but they’re rather limited since there are so few members in the Google Explorer program.
Once it becomes available for everyone and anyone to buy, the usability range of the device will increase exponentially, ranging from games, social media apps, educational tools and so on. Basically, I doubt there’s much you won’t be able to do with Glass.
The Good
It was fun to handle and I actually enjoyed the experience, although I wasn’t that sure I would before I put the device on.
The Bad
It’s also obvious that the $1,500 ( €1,110) pricetag put on the Explorer edition at the moment is far from what a regular user would be willing to pay and what even the most avid tech-consumers would like to shell out for a pair.