What is Google Glass?

What is Google Glass?

Google Glass is the name for a type of wearable computer created by the Google's Project Glass. These futuristic glasses provide augmented reality for users by visually connecting them to an Android-run heads up display that offers many of the features of an Android spmartphone and connects users to many of Google's key cloud features, such as maps, calendar, Gmail, Google+ and Google Places.

In April 2012, Project Glass launched a Google+ page and revealed that Google researchers were testing the technology and hoped to have it on the market in the near future. Google expects the technology to cost about as a much as a smartphone.

Google Glass provide an experience known as augmented reality, where images are superimposed over what the user sees in real life. With Google Glass, these images are generally icons that provide directions, alert users to messages from contacts or give weather updates.

Although this technology's potential has been praised as a futuristic way to deliver hands-free computing, critics have pointed out its ability to distract walkers or drivers and questioned its utility for those who already wear corrective eyeglasses.

Google glasses are sometimes called Google goggles, although is is inaccurate because Google Goggles is actually a separate Google project that uses images - rather than text or voice commands to conduct a search.

How do they work? 

First, let's talk about the contraption that's been drawing all that attention. The glasses, as you can clearly see, are not like your typical spectacles. Inside the right arm are the parts of a smartphone-- a processor, 16GB of storage, a Bluetooth radio, a small battery and more.

On the front, you have that star of the show -- a small little glass square. That's the screen, and when you put the glasses on you can adjust them so that it sits slightly above the top of your right eye. If worn right it really doesn't obscure your line of vision. No, I haven't been walking into walls. In fact, when I picked up my Glass, a Google employee (or Glass Guide) fit me for them and showed me how to slightly glance up to see the screen. You can also adjust or swivel that screen when you have it on to bring it closer in or out from your eye (If you're a leftie and wondering why everything is on the right side, it's a good question. Google doesn't have plans at the moment to make a left-sided pair; it says most people are right-eye dominant).

The glasses pair with your phone to get connectivity. There is iPhone support now for some functions, but Android support is much deeper. Using the Android MyGlass app you can configure the connection and even use a Screencast feature, which mirrors the Glass display on the phone. (An iPhone app is coming, though Google wouldn't give me a firm timeframe on when.) You pair them with your phone via Bluetooth and if you have Bluetooth tethering you can use your phone's 3G or 4G connection. If you don't, you can connect both the Glass and the phone to WiFi. Without connectivity, you can still take photos and video, though.

To the right of that glass box is a 5-megapixel camera. There's a button on the top of the glasses for taking photos, but the easiest way to control that camera is with your voice.

How do you control them? 

And your voice is one of the two modes of controlling Glass. You can navigate the screen either through voice commands or by using the trackpad on the right arm of the glass. That entire arm is touch-sensitive: sliding your finger on it allows you to move through the Glass interface and tapping once on it lets you make selections.

You also have two choices of how you can wake up the glasses: Tap on that arm, or tilt your head back. Tipping your head back looks incredibly awkward but it's one of the easiest ways to get the glasses' attention. Similarly, it looks very odd when you talk to the glasses or yourself, but it is one of the easiest ways to get to some of the basic functions. All you have to do is say aloud, "O.K., Glass, take a picture" and the glasses will snap a photo. "O.K., Glass, Google ABC News" and you'll get some basic news results on the screen.