

Show HN: Google Glass + Tesla Model S = GlassTesla - sahaskatta
http://glasstesla.com
In case you didn&#x27;t guess, it this app lets Tesla Model S owners interact with their vehicle with Google Glass.<p>Here&#x27;s what it can do:<p>- View vehicle charging status. Start or stop charging via Glass. You can even open the charge port without having to get back into your car.<p>- Locate your Model S on a map and get directions to it. You can even honk the horns or flash the headlights if you still can&#x27;t spot it.<p>- See whether the doors, trunks, or sunroof is open&#x2F;closed. Of course, you can lock or unlock your car remotely and even control the sunroof too.<p>- You can view the car&#x27;s interior and exterior temperatures. With a single tap, you can enable &quot;auto climate&quot; to either cool or heat your vehicle to an optimal temperature remotely.<p>What do you guys think?
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cocoflunchy
After clicking half a dozen times on the arrow, I realized I had to scroll
down. I think there's something to do here to make a little more obvious, like
actually start scrolling when you click on the arrow, or at least removing the
fade effect on the click (otherwise it actually makes me believe that clicking
was the expected behavior!)

[edit] I tried again and realized that the fade effect was not triggered by my
click, I was just super-synchronized ;)

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kami8845
You can save yourself trying to guess how to navigate a page and simply use
page up / page down :) It's also faster that way.

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cookingrobot
I would rather see a different kind of mashup - install the Google Glass into
the car.

Put the camera on the rearview mirror facing forward, and install a small
heads-up display to reflect off the windshield. This could be a lot more
interesting than Apple's in dash iOS approach.

Then you could use all the glass apps + features while driving, without having
to wear the headset. From what I hear it will be basically impossible to use
glass while driving because you have to look up and to the right to see the
screen.

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wavesounds
Agreed. I have been waiting for them to pivot to this since they first
introduced the product, it seems like such a more obvious and useful use of
the technology.

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moocow01
Id imagine that Google Glass will fall under the same laws banning cell phones
and electronics while driving so Im not so sure how much potential this has
besides putting the ability to unlock your car on Glass.

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dragonwriter
I imagine it won't, at least, it won't fall under some of the existing laws
which specifically prohibit the use of electronic devices that aren't hands-
free while driving.

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kayoone
But it will be banned eventually. There is a reason why car entertainment
systems arent allowed to playback visual media while driving, mobile phone use
is banned etc. Its about distracting the driver and as soon as these devices
get more popular they will be included in these laws, thats certain.

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dragonwriter
> Its about distracting the driver and as soon as these devices get more
> popular they will be included in these laws, thats certain.

That's usually the stated justification, but in reality what gets banned is
pretty much completely unrelated to the empirical evidence as to actual
sources of distraction; most places explicitly ban non-hands-free device use,
even though, IIRC, studies have shown that hands-free and non-hands-free
device use have similar effects on driving ability (and that using a phone,
hands free or not, has similar impact on driving ability to carrying on a
conversation with a passenger, which is also not banned.)

If there's any justification for the actual bans we see , is that there is an
industry wants to sell in-car hands free devices and hands-free add-ons for
devices

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Spittie
Wouldn't it be possible to do something like that for "normal" cars too, using
the ODB2 interface (that, by law, car makers have to include since years).

Use an ODB2 Bluetooth adapter to read the car data onto a cellphone (Obviously
you won't get as much stuff as the Tesla offer, but at least you should be
able to get the current speed/gas left), then send this data from your phone
to the Glass.

I'm not sure if the phone can send data directly to the Glass, otherwise you
would probably have to send this data to a server, and then retrieve it using
the Mirror API. Slower and dumber, but it should work.

Anyway, very cool project. I wish I had Glass and a Tesla to try it out.

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BHSPitMonkey
There are already a lot of projects for Android that do just that. Plenty of
Bluetooth ODB2 dongles for sale for doing it as well.

For instance:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0O5RZeXTDc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0O5RZeXTDc)

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cantankerous
Are there any Glass applications for regular cars?

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molbioguy
As others have said, Glass + driving will lead to increased accidents and will
likely be banned in the same manner as texting while driving. A recent study
by AAA showed that voice-to-text messaging is more distracting than making
calls with a cell phone. For the average person, multitasking while driving
will almost always be more dangerous. Pilot HUDs are not comparable, because
they are focused on flying, the task at hand, and pilots are highly trained in
using them. I doubt that users will restrict themselves to map apps while
driving.

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k-mcgrady
Google Glass will probably be banned when driving (and rightly so - it'll also
be much easier to catch people using Glass than mobile phones). I think
something like Siri is much more likely to take off in cars due the the hands
and eyes free ability. It's a nice concept you've made but I can't see it
being very useful.

I'm interested to know if you considered this and have a different opinion.

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dannyr
Why do you think it's easier to catch people using Glass?

You can operate Google Glass hands-free.

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k-mcgrady
Because it's attached to your face and incredibly easy to spot/very
noticeable. People can easily text on phones by holding it by their lap out of
sight of passing motorists/police.

I know it can be operated hands free but you still have a potentially
distracting display.

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brandynwhite
The display is only on when you activate it. The alternative isn't glass or
nothing, it's glass or what people currently do which is often looking down at
their phone for directions. Directions on glass are far less distracting than
any other navigation setup I've seen.

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tchae
This is pretty cool. How many people have both though?

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loceng
Probably a lot, if Google buys Tesla.

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skriticos2
Google is not a car company. I don't see how that would be good for either of
them. A joint venture seems more likely. Money is only part of the equitation
and Elon Musk actually want's to change the status quo so we don't suffocate
with CO2. Assimilation politics would not further that goal.

A collaboration would be very beneficial for both parties though. Tesla and
Google could focus on what they can do best and bring out a product in a joint
venture that unifies they're strength sharing the profit.

But maybe I'm naive?

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sterlingross
Google may not be a car company, but they are developing self driving cars.

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k-mcgrady
They are developing the technology to make car self-driving. They are not
developing the cars. They use Toyota Prius and I think some Lexus model too. I
could see them partnering with Tesla to make it the first company to use the
technology though.

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jaekwon
Doesn't Google Glass force all apps to communicate via Google's servers? When
I read the API the day it was announced, it certainly seemed that way.

So basically Google Glass is a massive camera & audio surveillance device,
with most probably instant access by "government" intelligence agencies.

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skizm
I heard that you have to basically look at the ceiling in your car in order to
fully see Glass' interface since you need a dark background for Glass to be
correctly visible. Am I wrong? Seems like Glass would be even less safe for
driving than a cell phone.

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sahaskatta
It really depends. Google Glass does very well in dark places AND even under
bright sunlight since the photochromic lens turns black.

However, the photochromic glass doesn't turn black when you happen to be
standing under shade when outdoors. So that's the one situation where it's a
bit difficult to see.

In a car, I found that just putting down the visor helps. I don't need to move
my head up.

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tobico
If you have that much money, why not just get your butler to do it for you.

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christiangenco
God, I wish I was in the target market for this app.

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benblodgett
I can imagine the user base for this is a tiny yet interesting bunch.

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joshfraser
Two awesome toys and I don't own either one. Way to make me feel poor and
abandoned outside the cool club!

