Google Glass videos are starting to pop up as the AR glasses reach early adopters. One video shows a cool perspective on a go kart race. Google has published the Glass manual online which reveals some official Google Glass specs and features. The Google Glass manual gives a fairly detailed breakdown of what can be done with the unit. There's a more graphical 'Getting to Know Glass' page available here. The manual gives us the first official confirmation of some Google Glass specs: Fit Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face. Extra nosepads in two sizes. Display High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away. Camera Photos - 5 MP Videos - 720p Audio Bone Conduction Transducer Connectivity Wifi - 802.11b/g Bluetooth Storage 12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total. Battery One full day of typical use. Some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive. Charger Included Micro USB cable and charger. While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. Use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use. Compatibility Any Bluetooth-capable phone. The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging. The display section tells us that the display is 'the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away' which is a very long and annoying way to say that the Google Glass has a field of view is ~14.7 degrees (diagonally). In the Google Glass FAQ section, it is mentioned that Glass shouldn't be used by children under 13, along with those who have had Lasik surgery: Like when wearing glasses, some people may feel eye strain or get a headache. If you’ve had Lasik surgery, ask your doctor about risks of eye impact damage before using Glass. Don’t let children under 13 use Glass as it could harm developing vision. Also, kids might break Glass or hurt themselves, and Google’s terms of service don’t permit those under 13 to register a Google account. MyGlass App for Android Google has launched a Glass companion app on Android called MyGlass. MyGlass allows you to configure and manage your Glass device. If you don't have Glass, then downloading this will be a waste of time. Sorry about that. But if you swipe the screenshots to the right you'll see there's a picture of a puppy in pajamas. So not a total waste of time after all. MyGlass also adds a few other features like identifying your location for turn-by-turn directions, sending and receiving SMS messages, 'screencasting' your Glass display, and more. The app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. Screencasting lets you stream your Glass camera view to your device. As for iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone, Google says that "all of the functionality of Glass is available via these devices' Bluetooth connection, with the exception of SMS and directions." I'm not entirely sure how screencasting could work without the MyGlass app, but I'd be happy if it did! Continue reading on page 2... Glassware not Apps It would seem that Google won't be running 'apps' proper on Glass. Instead they're running services that they call 'Glassware'. "Glassware refers to the web services that can send content to and receive content from Glass. They range from services like Gmail, which let you know when you receive new messages, to Google Now where you can see your favorite sports team’s score on Glass." Developing for Google Glass Google has launched the Google Glass developer center which features plenty of documentation on the Glass 'Mirror' API. Devs can use Java, PHP, and Python to program the unit. For developers who want to create third-party Glassware, Google has prepared a developer 'quick start' guide if you want to learn how. You can also check out the Glass Playground to see what it's like to write code for Glass cards. Google has a section of developer guidelines where they describe some best-practices for Glassware. They summarize the major points: Design for Glass - Design, build, and test your application specifically for Glass to ensure that the user experience is appropriate. Don't get in the way - Glass users expect the technology to be there when they want it and out of the way when they don't. Don't be too frequent and loud with notifications when the user doesn't expect it. Keep it timely - Glass is a platform that is most effective when in-the-moment and up-to-date. Avoid the unexpected - Surprising users with unexpected functionality is bad on any platform, but especially on Glass, given how close it is to their daily experience. Be honest about the intention of your application, what you do on the user's behalf, and get explicit permission before you do it. Voice Commands As for voice actions, the manual lists some of the things you can ask the unit to do: "ok glass..." -- tells Glass to start listening for a command "google..." -- initiates a search "take a picture" "record a video" -- takes a 10 second video by default, you can tap the touchpad and select 'Extend video' to continue recording "get directions to..." -- provides driving, walking, or biking directions "send a message to..." -- sends an email (or SMS with the MyGlass app) "make a call to..." "hang out with..." -- starts a Google+ Hangout session Google Glass Guest Mode The manual also reveals Guest Mode, a previously unknown Google Glass feature. The feature, which lets you easily demo Glass for others, can be enabled in the Glass settings: If you’re like us, you’ll probably want to show off your Glass to some of your friends and family, but you don’t necessarily want them to muck up your timeline in the process. To safeguard your Glass when others are playing with it, turn on Guest mode from the Settings bundle. Guest mode will set up a fake timeline, complete with Google Now cards, a few sample emails, and a few other cards designed to demonstrate the device. Your guests can still take photos and videos, but they will only be shared with you. Thanks for sticking with us in this edition of Google Glass News Bits, stay tuned for more! [button color="orange" url="https://www.roadtovr.com/tag/google-glass" size="default"]See All Google Glass News[/button]
