Google Glass is an extraordinary device. Like the Apple II, the Palm Pilot, and the first iPhone, Glass is a category-defining product that will quickly become the template for all other devices of its type going forward. It's the kind of device that will have a place in a computer history museum.
As a technology journalist, I often cover innovative devices, or exciting devices, or devices destined to sell millions, but how often, going in, can you say "This is a device of historical significance?" Wearable computing has arrived. While Glass might not be the very first of its kind, it's the first good one of its kind. There are still many problems, and many things that need to be improved, but don't for a second dismiss what the Glass Team has accomplished here: a genre-defining device that belongs in the history books.
You don't create an entirely new market segment without running into a few bumps in the road and with Glass, there are many.
A Reality Check
While the future of computing has certainly arrived, viewing Glass with the appropriate mindset requires a significant reality check for many people, which I will now provide: Glass is not JARVIS. Forget what you've imagined during the last year of unchecked hype and speculation, and come back down to Planet Earth.
Glass does not do augmented reality of any kind, it does not record things 24/7, and it is not a fully-featured replacement for your smartphone. Expecting Glass do to any of those things is unfair and unrealistic. Glass is a real, functioning, first-generation product made with 2013 technology - it is also a work in progress. Your 3D, AR, facial recognition fantasies are technologically impossible in a self-contained headset, assuming you want the battery to last for more than 5 minutes. So forget about them.
So what is Glass, then? Glass is a floating, 2D, transparent computer screen. That's the best way to think about it - a potentially useful product, but not a Hollywood fantasy. Glass is also a device designed with one thing in mind: conserving battery life. Battery limitations permeate every aspect of Glass's design, and I will cover that a lot in this review. Anytime you say "I wish Glass did _______," you have to also consider how that feature would impact the battery life.
Also, for now, Glass is a product meant only for developers and passionate tech enthusiasts. It's an unfinished, alpha product that, according to Eric Schmidt, is a year away from a general consumer release. Google knows it's not finished, I know it's not finished, and now, you know it's not finished. So while this is called a "review," it would be unfair for me to judge Glass as if it were a finished product. Still though, part of the reason the Explorer Program exists is to gather ideas and feedback from the community, and I consider this review a part of that. You'll still hear all about the flaws of Glass; it's up to you to not take them so seriously.
Since it is an alpha product, Glass is currently not "compatible" with everyone. If you wear glasses, Glass just isn't for you right now. Google is working on integrating Glass into glasses frames, but not for the Explorer program. The same goes for people with problems in their right eye (as there is only a right eye version) or people who have had Lasik surgery. Glass is also not for children under 13, or, apparently, zombies. Glass, like I said, is a work in progress.
The good news is that Google seems committed to quickly improving Glass. Google plans on pushing out monthly updates for the Glass software (Glass OS) and we've seen 2 updates, XE5 and XE6, already. While something like a smartphone tends to have only minor flaws fixed via OTA updates, Glass should be much more of a fluid, changing, growing platform. So it's best to consider this review a snapshot in time, and a good base layer of knowledge for future Glass coverage.
What Glass Actually Does
Everyone goes into a smartphone review knowing exactly what a smartphone does, but you may not have the same rock-solid foundation of just what the heck it is that Glass does. So before I get all evaluatey, I'll give a quick overview of what we're dealing with.
The majority of the time, Glass is off - just like a smartphone. Tilting your head up or tapping on the touchpad will turn it on, at which point you'll be staring at the iconic "ok glass" screen and the time.
The majority of the time, Glass is off - just like a smartphone. Tilting your head up or tapping on the touchpad will turn it on, at which point you'll be staring at the iconic "ok glass" screen and the time.
From here, you can say "ok glass" and issue a voice command. You can perform Google queries, take a picture or video, navigate somewhere, send emails and text messages, make a call, or start a hangout. You can also swipe to the left and check the occasional Google Now card, like weather, stocks, traffic, and sports scores.
Notifications, emails, text messages, pictures, 3rd party apps, and your Glass usage history are all stuffed into an endless string of cards called the "timeline," which you can access by swiping to the right from the "ok glass" screen. If you "fling" the Glass touchpad you'll get a zoomed out view of the timeline, which is pictured above.
That's about it. There's no way to look at websites, there's no email inbox, no way to listen to music, and no contact list, friend statuses, or Google Hangouts (the chat program). If you want to do anything other than what's listed above, it's time to whip out your phone.
So, now that you have a good enough idea of Glass does and doesn't do. Let's get to it.
First up, as usual, is the specs, but like everything with Google Glass, things are a little different. The official spec list is a little sparse, so I did my best to compile a better one. This is all a combination of some Linux command line, Geekbench, an FCC filing, and a postal scale for the weight. Spec wise, Glass is basically a very light, very tiny Galaxy Nexus.
Specifications
- 1.01 GHz Dual-Core TI OMAP 4430 CPU
- Power VR SGX540 GPU
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB ROM, 12GB Usable
- 640x360 FSC-LCOS Transparent Display (per this excellent article)
- 5MP Camera
- WiFi B/G
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 570 mAh non-removable battery
- Weight: 40 grams (Sunglasses are 25g)
- Android 4.0.4 with Glass Software
