Google Glass, is it good?

Some think it's the future of tech. Others think it's something we should fear. And still others reckon it'll make you look like a dork. It's Google Glass, and now it's been tested by real people. OK Glass, let's discover the truth!

What is the Google Glass screen like?

It's "interesting", says Engadget's Tim Stevens. It produces "a glowing image that appears to be floating in space". According to Google it's the equivalent of a 25-inch screen eight feet from you, and while it hasn't stated the resolution "developers are advised to work with an array of 640 x 360 pixels".
It's good but not great: it's nowhere near as detailed as a modern smartphone, colours are inconsistent and "it almost has the look of an old-school, passive-matrix LCD".
Stevens found that "while contrast is reasonably good, seeing the display in bright sunlight can be a problem - more so if you use the sunglasses visor, which sits between you and the display."

Can I wear Google Glass over my normal glasses?

Yes, but you probably won't be happy: the frame isn't designed to fit over normal spectacles, so it's going to feel like going to a 3D movie where you've got to wear specs over your specs.
Engadget found that "a few [people] with eyesight difficulties were simply unable to focus on the display at all". CNet's Scott Stein found that "it's not always the most comfortable device". Prescription versions of Glass are in development.

Where does the Google Glass battery live?

It's at the back, just behind your right ear.

Google's images are carefully shot so you don't see the battery lump on the right leg

Is Google Glass comfortable to wear?

The titanium frame keeps the weight down, and putting the battery and speaker behind your ear means that Google Glass isn't too front-heavy.

"The overly flexible nature of the band means it can be a bit tricky to put on without using both hands, but once positioned properly, it manages to be quite comfortable on both large and small heads," says Engadget.
It's adjustable too. "The titanium frame is bendable," says CNet. "Little nose contacts can be bent and adjusted for individual fit." It's bendable but not foldable: you can't put Glass in a normal sunglasses case.

How does Google Glass's speaker work?

A speaker behind your ear sounds odd, but Glass's one is bone conductive - so the sound waves travel through your skull rather than into your ears. "You can hear it, but it's not as loud as a standard earpiece," says Stein.

How adjustable is Google Glass?

Not very, says Stevens. "You can modify the wake angle (how far back you must tilt your head for the display to pop on) and enable or disable head detection, which automatically turns off the headset if you remove it. That's about it."
Otherwise, you're stuck with factory settings, he says: "You can't adjust volume levels or display brightness, can't disable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth (both appear to be always on), can't re-arrange the application cards in the interface or set their priority, can't modify the default screen timeout length and you can't enable a silent or do not disturb mode."

What are Google Glass's technical specifications?

"Crack the case open (which we do not recommend) and you will find an aging TI OMAP 4430 processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage (12GB available)," Tim Stevens says. "Content will push to your Google+ account wirelessly by default, but you can pull it off through the micro USB port if you like - which is also how Glass charges. Battery size is unknown, but battery life is: it's poor." Wireless is 802.11b/g Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The display is roughly akin to looking at a 25-inch screen that's 8 feet away

Will Google Glass run apps?

Yes, there's an official API for developers. Unlike Google Play, Google Glass apps will be pre-approved by Google before anyone can get them. Robert Scoble notes that "Google is forbidding advertising in apps".

What software does Google Glass run? What's the operating system?

It's Android, of course, and you'll be amazed to discover that Glass is designed to work with Google's own services.
"Glass is meant to tie in to one Google account (Gmail), and with it, Google+ and Google Now," Scott Stein explains. "Apps don't get downloaded; they populate seamlessly via the MyGlass app on Android. Right now, they operate more like features and push services (for instance, The New York Times' app really just seems to push headlines down to the device)... The current uses are limited, but the potential is huge."

Glass's interface is very simple, and it's supplemented with voice commands

Does Google Glass really deliver all-day battery life?

Not even close. "In what we'd consider average usage, reading emails and taking short pictures and videos, we got about five hours before the headset unceremoniously shut itself down," says Stevens.
Digital Trends' Saul Berenbaum noted tech blogger Robert Scoble's remark that "one six-minute video I did took 20 per cent of the battery" and reports multiple users' experiences: "Know that feeling when your battery icon starts blinking red while you're shooting? That's practically the norm with Google Glass, at least right now."

What are Google Glass's key features?

Bearing in mind that we're talking early prototypes here, the big features at the moment are weather, navigation (including recommendations for places of interest such as nearby restaurants), hangouts, email and messaging (although you can't create emails, just reply to others') and of course, search.

For now, Glass is essentially Google Now - in your face!

Engadget felt that many of these features were quite basic, so for example if you say "Google Engadget" then "you'll see the description of Engadget - but not the page itself or indeed any gadget news."
If you Google famous names you get the Wikipedia result, and so on. It's "of mixed usefulness": Wikipedia, sums and conversions are great but "anything more complex may result in disappointment".

How do you control Google Glass?

"The wide, flat outer edge of the right side of Glass is a touchpad, capable of four-direction swiping and tapping," says Stein. "You tap once to turn Glass on (or, tilt your head upward to a user-determined angle), and swipe and tap from there."
Glass also uses voice recognition and motion sensing. "You can activate the display in two ways," says Stevens: "Tilting your head up or tapping the capacitive touch portion on the side. The default display is a clock with 'OK Glass' written below. This is actually quite useful, as tipping your head up is a quick and easy way to check the time, though it'd be nice if you could turn off the 'OK Glass' bit. It's not that hard to remember."

What's Google Glass actually like to use?

"If Kinect and Siri had a baby and raised it among a family of smartphones, it would be Google Glass," says Stein. "If you don't like engaging with Kinect and Siri, you won't like this experience. Voice recognition works, but has its hiccups. You can see the commands you can perform, much like how Kinect's command guidance system works... speaking to Glass is needed to do most tasks efficiently. Swiping isn't enough. Doing both can get a little odd, and each interface - touch and voice - has its little hiccups." He also found that "everything else Glass does requires a lot of speaking and head-tilting, swiping, and a degree of patience."

Glass's speaker isn't over your ear: it's a bone conductor that goes behind your ear

Using Glass "is a series of highs and lows," Stevens says. Navigation is good, Hangouts - "when they worked" - were great, and Stevens "also enjoyed wowing friends over dinner by looking up the authors of obscure books or doing complex conversions just by asking Glass."
However, the lows include audio ("Glass makes a pretty mediocre Bluetooth headset") and the speaker isn't great: "in noisy areas you'll struggle to hear anything" unless you stick your fingers in your ears. The battery life is crap, "the photography in low light is a mess, having emails read to you is far too cumbersom and the general lack of customisation options is surprising."
Robert Scoble loves the voice recognition. "It's actually quite amazing, even though I know that the magic is that it expects to hear only a small number of things," he says. "'OK Glass, Take a Picture' works. 'OK Glass, Take a Photo' doesn't. The Glass is forcing your voice commands to be a certain set of commands and no others will be considered. This makes accuracy crazy high, even if you have an accent."

What are Google Glass Hangouts really like?

In the promo videos, Google Glass delivers video chat that looks amazing. In real life? It's "quite compelling", says Stevens, although unlike normal video chat the other person can't see you because the camera points away from you.
"It's easy to envision touring a museum with someone who's stuck at home. It's also easy to envision museums not being happy about such a scenario." Or cinemas, or concert venues, or... you get the idea.
It's also hugely dependent on the quality of your connection: "You'll need to be on a solid LTE [or Wi-Fi] signal to have a hope of transmitting decent-quality video and audio without terrible lag".

How good is the camera?

The 5 megapixel, 720p camera is great, says Scoble. While it isn't fantastic in low light, "it totally changes photography and video" because you "can capture moments." No more reaching for your phone, loading the camera app and missing the moment. Glass is instant.

Could Google Glass accidentally delete my stuff with the wrong gesture?

It looks that way. Stein "deleted a few videos I shot by accident... by swiping/tapping in the wrong order." Remember, though, this is still a prototype - such kinks shouldn't be hard to iron out.

Are there privacy concerns over Google Glass?

Oh yes, and not just because you don't want to hear "OK Glass" when you're in a public toilet. "There are many [concerns], and they are troubling," says Engadget.
The lack of a red LED to indicate that Glass is recording is a mistake (the screen does glow when recording, but it's not as obvious as a bright red LED would be), and "you can easily imagine plenty [of] situations where Glass owners would innocently wear their headsets much to the discomfort of others."

The worry for Google is that Glass's story could become Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

Stevens believes that Google needs to address the privacy stuff fast. "Right now, this issue is largely floating under the radar and will likely continue to do so until Glass headsets start appearing in public in greater numbers," he says.
"If Google doesn't get ahead of this now, the story of Glass could very quickly become one of fear, uncertainty and doubt by the public at large."

How secure is Google Glass?

Not very. There's already an exploit that enables someone to completely take over your Glass unit, and Jay Freeman argues that Google "should have some kind of protection on your Glass that activates when you take it off".
There's absolutely nothing to stop somebody stealing your Glass and using your various Google apps with your identity, and there's also the possibility of someone accessing Glass while it's on your head.
How's this for a frightening prospect? "A bugged Glass doesn't just watch your every move: it watches everything you are looking at (intentionally or furtively) and hears everything you do."

Will Google Glass make me look like a dork?

Yes. "The overall aesthetic here leans far closer to prototype than polished," says Engadget. "Adding on the clip-on sunglasses made Glass feel a little less awkward," says Stein. "Maybe it's the psychological framework of actual glasses... to actually wear it to a cafe or a party takes chutzpah. People either stared at me with apprehension, got excited about tech, or thought I was an insufferable geek. Maybe that'll change." Of course, Google might well improve the design too.

Google's promo pics make us wonder if a wistful expression is mandatory

When is the Google Glass release date?

Late 2013, probably. Google hasn't been more specific yet.

What else is in the Google Glass box?

CNet's package included "the Glass unit itself (in a variety of colors), a snap-on sunglasses visor, a clear visor, and a Micro-USB charger."

What will the Google Glass price be?

If Google knows, it isn't saying. The Explorer Edition was US$1,500 (about AUS$1,449, £985), but we'd expect retail prices to be a lot lower.

Is Google Glass worth $1,500?

"Absolutely not," says Engadget. "Future iterations of Glass will have to get far cheaper before we'd begin to consider this good value, although much of that value proposition depends on future developer support."
Robert Scoble asked audiences "who would buy this?" and quoted various prices. "As the price got down to $200 literally every hand went up. At $500 a few hands went up. This was consistent, whether talking with students, or more mainstream, older audiences.

Is Google Glass the future?

Robert Scoble certainly thinks so: "I will never live a day of my life from now on without it (or a competitor). It's that significant... it's the most interesting new product since the iPhone." All Google needs to do is make it $200.
Scott Stein is more measured. "It's an early product that's clearly in beta, but it's also an experiment. It's a social-interaction project, it's a living debate on wearable tech, and it's an app platform in need of apps. It's not necessarily a device that needs to exist, but it could have uses for some. And some of its uses may not have been invented yet."
The big question is whether Google can address the privacy concerns, Stevens says. "The future is incredibly bright for Google's Project Glass and it'd be a damn shame if it were dimmed by public outcry."