Google undoubtedly wants Glass in the hands of developers who will make the experience better, more so than curious individuals who want it for personal use. Therefore, those who qualify for developer status will have the best shot at Glass access.
Signing up gave me access to an Explorer Edition beta code within a few months in November, while my friend received an invite less than three weeks in January. That alone shows how much easier it is to receive an invitation today.
Strict rules still limit who can ultimately take advantage of the invite code and purchase a prototype. For example, you must be 18 years old and a US resident, so adults living in the UK and Australia aren't eligible just yet.
THE LOOK
Though pliable, the titanium head band remains durable as it stretches from ear to ear. It runs alongside a plastic casing that hides Glass' key components and gives it an overall clean look. This subtle style makes the exposed parts like the camera lens in the front stand out even more - for better or worse.
Everyone's attention is also immediately drawn to the adjacent cube-shaped glass prism that sits above the right eye. It has a 640 x 360 resolution and hangs just out of the way of the wearer's line of sight. For the wearer, this personalized display acts as a much bigger screen, one that's equivalent to a 25-inch HDTV sitting eight feet away.
THE FEEL
Even with the bulkiness of the battery and durable frame, Google Glass is extremely lightweight and comfortable resting on my face. It weighs just 42 grams and because everything, including the screen, is just out of my line of sight I often forget I'm wearing it.
INTERFACE
Fitting Google Glass 2 to your face is a highly personalized experience. Same goes for setting up the software. Getting it on WiFi, pairing it with a smartphone and running through a handful of apps for the first time all occurred on-site at Google. There's a web-based tutorial for people who have Google Glass shipped, but the experience is better appreciated in person.
OS
The Google Glass OS is similar to the card-based user interface that has worked its way into many of Google's product redesigns in the last few months, including its Google Now app. The idea may need a redesign of its own pretty soon. At first, this content slideshow contained a handful of my previously taken photos, old searches, archived Hangout conversations and CNN Breaking News updates. I was generally able to find something within a few swipes.
CAMERA
The Google Glass camera shoots 5-megapixel photos equivalent to that of the iPhone 4 camera and each picture has a 2528 x 1856 resolution. To Google's credit, it took last-generation specs and made them useful again thanks to the camera's distinctive hands-free interface and, given the right lighting, terrific image quality.
All photos are saved to an internal 16GB flash drive of which 12GB is actually useable memory. The operating system controls the rest. This space doesn't fill up easily, as images are 1MB on average and are routinely synced with Google's cloud storage. Deleting them en masse without having to plug Glass into a computer via its USB cable is something I'd like to see in the future.
VIDEO
Google Glass also takes high-resolution video with all footage at a fairly steady 720p resolution. The camera's video performance mirrors it’s still image quality: it lives and dies by lighting and, if the right conditions are in place, provides a unique window to explore your everyday life.
BATTERY
Google's official estimate for the Glass' battery life is "one day of typical use." Features like video calls and video recording can drain the battery even more quickly than that, the company warns.
PROS
- Slick, comfortable design
- Easy-to-take hands-free photos
- Google Now app rocks
- Head-tracking navigation is surreal
- Fascinating conversation starter
CONS
- Outrageously expensive
- Battery life is very poor
- 5MP photos need good lightning
- Limited number of apps
- Vandhiyadevan
No comments :
Post a Comment