Google Glass was only available
in the US until recently, but it can now be bought in the UK via the Glass
Explorer Program for £1,000. Unlike the earliest version of the product, you can now choose from a
variety of frames, all of which can take prescription lenses or plain glass.
Previously, if you wanted prescription lenses, you would have needed to buy
contact lenses, because there was no way of wearing Glass in conjunction with
normal eyewear. As such, the new frames mark a significant step forward, both
in terms of practicality and comfort, and we think they look
better, too.
Wearing Glass for the first time
nonetheless feels slightly odd, because you need to look upwards
to see the device’s small transparent screen. Although its 640 x 320 resolution sounds far from
impressive compared to the displays of today’s smartphones and tablets, the
screen’s much smaller size means that it actually has a very high pixel density
and produces sharp, detailed images.
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You can control Glass either using
your voice or the touchpad on its side, and we were largly impressed with the
voice control when we used it in conjunction with the device’s Navigation app. The control pad responds to directional swipes and
a single tap to select, and although we found this a little tricky to begin
with, it quite quickly became second nature.
All the apps on Glass have been
specially written for it in order to make effective use of its screen and
controls. and perhaps the most impressive of them all is the Navigation app.
Google Maps has been cleverly formatted for the small screen and thanks to the device’s built-in
GPS accelerometer compass and gyroscope, it’s very easy to
confirm which direction
you are facing by simply moving your head and watching the
maps rotate. The app gives you walking, cycling or driving directions, but you
are almost certain to be banned from driving and wearing Google Glass
in the UK. The Department of Transport has made its feelings against the
potential risks well known.
Glass also has a handy auto
translation tool called Word Lens that uses the device’s camera to translate
whatever’s in front of you. We can see this being particularly handy when
trying to read a menu or a sign abroad. Since Glass runs Android 4.4.2, it lets
you do most of the things you’d normally expect to be able to do
on Android device including reading or sending emails and
receiving event notifications. You can also use Glass’ voice control to take a
photo or shoot video at any time, but its 5-megapixel sensor and
720p video resolution are somewhat mediocre compared to today’s top-end
smartphones.
One major shortcoming of Google
Glass is that, despite being well connected via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB,
it does not have a data connection of its own. Therefore, to make effective use
of its best features when you're out and about, you need to tether it to your
smartphone. meaning that you’ll be eating into the battery life of
both devices.
Since Glass is still in beta and
does not have very many apps, we think it’s worth waiting for its price to come
down before buying. It’s undoubtedly an exciting product, but debates
surrounding the privacy implications of wearing a camera on your face remain
rife, and Android Wear (www.android.com/wear) is capable of doing many of the
same things as Glass for a fraction of the price.
