Google Glass

Google released a video demonstrating the function of their new wearable computing technology.  To me, it looks like a pair of glasses with an Apple mouse attached to the side and a little screen in front of one eye.  I don’t see much purpose if you have to have one hand always by the glasses to make it work.

I don’t want to be that guy that points out flaws in rising technologies, but people seem to be so enthralled with the idea of Google glass that they miss out on some major issues.

Battery life.  In most smartphones, the battery is the largest component.  With more and more power required to be connected to the internet, stream videos, and take pictures, battery life is remaining a priority in smartphone manufacturing.  Google glass simply doesn’t have much space to work with.  The goal of keeping the glasses lightweight, comfortable, and stylish directly opposes the need for a long battery life.

What about the people who already wear glasses?  Could you feasibly make prescription Google glasses?  What if it’s sunny while I’m driving, I need to wear sunglasses, but Google glass is my GPS and I need it to reach my destination?  It sounds like a whiny first world problem, but trust me – someone is going to be stuck in this position at some point.

And finally, with the voice-activated commands they have demonstrated in the past, what is there to stop people’s commands from interfering with each other?  If I’m standing by some scenic outlook in a popular tourist area with my Google glass, and the man next to me says, “Google glass, take a picture,” will my Google glass take a picture as well?  What if I happen to be looking at some random person when he says “Send picture to mom,” and it sends that picture to my mother as well?  How would my mother react?  Even worse, you could intentionally mess with people who have Google glass.  Find a crowded area with lots of people using them, and yell out “Google glass, play Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up!”  Instant rick-roll of hundreds of people.  Google seriously needs to reconsider their moral obligations to the public when they may be the cause of so many rick-rolls.