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Google Glass can tell if you're stressed
It's not always easy to tell when your stress levels are through the roof, and you may not always want to break out a heart rate sensor just to find out when it's time to relax. You might not have to, if researchers at Georgia Tech and MIT have their way; they've developed BioGlass, an Android app that uses Google Glass to determine how frazzled you are. The software measures your heart and breathing rates by checking for tiny movements picked up by Glass' accelerometer, gyroscope and front-facing camera. In theory, you'd only have to wear the smart eyepiece to know when it's time to calm down.
Google Glass lands in the Play Store next to phones and smartwatches
Itching to strap on a $1,500 face computer so you can follow directions floating in front of your head? Well, Google just made it a little easier to claim a head-mounted display of your own -- it quietly added Google Glass to the Play Store the other day, and the search giant seems intent on making it sound, well, cool. To hear the Mountain View spinmasters put it, Glass Explorers aren't just the people who need to try tech before the teeming millions. No no, they're "bold and inspiring," folks who "make move and marvel through Glass." This isn't the first time that Google has tried to broaden Glass' reach -- they opened up the Explorer program to all comers in the US back in May, but it insisted at the time that it was still very much a "beta" product. Between then and now we've seen a slightly tweaked version of Glass launch and a few software updates go live -- none of those changes seem terribly earth-shaking, but it sure is interesting to see Google stop treating Glass like a special little flower that isn't ready for public consumption.
Pandora's radio app for Glass lets you tune into Haim using your head
If you regularly go out wearing Google Glass, you've probably lamented the lack of major music app choices. There's Play Music and... well, that's about it. Never fear, though, as Pandora has just released a Glass app for its internet radio service. The wearable-ready software lets you control streaming without ever having to reach for your phone; you can create or choose stations solely using your voice, and the touchpad lets you both skip annoying tunes and give the thumbs-up to songs you like. It won't cost you anything to download the app, although you can't really call this free. Besides the $1,500 Glass itself, you'll likely want to buy Glass-specific stereo headphones -- that's a lot of money just to get internet radio on an eyepiece.
Google Glass' new features let you switch chat methods on a whim
Some of Google's rapid-fire Glass updates have been more useful than others, but its latest is something you're likely to appreciate -- especially if you're a socialite. The wearable's 20.1 upgrade gives you a much better contact system (shown below) that gives you quicker access to your friends. You can reach 20 of your favorited and recent contacts through voice, and your phone's entire address book is easily accessible. It's also much easier to switch communication methods. If you want to jump from email to Hangouts to deal with a heated conversation, you only have to swipe to make it happen.
Now you only have to barely move your hand to control your smart glasses
One main obstacle to making smart glasses mainstream is their awkward control methods, but that may change courtesy of Thalmic Labs, the maker of the $149 Myo muscle-sensing armband due in this fall. With the help of several enterprise partners, the startup has managed to integrate its futuristic wearable with Google Glass, Epson Moverio and Recon Jet, thus allowing users to quickly flick through documents, contacts and apps with subtle hand plus finger gestures, as opposed to fiddling with a tiny trackpad. In the videos after the break, it seems that there's great potential for the Myo in the medical space, heavy industries plus outdoor sports, albeit at the risk of making the users look a little silly.
Stanford medical students learn to operate with Google Glass
Like their fellow future doctors down the road in Irvine, medical students at Stanford University will learn surgical methods with a hand from Google Glass. Those studying cardiothoracic techniques are set use Mountain View's high-tech spectacles to stream their views in real-time to instructors with the help of CrowdOptic -- a company that's part of the Glass at Work initiative. The aforementioned California-based schools aren't the first use the gadget in surgery, as it has already streamed full procedures. Privacy concerns immediately arise when discussing the use of a hackable device in medical settings, but CrowdOptic knows how it will secure the data and comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It also won't have access to the captured video as they're set to remain Stanford's property. The streaming outfit has also locked down its own spectrum, so it doesn't have to keep tabs on steady WiFi to stay connected. With more universities and physicians opting for Glass on the regular, it seems medicine is one place the wearable fits in nicely. [Photo credit: Angel Navarrete/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Comic-Con bans Google Glass from super secret screenings
While you might be able to don an Oculus Rift to pilot a Pacific Rim jaeger, Comic-Con isn't as accepting of another piece of (not so) popular headgear. As TechHive reports, event organizers have begun mirroring actions taken by some US and UK movie theaters in outright banning Google Glass from screenings. On its official website, Comic-Con states that Glass is held in the same regard as smartphones and video cameras, noting that attendees "cannot wear Google Glasses during footage viewing in any program room." If you're a trendy Explorer who has a prescription Glass, let's hope you've brought a backup pair of specs because you're getting no special treatment.
eBay brings its RedLaser barcode-scanner app to Google Glass
You might know eBay as the website where you can buy a rare NES game for a hundred grand, but the company also has its own barcode scanner, called RedLaser. It's been out on Android and iOS for a while, and now the company is bringing it to Google Glass, allowing you to quite literally buy whatever you set your sights on. Like the existing app, the Glass version scans barcodes and spits back a list of current prices at different retailers. From there, you can find a brick-and-mortar store nearby, complete with directions, if you need them. And, of course, like any good online retailer, eBay will show a list of related products, similar to whatever it is you just searched for. All told, we're guessing you can probably spare a few minutes to stop what you're doing and use the phone app instead, but let's be honest: Scanning stuff with your eye sounds pretty fun. Just be aware, though, that if you want to purchase something, you will in fact have to pick up your phone -- the app will send an email notification to your mobile device so you can complete the transaction. [Image credit: Angel Navarrete/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Google letting curious explorers take Glass for a free spin
Glass has run the opinion gamut from "great" to "hate" to "surprisingly useful," but Google thinks you should forget all that. We just received an invitation (after the break) to several Google Glass "Basecamp" offices with the following teaser: "There's a lot of talk about Glass, but have you tried it for yourself yet?" If you're near San Francisco, LA or New York, you'll need to schedule an invitation for a fitting, service or a demo. For those worried about the original, not-so-stylish cyborg look, Google has hooked up with couture magnate Diane Von Furstenberg to create more normal eyewear designs. And of course, anybody can get them now -- as long as you're willing to burn $1,500.
Google Glass founder heads to Amazon
The optics savant that helped Google create Glass has just announced that he's "super excited" to be joining Amazon. Babak Parvis was one of the original members of Google's Project X skunkworks lab, and the first head of the Glass project team. Prior to that, the Seattle resident was a researcher at the University of Washington where he developed the first contact lenses with integrated circuits. Later, he worked with Microsoft on research for blood-glucose monitoring contacts with Microsoft, a project he eventually brought to Google. Parvis didn't say exactly what he'd be doing with Amazon, but projects like Google's Tango, the Oculus Rift and Amazon's new Fire phone and Firefly app have made optics designers a hot commodity. Meanwhile, Glass is well past the research stage where Parvis shined, so Google now has design guru Ivy Ross in charge for a likely consumer launch. [Image credit: loiclemeur/Flickr]
Recommended Reading: Google Glass in the courtroom and 'Bill Walsh College Football'
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Today's Tech: How a California Personal Injury Attorney Uses Google Glass by Nicole Black, Above the Law Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement("script");j.id=i;j.src="https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1";var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,"pocket-btn-js"); We've seen everyone from medical school students to airline staff using Google Glass. Heck, even lawyers are jumping on board. California attorney Mitch Jackson is using Glass in his practice to record witness interviews and depositions to be viewed later. Jackson touts the potential of Google's spectacles in the jury selection process, especially when his consultant is across the country, and how useful the Evernote add-on is for easy case-file notations.
Control Google Glass with your mind... and a second headset
Up until now, you can only navigate Google Glass by touching or talking to it, but London-based firm This Place just made it possible to control the device using something else: your brainwaves. The company just released an open source application called MindRDR that gives you something akin to very, very limited telekinetic abilities -- so long as you have both Google Glass and Neurosky's EEG biosensor headset. See, MindRDR serves as the bridge that connects the two, translating the brain activity from the EEG biosensor into executable commands for the high-tech eyewear. At the moment, the software can only take pictures and upload them to either Facebook or Twitter, but This Place released the app for free on GitHub in hopes that other developers will use it for more advanced projects.
Google Glass gets no special treatment under UK data collection laws
Google Glass is now available for general consumption in the UK, which means us Brits can start debating all the privacy and legal issues associated with people carting around cameras on their face. In reaction to the wearable's launch, The Information Commissioner's Office -- the independent regulator of data protection, privacy and freedom of information rights -- has decided to clarify exactly how Glass fits into current legislation. And, quite understandably, the spectacles don't have their own set of special rules. Anything you record through Glass for personal, non-commercial use complies with the Data Protection Act, just like using a regular camcorder or taking a picture with your smartphone in a public place. Similarly, companies and other organisations need to comply with all the same rules governing the collection and processing of images and video they do currently.
These early Google Glass prototypes looked (even more) awkward
Whether you believe Google Glass looks hideous or fashionable -- and hey, we're not here to judge -- the current model looks a heckuva lot better than its first few prototypes. The first models arrived on the scene in 2010, and they looked more like the mess Jason Jones slapped together for the Daily Show than an actual consumer product. Three of the earliest prototypes, spanning two years, were on display at I/O this week.
Researchers crack iPad PINs by tracking the fingers that enter them
What's the easiest way to find out someone's password? Watch them enter it, of course, using the simple hacking technique known as shoulder surfing. Cameras and software have successfully been used by researchers to automate and improve the accuracy of snooping on smartphone users with such observational methods, but they require a direct line-of-sight to work. Now, as Wired reports, a group at the University of Massachusetts Lowell has developed a way to capture iPad passcodes without needing any kind of on-screen cue. A camera is still required, but because the position of the lockscreen keypad is static, their software references finger movement against tablet orientation to estimate the PIN by the way it's entered.
Lenovo's Google Glass-like wearable concept keeps your voice chats private
Even Lenovo isn't immune from the temptation to produce a Google Glass-like wearable display, it seems. The Chinese tech giant has applied for a US patent on a headset design with dual screens, touch-based navigation and an unusually strong emphasis on voice quality. Rather than use conventional noise-canceling microphones, like Google, Lenovo would use a bone-conducting microphone just above your nose bridge. The approach would make it easier to catch your voice, since you wouldn't have to compete with outside sounds for attention; it could also offer an extra level of privacy for internet calls, since you could speak quietly and still get your message across.
New Google Glass headsets ship with more memory, everyone gets help with photos
Two years after it was introduced, Google Glass hasn't gotten any cheaper -- although it is a bit more stylish with Diane von Furstenberg frames and international now that it's launched in the UK -- but it is getting better. Not just through one of the many software updates that have reached the headset since its debut either, as its hardware has undergone a mild revision. Google announced that new units are shipping with 2GB of RAM, double the amount previously available, among other tweaks that have improved battery life and made voice search better.
Google Glass goes on sale in the UK for £1,000
Although technically still in the beta phase of development, anyone with the right wallet size can now buy Google Glass in the US. The UK has had little exposure to the eminent wearable outside of special projects, but Google's decided it's time to let Brits get in on the fun, too. Early adopters of the UK can hand now over a cool £1,000 ($1,700) in exchange for a pair of Big G's spectacles, in the first general sale program outside of the US. You can opt for the generic frame in one of five colors, or spring for one of the prescription Titanium collection for £175 extra. Whichever you choose, though, don't expect to escape funny looks from the vast majority of Brits that'll finally be seeing the mythical wearable in the flesh for the first time.
Google Glass update serves up World Cup scores and faster photo sharing
Google Glass is about to get a handful of updates that should be especially helpful this summer. To start, it should be easier to share Glass photos from your vacation; a new MyGlass app for Android (iOS is due later) will surface your most recent snapshots. An upgrade to Glass itself, meanwhile, lets you keep tabs on World Cup matches and group standings. It should be simpler to find your parking spot and track packages, too. Google hasn't said when all the updates will roll out to its smart eyewear, but it expects the MyGlass update to hit later this week -- hopefully, in time for the World Cup's June 12th kickoff. [Top image credit: Miguel Tovar/STF via Getty Images]
Theater chain bans Google Glass in a bid to cut down on piracy
If you're one of the few people in the country with a prescription Google Glass headset, you might want to keep extra glasses handy for when you go to the movies. First, some guy got booted from an AMC theater on the suspicion he was recording the film (he wasn't), and now a different theater chain has outright banned the headset. That theater company is Alamo Drafthouse, which operates in five (soon to be six) states and like AMC, it's trying to cut down on piracy. Indeed, the company's CEO Tim League said in a tweet that Glass specifically won't be allowed in auditoriums once the lights dim for previews. Fortunately, at least, you can continue to wear your headset while the house lights are up, or when you leave the screening room for a popcorn run. Once the movie starts, though, you'd better be wearing proper glasses, lest you get pegged as a movie bootlegger.
