
Sergey Brin Demos Google Glass At I/O - irunbackwards
http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/27/sergey-brin-demos-google-glass-at-io/
======
cs702
I see at least one eager early-adopter market for Google Glass: amateur
pornographers who want to share their, um, personal experiences. Don't laugh
-- throughout history, pornographers have been early-stage adopters of new
media technologies -- e.g., see
<http://www.law.indiana.edu/fclj/pubs/v49/no1/johnson.html>

~~~
danieldrehmer
But how are they going to avoid turning off their partners wearing that?

~~~
rmc
Err... I hate to break it to you, but most pornography is done for cash. The
people don't actually do it for fun, and, hope not to burst you bubble, but
they are faking a lot of the time…

A little blue pill and some 'acting' is all you need,

~~~
hkolek
To add to that, I'd recommend the documentary "9to5: Days in Porn" [1] to see
how a (mainstream) shooting really is like (amongst other things).

1\. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278293/>

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Anechoic
Glass looks interesting, but (presuming the price comes way down, which it
surely well) I can't see it having a whole lot of traction in consumer
markets. Yeah it's small and light, but it's still going to be distracting -
I've worn glasses for 30 years

That said, I could really see glass taking off in occupations that require
field work - for example, a surveyor or construction foreman can use them in
the field and managers/architects/engineers can review pictures and video of
project progress or problems that might crop up in the field. It could be
attractive to certain consumer markets like cyclists, etc.

Similarly I could see Glass being adopted wholeheartedly by military, security
and police personnel, especially as replacement for military helmet cams.

All my opinion of course. We certainly live in interesting times, and kudos
for Google for trying to expand our horizons.

edit: BTW if the developer preview were available to non-IO attendees, I'd
seriously consider getting one. Like I said, it would be extremely useful
during field work.

~~~
fragsworth
As much as I love Google, I would bet that they lose money on this endeavor,
unless they have a really long-term plan where these glasses are just a
stepping stone.

I just can't imagine that many people using these.

~~~
barclay
These ones? No. These are ridiculous, (really) ugly, and pretty limited.

But make no mistake, this is absolutely the future.

~~~
dr42
"But make no mistake, this is absolutely the future."

Outside of niche uses already mentioned, I think this is a mistake to believe.

~~~
Jonovono
Really? Why?

Imagine these in contact form that perform the same things. But also replaces
your cell phone. You now see your messages when you want and can respond just
by thinking (once we can essentially read your mind, if that happens).

Anything you want could be displayed there without having to check your phone
or anything else. Obviously talking to it sucks but if it ever gets to the
point where you can think something then this would be killer, for anyone.

Iono, seems to clearly be where things are heading. I don't want to type
things to a person everytime I want to communicate with them, what is that? I
just want to seamlessly send them a message I have on my mind and get back to
real life. And this is the first step and whats possible now. But im sure they
expect more.

I expect and want technology to get to the point where its not even
noticeable. And these are what it is doing.

~~~
Leynos
I think some big money needs to go into subvocal recognition (if it isn't
being heavily invested in already). Devices like these will be a lot more
attractive if they can be used without speaking out aloud.

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suprgeek
This was a sensational demo - the energy in the room when those jumpers walked
on stage was great!

Good for Google -they are often accused of missing the human element. Not Any
More.

~~~
jimmar
That demo actually made me excited. It was really great work. I wished their
on-stage demo could have built off of that energy.

~~~
karpathy
I noticed that too. It was a sensational, unexpected, brilliant demo that made
me feel wonderful things inside, mixed with reflections about the entire human
race, and then it was followed by an underwhelming, slightly silly and slow
presentation. It didn't fit... it didn't flow.

~~~
eitally
But on the other hand, the fact that this seemed almost entirely unscripted
(the presentation) and that Sergey felt strongly enough to go public with
Glass as rough as it currently is, spoke more to me about the excitement and
innovation going on at Google than anything else (seriously, Nexus Q?!?). As
other posters have said, augmented reality like this is the future.

------
KevinEldon
Google Glass, or any similar product, is going to have at least one killer
feature... real-life DVR. Instead of having to snap tho photo at just the
right time or start recording before something amazing happens, w/ Glass
(hopefully!) you can "rewind" and capture what you just saw happen.

~~~
zcam
This sounds a lot like what was described in the UK miniseries "Black Mirror":
in short, record your life.

~~~
veb
If anyone hasn't watched this BBC show: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2085059/>

I absolutely think this is the kind of show (3 episodes so far) that's aimed
at the HN crowd. Completely blew me away.

~~~
Leynos
Just a slight correction: Black Mirror was produced for Channel 4 (as opposed
to the BBC).

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czr80
It's a cool stunt, but I don't quite understand why everyone is so excited
about this as a tech demo - surely a head mounted camera is the least
interesting use of Google Glass, and the big unknown is how it looks on the
user side?

~~~
roc
It's a shame they over-promised out of the gate. If they didn't start with
that absurd concept video, revealing a life-blogging/recording peripheral with
future potential would be pretty interesting.

Instead, it's a guaranteed let-down every time they demo an incremental step
like this.

~~~
modfodder
This.

I was disappointed there was no HUD showing GPS data or any data really. In
hindsight the streaming was impressive, but I just couldn't get over that I
wanted to see more from the concept video.

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runjake
$1,500 for US-based Google IO attendees. Pre-order at conference only. They
won't ship until early next year.

Yikes.

Edit: I know these aren't consumer devices. I'm speaking fron a developer
perspective. Noticed how literally no one clapped when Sergey announced the
price, unlike when the Nexus 7 price was announced?

~~~
revelation
Coming early next year, too.. they have really, really demoed this too soon.

~~~
stdgy
I don't understand this sentiment. These are absolutely not consumer products.
They're highly specialized hardware devices being sold to interested,
motivated hackers that would like to investigate the technology.

Google clearly isn't sure about what direction to take the technology. They've
espoused some vague notions about the importance of first person views and the
ability to instantly capture precious moments, but that's about the extent of
their push right now.

I think it's really cool that they're interested in getting devices into
developers' hands to help them figure out where to take the technology.

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vitalique
I somehow can't understand the positioning of the device. Is the satisfaction
of urge for 'sharing wonderful moments of your life' really how Google sees
the Glass are going to be used? No augmented reality demos, no
business/production/field applications, not even an x-files-like process
documentation or hot-news-like POVs? All this emphasis on the 'sharing' aspect
feels really weak for the product with such a vast number of applications. Or
maybe it's just the result of the Glass being in a very alpha stage right now.

~~~
moe
I suspect two reasons for that.

Firstly, Google is on a social binge. They push G+ with everything they have
and that demo was probably partly designed to contribute to the subliminal
image of G+ being "the future". Also noteworthy in that regard the casual
placement of competing products (apple) in an "also-ran" fashion.

Secondly, Google is probably fully aware that they don't need to promote the
glasses to industry and military. These sectors will adopt the technology
without a blink anyway and are probably already in touch. There's little need
to address them in a public keynote, those battles are fought in dim
conference rooms.

Instead Google seems to be using their earliest opportunity here to gauge and
tease the inevitable yet still completely unknown consumer potential -
basically exercising their first-mover advantage.

Then again, if you were to draw conclusions from their terrible choreography
and execution of the keynote (you know, the 2 hours before and after the
parachute jump), it might just as well all be completely random and I'm merely
reading way too much into it...

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stcredzero
They could change form factors for wider acceptance. A form factor that looks
like hipster glasses with lenses that dynamically darken would do very well.

For some different and older crowds, building these into visors and caps would
be good for tourism applications.

Add an app that can do limited communications -- like yes/no/maybe/Google-
that-please using 1-3 taps on your cellphone, or give a human assistant the
ability text and ask questions and pop up a dynamic menu, and this would be
very useful to businesspeople and diplomats.

~~~
jonmrodriguez
> A form factor that looks like hipster glasses with lenses that dynamically
> darken would do very well.

My startup is making exactly this. We're taking pre-orders for $189 that ship
in December, with a form factor of hipster glasses, wifi link to stream
through your smartphone, and electric sunglass lenses!

<http://indiegogo.com/socialvideoglasses>

~~~
jonmrodriguez
Really, a downvote? I could see that if my comment were not germane, but I'm
replying directly to parent with relevant info.

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hising
From a strategic point of view I think that one of the main goals with Google
Glass is to map and store information about areas that cant be reached easily
via car, plane or other transportation method. I am pretty sure that as soon
as we see Google Glass in the public Google will have software that can
combine photos and videos with GPS-data so that we get Google Street View even
in areas such as the himalayas, forests and other areas where a person can
reach but no vehicle with advanced photo equipment. It is a big crowdsourcing
experiment.

~~~
RandallBrown
wow, can you imagine walking around your house and having a 3D model built out
of it? That would be so cool.

~~~
hising
Another cool thing would be to actually look at routes on runkeeper for
instance before heading out to get a grip of vegetation and climbing distance
etc.

~~~
coopdog
Or while going for a run on a favorite route, to actually see a shadow of your
recent best time just a little way ahead of you. Now that's motivation..

~~~
hising
I am starting to see some really good use cases here, that was an awesome
idea. I think there are so much you can do to increase motivation when it
comes to fitness with stuff like that, audio cues, real life achievements etc.

------
curiousfiddler
This is why I love google. They back engineering efforts wonderfully. Glass
does look like a good wearable computing device.

~~~
rexf
Right now, the product screams alpha build.

But given 3+ hardware generations, it'd be useful to have a HUD with
customized real-time data. Probably information overload for most people, but
wearing googles beats checking a phone in your pocket for convenience.

~~~
calinet6
Lots of people currently wear glasses to help them see. Regardless of whether
you have good optical vision, why not wear glasses to help you see the
internet?

Miniaturize this into a standard and stylish eyeglass format, integrate it
seamlessly with the glass (or empty frames for those with good vision), sell
it in a dozen different styles and designs, and it will fly.

That's surely where they're going with it. And it will be awesome and entirely
socially acceptable.

This is the kind of thing you can see saying in the future, "Man, remember
when we had to carry around those big phones with hard displays in our
pockets? Crazy." They're moving forward on what could possibly be the next
cell phone, and if they do it right (read: good human interface) then they
might lead the market.

It's cooler than people are giving it credit for, I think.

~~~
mitchty
I've had to wear glasses since I was a kid.

Can't say I like the idea of glass in general. I'm going to be getting PRK
surgery this year to finally ditch the glasses, hopefully this isn't a new fad
of wearable devices. I know some family members that have been in the air
force aren't huge fans of hud type technology as its too distracting.

Who knows maybe i'll be proven wrong.

------
fieldforceapp
Sorry for the cross post... Glass was the "one more thing..." moment for sure;
heard that there was a long line to purchase them for $1500 per -- any
comments from any new HN owners?

Met with GOOG employees today who were testing newer versions, better
resolution & new comms. I wasn't allowed to wear it but it looks bulkier than
I imagined.

The odd thing is, during a meeting with an employee who was wearing Glass, it
was hard to figure out where to focus my eyes on their face -- it was like
talking to someone with a lazy eye. Made me especially self-conscious: felt
like I was being rude, and my rude act was being filmed using the Glass!

------
DEinspanjer
I'm not that interested in live sharing personally, but I definitely think
that there are several ways I would find it useful to be able to easily record
what I see and hear unobtrusively (note I really _don't_ mean secretly here).

The biggest thing I was hoping to see out of Google Glass though was the
possibilities for augmented reality. Things like being able to easily ID a
painting that you see or even better to be able to look at a game board and
see a projection of the best next move.

I haven't seen any details on Google I/O other than the text of this article,
so I'm wondering if any of that stuff was touched on.

------
fear91
Am I the only one that thinks this is pretty lame?

~~~
rimantas
No. I just don't see the point, unless it is "get overloaded to the max". And
some additional space for google ads?

~~~
saraid216
Why would they bother selling ads on a device that they just got money for
giving to you?

~~~
duaneb
More money?

------
jwarzech
Here is the link to today's actual demo and not the one from a few days ago
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VCp34EElAEA#t=5761s)

* Looks like the link was made private

~~~
FrojoS
Youtube says:

:-/ This video is private. Sorry about that.

~~~
jwarzech
Well thats crummy, it was a link that was posted in the comments on
TechCrunch.

------
jfoutz
Neat, perhaps silly, demo. I'm ready for my gargoyle rig now.

~~~
distort
They probably wanted to demonstrate that if Glass will not interfere with
extreme sports, trivial tasks as "walking on a street" will be smooth..

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laacz
Can somebody else from Europe confirm, that by their law Google Glasses are
illegal? Here, in Latvia, we have a law, which forbids selling, buying or
using (even transfering) certain objects, which are listed as "goods and
services of strategic importance". And Google Glasses fall under one list
item.

Most notably, the part which, I believe, applies to Google Glasses is as
follows (bad translation, done by me):

Wired or wireless video and television cameras (with exception of mobile
phones and computer cameras), which are masked as other objects, or their
dimensions are smaller than 40 x 40 x 40 mm, or their diameter is smaller than
25 mm, or they are fitted with a pinhole lens.

List of devices:
[http://www.likumi.lv/doc.php?id=163892&from=off](http://www.likumi.lv/doc.php?id=163892&from=off)

------
donpdonp
For a moment I couldnt tell if that was Sergey Brin at Google I/O or Tony
Stark at the Stark Expo.

~~~
prodigal_erik
Billionaire? Nerd? Building secret lair? Googlers have decided he's Batman.

[http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-25/tech/30319310...](http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-25/tech/30319310_1_sergey-
brin-google-office-google-employees)

------
shawnee_
Theory: Brin demoed Google Glasses @ I/O this year to pre-empt a patent claim
from Apple that _they_ invented iGlasses.

------
mxxx
Did anybody else notice that one of the divers was wearing an outfit sponsored
by GoPro? Cheeky bastard...

------
irunbackwards
Here's the actual hangout:
[https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts/ZAnS9UMS...](https://plus.google.com/111626127367496192147/posts/ZAnS9UMSP5e)

~~~
skystorm
That's actually a pre-recorded (and cut) video of a similar jump, possibly a
training/testing run -- not the one performed live at I/O.

------
dm8
Noob question, where can I find the recorded version of that demo?

~~~
sp332
The skydiving demo is here: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-liQDE3cM>

~~~
skystorm
That's different from the one they did live, though, which was IMO more
impressive.

~~~
sp332
OK that should be this one? <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7TB8b2t3QE>

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wim
Although it looks really cool in demos like this, I personally wouldn't care
that much about the video sharing, but I still think Glass is one of the
coolest products Google has ever worked on.

There's just so many uses for it, and many of those things a phone can't
really do well. I think the killer app for me would really be "subtitles"
while talking to somebody in a foreign language.

Guess a lot of people would only use the contacts-version though ;)

------
dr_
Interesting. If people are going to be wearing glasses all day to have access
to all sorts of data, then they may as well have prescription lenses on those
glasses if they are nearsighted. This could potentially destroy the market for
LASIK.

~~~
tonfa
Or on the contrary, if those doesn't work with prescription glasses, this
could boost the LASIK market.

------
packetslave
One thing I'm hoping for with Glass: the ability to connect to a bike computer
and show speed, heart rate, cadence, etc. in a HUD. Would be awesome compared
to having to look down at the handlebars all the time.

------
harshaw
Was looking forward to an augmented reality demo. I thought the idea was that
info was projected on the "glass". It would be cool to build a hack for a
heads up display with some custom telemetry.

~~~
wahsd
I don't think total augmented reality is the goal with these devices. Besides,
I sense that truly useful augmented reality is still so far off; to the point
where the AI needed would totally negate the need for AR beyond some one trick
pony act that's amusing for about 30 seconds.

~~~
harshaw
I was thinking of something fairly easy and specific. I happen to be married
to a Dentist. When she is working she has her hands full and is already
wearing protective eye wear.

A cool use case is to display patient specific display on an unobtrusive heads
up display mounted to the glasses rather than turning her head to look back at
the monitor to see the patient's chart. I am sure this technology is possible
right now but google glasses would presumably dramatically lower the price and
availability.

So, this isn't pie in the sky AR but something more specific and approachable
in the near term (and great for developer hacking).

~~~
tjr
I agree. As a musician, I'm looking forward to some sort of heads-up display
that I can use to show chord charts. The same sort of system you describe here
should work, I would think.

------
jiggy2011
This would be great for people who get lost a lot , if you phone someone and
ask for directions it sucks trying to describe exactly where you are. Here you
could just jack into someone and guide them.

Also be interesting to see the impact on crime if these get smaller over time.
You basically have a world where you have no idea whether each person you pass
is recording and streaming online.

------
jenius
Video of the demo here: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxmbbtuRszA>

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ashutoshm
I think Glass is not a consumer device,there will be market for it in future
but only among makers/publishers.I do not see people wearing it out on street
look at other wearable devices watch,cell phone they are non intrusive and
utility devices.

------
prawn
How many years until it's quite common for athletes to be wearing these during
live events?

------
herval
Does anyone have any idea on how's the HUD actual imaging capability? Eg.:
what kind of resolution/image would fit on it, how much one would have to
squint to focus, where on the field of view it sits, etc?

------
rbn
This is very cool tech wise.

But I dont know if people would actually wear this at a party.

~~~
smackfu
Some people wear Bluetooth earpieces every waking moment.

~~~
kennywinker
Nobody invites those people to parties though.

Seriously, the bluetooth earpiece quickly became a universal symbol for
pompous idiot. Much like the Segway is a well understood symbol of doofy nerd-
dom. I will be very surprised if Google Glass wearers don't fall into one or
both of those categories real fast. Until wearable computing gets MUCH more
seamless, I think there will be social pressure on people who use it.

~~~
smackfu
You could argue that's just because those things never hit critical mass.
People checking their palm pilot calendar was doofey. People checking their
smart phone calendar is normal.

~~~
stcredzero
The devil is in the details. Styluses were too slow as input, and the device
was separate from the main comms device.

------
bbrizzi
My only thought seeing this was "SF has an incredible 3G/4G coverage".

------
baby
I have no "clever" comments on this.

This is just one of the most amazing thing I've seen in my life. Maybe the
people who watched the first guys land on the moon felt the same way? This is
the future.

------
siphr
Am I the only one who fails to see the innovation in that?

------
stewie2
I always wonder how the projected screen feels. Someone said, it's like a
floating transparent screen. Someone said it can only display simple
information.

------
jameszol
I love it when companies get creative like this. What a fantastic way to
preview a product and demonstrate the value of it!

------
anon808
google glass reminds me of the segway . . . really cool futuristic idea that
just doesn't fit with the way life is lived.

~~~
ArcticCelt
Having a friend constantly walking around me with that thing that may or may
not be filming and recording me would make me want to avoid him.

------
brittohalloran
Pretty cool keynote. Apple-like coolness and wow moments but Googlefied. RIP
Steve -- master of the keynote.

~~~
huxley
Makes me wonder, Steve Jobs never needed to have someone jump out of a plane
to get people excited about a product.

I was far more impressed with the Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean than any of the rest
of the demos.

~~~
ok_craig
Doesn't that mean Google also didn't need to have someone jump out of a plane
to get you excited about a product? It was just a bonus.

~~~
huxley
You must be confusing me with someone who hates Google or Google products in
general.

I didn't say Google couldn't impress me, I just happen to believe that really
exciting products don't need showy fanfares like that and when someone
compared that "spectacle" with a Steve Jobs keynote, I pointed out the obvious
contrast.

For all his other flaws, Steve Jobs put the product front and center.

~~~
ok_craig
What I mean is, you said these two things back to back:

"Steve Jobs never needed to have someone jump out of a plane to get people
excited about a product"

"I was far more impressed with the Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean than any of the rest
of the demos."

Doesn't the second sentence mean you're excited about a Google product? A
product that they didn't demo by having someone jump out of a plane with?
Isn't that a direct contradiction to what you're saying about Google with
first sentence?

~~~
huxley
I wasn't saying that Google can only impress by firing people out of
airplanes, I'm saying that if their products are good, that's enough, they can
stand on their own, and people can be excited by the products themselves.

Let me map it out:

Steve Jobs, professional product demo, no parachutes or BMX bike acrobatics ==
Good

Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean, professional product demo, no parachutes or BMX bike
acrobatics == Good

Google Glasses, no real product demo, several parachutists, pathetic BMX
stunts, lame high-five at end == Sad

~~~
ok_craig
Okay, I thought you were making no distinction between your #2 and #3.

But eh, I thought it was kind of cool. The jumping out of planes part didn't
help sell the product to me, it was just fun to watch. Brin was so genuinely
excited.

------
hexagonal
Are there any specs for these specs?

------
KMBredt
Not a single Google Maps Direction joke was made...

------
mahyarm
Google Glass feels like the next bluetooth headset, regulated to specialized
use.

------
hk_kh
I understand Google Glass involves the hardware, and all the technologies that
make it available.

But before getting all hyped, in this demo, this just looks like a camera
mounted on a frame, and a stream on a g+ hangout.

Show me the software, an SDK, and the real HUD.

------
bsaul
Very weird demo. Felt like the boss pet toy that he wanted to show the world.
Interrupting others in a improvised way to show people jumping out of a plane
made me feel like the complete opposite of steve job's classy and user-
oriented demos... Definitely wouldn't like to work at google on other
projects.

------
cosmez
Google Glass! first thing that came to my mind:
<https://dl.dropbox.com/u/18071353/Google%20Glass.png>

