Hello, Glass

On Friday, I got Glass, which is pretty cool so far.

I got to “bring a guest,” so Andrew and I went over to the Glass studio in Chelsea Market after work. I had been there before for a workshop on designing Glassware (or, as I prefer to call them, Glapplications), so I knew that when they asked, “Would you like anything to drink?” they weren’t just offering soda: the Glass Studio has a full wine bar available. Andrew and I got glasses of red wine and settled in.

When I got the glasses, the guy was like, “Are they lighter than you imagined?” which seemed like a required question. However, they weren’t, they were like sunglasses with a chunky earpiece.

The guy showed me how you say, “Ok glass, take a picture” and I turned to take a picture of Andrew but didn’t quite make it before I think I blinked and it took this:

Which I’m pretty delighted about, because it’s one of the best pictures I’ve ever taken, light-and-focus-wise. So, it’s got a pretty good camera and, unsurprisingly, the less involvement I have with it, the better the picture comes out.

Other cool things:

• I hate talking on the phone, and this makes it easier (don’t have to hold anything to my ear, just tap the glasses to answer the phone).
• Directions on them seem super useful. Again, way better than phone.
• You can screencast whatever you’re doing with Glass super easily, which seems like it might have cool possibilities.

Interestingly, my hair got in the way a lot when I was swiping: I guess whoever designed the UI didn’t have long hair. Also, I find that its dependence on voice interaction is kind of annoying. I don’t really like talking, period, and I feel like a moron talking to my glasses. The last downside I’ve noticed so far is that the battery doesn’t seem to last very long. I wish they had put a second battery in the other side, so that the glasses were at least symmetrical.

So far, my verdict is: seems like an awesome tool. 7 out of 10, with points deducted for looking nerdy.