In mid-December, I got an unexpected e-mail. I had been selected to try the second wave of Google Glass after applying earlier in the year. Despite the high cost, I figured that you only live once and went for it.
To really give an idea of Glass' capabilities, I thought it might be interesting to detail a few of the tasks I was able to accomplish in a short period of time while I was driving (I took some precautions to make sure I was not a danger to my fellow passengers, I swear)! For any gesture that took my eyes off the road, I did it at a stoplight. All other gestures were voice-activated and did not require me to look or do anything (now, did I look occasionally ... yes, I suppose I did). Here is a breakdown:
To really give an idea of Glass' capabilities, I thought it might be interesting to detail a few of the tasks I was able to accomplish in a short period of time while I was driving (I took some precautions to make sure I was not a danger to my fellow passengers, I swear)! For any gesture that took my eyes off the road, I did it at a stoplight. All other gestures were voice-activated and did not require me to look or do anything (now, did I look occasionally ... yes, I suppose I did). Here is a breakdown:
- I hopped in my car and, before taking off, said, "Okay Glass, get directions to Edgerton, Wisconsin." Immediately a display with the next direction showed up, with voice directions coming into my ear at every major turn or decision.
- First stop sign - I say, "Okay, Glass, google 'what time is the Badger game tonight?'" Glass informs me that the Badger basketball team won their last game (complete with score) and that they will be playing Northwestern at 6:00 pm tonight. Pretty slick.
- Next stop sign - I say, "Okay Glass, google 'how much are Packer tickets for Sunday's game?'" Not so good this time - I just get a random website telling about the matchup. I close it.
- As the radio is playing, I say, "Okay Glass, google" and then swipe across the device, which does an audio search for what Glass hears (similar to the "Shazam" app). The song playing is at a very strange and vague part, but amazingly Glass pulls up "Dreams" by the Cranberries, which is correct! Well done, Glass!
- I decide I want to make a mental note of everything Glass has done thus far. I say, "Okay Glass, take a note" and my Evernote app comes up and lets me speak ideas to keep for later. I say a few sentences about what Glass has done, without a single word being wrong.
- As the sun sets, a sliver of moon is visible in the sky - I realize it would make a great picture. I say, "Okay Glass, take a picture" and this beauty pops onto my screen:
- I take a call from my girlfriend on Glass - the volume is a bit problematic, but all I had to do was say, "Okay Glass, Answer Call" and we were talking without holding a phone to my ear - pretty nifty too.
The rest of the ride was pretty much just voice directions, as I didn't want Glass to become too much of a distraction. I still think Glass has a LOOOOOONG way to go before it is anything revolutionary, I think it holds some intriguing potential.
Feel free to ask me any questions about Glass!
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