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Now iOS users can control Google Glass remotely with MyGlass companion app (update)
For a while there, Google's Glass was really only for the Android population since the eyewear required compatible devices running the MyGlass app for activation and the full suite of features. Not so anymore, as the company's just released that companion app to Apple's App Store making it possible for iOS users to set up the device, manage contacts and Glassware apps, view texts, as well as remotely navigate with turn-by-turn directions right from their smartphones. You'll need to be running iOS 7, however, in order to run the app and take advantage of the screencasting possibilities. And before your itchy trigger finger hits download, heed Google's oft-repeated advice: "If you don't have Glass, then downloading this will be a waste of time." That's right from the mouth of Mountain View itself. Consider yourself warned. Update: Looks like the MyGlass app has since been pulled. We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update once we hear back. Update 2: Google's just released a statement on the situation, saying that MyGlass for iOS will once again be available on the App Store "later this week" and is part of the XE 12 Glass update. Update 3: MyGlass is back! Snag it over at the App Store now.
Google invites Glass Explorer Edition owners to upgrade their eyewear
Google promised early Glass wearers that they could eventually upgrade to next-generation Explorer hardware, and that moment is finally at hand. The company is now inviting owners to swap devices through a free mail exchange before February 5th. While the upgrade isn't mandatory, Google warns that it's only developing with the newer Explorer Edition in mind -- there's no guarantee that new accessories or software will work on old models. The invitation is more of a push than a gentle nudge, then, but we doubt that many Glass users will complain about a free update. Check out an excerpt from the invitation after the break.
Select Explorers can now purchase a second Google Glass unit
Forget trawling eBay or craigslist for Google Glass -- your best bet is to pal up with someone who already owns one. Select Explorers who couldn't access the Glass accessory shop have received an email from the search giant with a fix in tow and the opportunity to purchase a second device for themselves or a friend, Glass Almanac reports. It's not clear if the firm's other beta testers will get the same deal, as we couldn't access the store ourselves, despite being able to previously. While each of Google's guinea pigs received three invites to hand out last month, this gives them a chance to spread the love even further. Of course, this new eyewear doesn't come magically infused with purpose-built apps -- you'll have to endure the same limitations current Explorers do until the SDK comes out and developers can go to town.
Google Play Music app officially arrives on Glass
Glass Explorers who weren't adventurous enough to sideload Google Play Music onto their wearable for an early taste of the app have just gotten easy access to it. Mountain View's just listed the tune player on the MyGlass application and in the Glassware section of its companion website. Once the app is set to "On," Glass will automatically download the software and unlock a new "listen to" command. By wielding the magic words users can speak to pull up albums, artists, playlists and songs they've uploaded to the service and those available through Google Play Music All Access. We took the app for a spin and there don't appear to be any notable changes compared to the version we installed by hand. If you were one of the intrepid users who loaded up the app ahead of time, you'll have to uninstall it through the Android Debug Bridge in order to successfully score it via MyGlass. If you're itching to make the most of tune streaming on the hardware, you can grab ahold of stereo earbuds from Google designed just for the device.
Google now inviting developers to buy Glass
Now that Google has offered a preview of Glass' SDK and opened the Mirror API to all developers, it has a strong incentive to get its eyewear in the hands of app writers. Accordingly, the crew in Mountain View is now inviting developers to buy Glass' Explorer Edition; you'll find one such invitation pictured above. We've asked Google about the scale of the expanded Explorer program, and we'll let you know if it can provide more details. Whether or not it can, the widened reach is good news for Glassware producers eager to test their code on real devices. [Thanks, Josh]
Want to make apps for Glass? Google opens Mirror API to all developers
Finished poring over that API documentation for, like, the millionth time? Good. Managed to hustle your way to a hackathon? Great! Finally, then, it's time to put all that knowhow to practical use -- the Mirror API is now open to all developers. Before now, you'd have needed to find your way onto a whitelist to get in on the action, but as from a few hours ago, access to the cloud-and-cards based app API is a free for all. Glassware is finally a go go go..?
Google offers 'sneak peek' of Glass development kit, shows Glassware can actually be useful
So far, development on Glass has been extremely limited by the tools put in the hands of app creators. Namely the Mirror API with its constant need for an internet connection and limited functionality. The newly released Glass Development Kit (or at least an extremely early version of it) puts many more arrows in the quiver of coders. For one, apps can be built completely for offline use and can now directly access to Glass' hardware. This will allow Glassware to be made with the same capabilities as Google's own creations. It also introduces a few new features, including "live cards" which, like Windows Live Tiles, feature constantly updating information. Where as the static timeline cards live to the right of the home screen on Glass, live cards are found with a swipe to the left. Exercise app Strava has a demo version of an app that keeps details about your jog or bike ride constantly updating on a live card, including distance and speed.
Latest Google Glass update has a secret feature: it can play music (update: $85 stereo earbuds incoming)
If you thought the latest Glass update was designed solely to help with your schedule and commute, you'd be mistaken. The sneaky devs in Mountain View quietly added support for Google Play Music in the XE11 upgrade, laying the groundwork for a future feature announcement. After sideloading the app onto Glass, a new "listen to" voice command appears on the the hardware's home screen, a feature that Glass head of Marketing Ed Sanders tells USA Today it is "important to have" for the headset. Right on time, the Glass team has posted a new Explorer Story video featuring music producer Young Guru explaining how Glass can help him discover new sounds to sample, showing off playback and the existing Android Sound Search feature. By uttering the new phrase and speaking the name of an album, artist, playlist or song, the company's guinea pigs can listen to tunes they've uploaded to Google Play Music or those available through All Access, provided they have a subscription. Once a user confirms their choice and the music starts, a card with album art and playback controls (Pause, Play, Previous, Next, Stop, Radio and Volume) is pinned to the wearable's timeline. As you might imagine, the audio quality through the bone conduction speaker isn't spectacular, and while the device's forthcoming earbud may offer some improvement, the foreseeable musical future of Glass Explorers is in mono. Update: Google has informed USA Today and the New York Times that a set of earbud headphones will be available next month for $85, which you can spot in the video after the break. It also appears that the Google Play Music tricks discovered will be officially unveiled later today, and probably won't require any sideloading shenanigans.
Facebook likes wearable technology, but the tech's not quite ready to like back
We've become accustomed to posts flooding our news feeds proclaiming that a friend has just completed a 5-mile run or taken their 3,000th step of the day, but that's not enough for Facebook. At a recent hackathon held at its headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., the company partnered up with Google, Jawbone, Fitbit, Recon and Pebble to see what a few handpicked developers could do to combine Facebook's services with their hardware. The goal? To create some new, novel and practical uses for wearable technology.
Google's Timothy Jordan: Glass is a complete break from the past
Many wonder whether Google Glass has legs as a technology. Will we still be using it (and talking about it) years from now? If you ask Google's Senior Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan, absolutely. Speaking at Expand in New York, he described the wearable eyepiece as a fundamental shift in user interface concepts that will remain exciting for a long time to come. There has even been a surprise or two for Google itself, he says.
LeVar Burton on Google Glass: 'It disturbed me'
"It disturbed me. I was skeptical... [and] I'm a person that's very open to technology." That's the reaction LeVar Burton, the man best known from Reading Rainbow and Star Trek: The Next Generation, first had when encountering Google Glass backstage at Engadget Expand. Burton, a self-described edutainment pioneer, acknowledges the disruptive power new technologies can have on media and culture -- after all, he did help transform television into a worthy educational tool/babysitter with his PBS program. But even with that storied success, and his company's current inroads into digital with an iPad Reading Rainbow application, Burton still had a "knee-jerk" response when confronted with Glass. Although his celebrity status and the resulting paranoia could have something to do with it.
Google lines up a new Glass partner for prescription, fashion and sport lenses (updated)
We've known for a while that Google is looking to develop prescription-lens versions of Google Glass, but now its plans are starting to become clear. The search giant has teamed up with Rochester Optical to design and produce "custom prescription, fashion, and sport lenses" for its high-tech wearable. Rochester expects to have them ready by early next year and will include transitions, tinting and matching color wire frames. Google recently announced that Glass Explorers will soon be able to to swap out their headset for a new version, which will work with future shades and prescription frames, helping to make Glass look like something you'd want to wear. If you're interested to see what the eyewear specialist has been cooking up, it'll share its latest designs later today -- we'll make sure to share them with you when they do. Update: According to Google, there is no actual relationship between Google Glass and Rochester Optical.
Google no longer deactivates Glass if you sell it, but it's still against the TOS
Perhaps Google realized that deactivating Glass if Explorers sell or give it away is a tad draconian and as a result, has recently changed its policy. While it's still against Mountain View's terms of service to sell off its futuristic eyewear, the amended Glass FAQ reveals that the company doesn't plan on "disabling any Explorer's device" anymore. However, since owners aren't explicitly allowed to sell, you likely won't find one listed on eBay, and chances are any attempt will be pulled down in a jiffy. Of course, if you can't find a second-hand unit and don't have a Glass-owning pal, guess what? You can always purchase an invite on Craigslist -- just keep your scam radar set to high.
Google Glass developers will get their first crack at its SDK later this month
Developers seeking to create apps for Google's Glass headset have had limited options so far, but the company will break things wide open during a two-day hackathon -- like the ones held earlier this year to show off its Mirror API -- starting on the 19th. An invite sent out today describes a San Francisco event where a group of developers can test out the Glassware Development Kit. Until now, devs have been able to practice on the regular Android SDK, but after the GDK arrives they'll be properly equipped to build apps that work offline and have direct access to the hardware. All this comes just as the Glass program opens up to wider audiences, but we'll have to wait couple of more weeks to find out what else is in store. Can't make it to SF? No worries -- the invite promises "the announcement" will be recorded after the event, while office hours will also be available in NYC and LA next month.
Google expands Glass sales but still wants a one-to-one chat with every buyer
Gone are the days when you needed to visit a Google office in person to pick up a pair of Explorer Edition spectacles. Following the recent expansion of the wearable project, which allowed existing owners to invite up to three friends or relatives to take that $1,500 step into the future, it's been possible for new customers to have their glasses shipped to them, just like any commercial product. What hasn't changed, however, is Google's desire to influence these users' first impressions of the device by giving them a highly personalized introduction. Soon after Phil Nickinson of Android Central received his invite-only Google Glass, he got a phone call asking him to join a personal 45-minute Hangout to take him through the "entire setup process" and tell him "about the history of Glass along the way." These calls are a sensible move on Google's part, no doubt, and likely very helpful to new owners, but they also suggest that Glass may still be a little too complicated to ship with nothing but a Getting Started PDF and a legal disclaimer.
Google's mysterious San Francisco barge may host a modular showroom (video)
For roughly a week, San Franciscans have been speculating about a mysterious, Google-owned barge moored off Treasure Island. Is it a secret lab? A parking lot for autonomous cars? According to sources speaking to local TV station KPIX 5, the truth is slightly less exciting -- if still very strange. The containers onboard the ship are reportedly for a modular Google X showroom with a party deck for VIPs on top. The company could reassemble its venue anywhere in the world, letting it pitch technologies like Google Glass without having to rent a building... or find solid ground, for that matter. Just don't expect to pay a visit any time soon. The tipsters claim that the project is on hold for various reasons, including a need to comply with naval regulations. Google isn't commenting on the barge's true purpose; however, you're more than welcome to present alternative theories in the comments.
Google now selling Glass accessories to Explorer Edition owners
There isn't exactly a huge market for Google Glass accessories when there are several thousand wearers, but you've got to start somewhere, right? Accordingly, Google has begun selling peripherals to Explorer Edition owners. Only one item, a $75 clear visor for the Glass redesign, is in stock; an earbud, a charger and a carrying pouch (all $50) are unavailable. It's slim pickings for early adopters, then, but there's a good chance that the accessory catalog will expand as Google moves closer to a full market launch. [Thanks, Nick] Alexis Santos contributed to this report.
Driving with Google Glass could earn you a ticket
California is technology's spiritual home in the US, where Teslas roam free, and Google Glass is already a social norm. Well, unless you're a member of the San Diego law enforcement that is -- as one unlucky driver just found out. That commuter was Cecilia Abadie, and she's (rather fittingly) taken to Google+ after being given a ticket for driving while wearing her (soon to be upgraded) Explorer Edition. The official charge is "Driving with Monitor visible to Driver (Google Glass)" meaning even CHiPS know full well what's the latest word in wearable tech. Abadie posted the message in the hope that someone with local smarts might be able to clarify the legal merit of the ticket. We're staying out of it, but if you know your California state laws, then jump on the source and get in the mix. In the meantime, at least our protagonist still has the tools to complete her commute. [Thanks Matt]
Google Glass redesign gets pictured, plays nice with a mono earbud
Just yesterday, Google revealed that Glass Explorers will soon be able to to swap out their current hardware for a new version, which will work with future shades and prescription frames. Although Page and Co. didn't divulge just what the next iteration of its wearable will look like, it's only taken a day for them to show us the new kit. The most -- and potentially only -- visible change is the addition of a mono earbud sporting the Glass logo, which appears to connect via the device's micro-USB port. Mountain View's kept mum on what other revisions it's made, but with the hardware scheduled to arrive in the hands of beta testers shortly, more details can't be far off.
Google will soon let Glass users upgrade their hardware and invite their friends to buy one (updated)
Well, that was quick. Shortly after a Financial Times report to the effect, Google has confirmed that it is indeed preparing an invite system that will let current Glass owners invite up to three friends to join its Explorer program and buy a device of their own. The company isn't saying exactly when they'll be able to do so just yet, but is promising a rollout "over the next few weeks." What's more, Google's also announced a one-time hardware exchange for existing Glass users, which will let them swap out their eyewear for an upgraded version. There's no word on any potential improvements to battery life or other specs just yet, but Google says the new version will work with "future lines of shades and prescription frames," and also come equipped with a mono earbud. Glass users can expect to receive an email sometime next month with further details on the exchange process. Update: It looks like Mountain View is beginning to open up the invitation floodgates as one of our editors in the Explorer program just received an email to invite friends. Head past the break for the missive.
