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Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

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Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#91

Post by throwaway2016a »

falcolas wrote: post #90
throwaway2016a wrote: post #16

I'll have to dust off my glasses and install this. I never got the hang of it because the screen is about 1/2 cm too high for me so I have to uncomfortably force my eye to look straight up. No matter how I tried to position it on my head I always had that issue... There was also the whole thing about people thinking you're an ass for wearing one. And they are very rare in New Hampshire where I am so they stick out li…

If it's too high, try widening the nose pads a bit. That's what usually sets the height of glasses on your face.

> If it's too high, try widening the nose pads a bit. That's what usually sets the height of glasses on your face.

Thank you for the advice.

Trust me, I have. Many times and many ways. It helps (a lot) but it is still too high. What does fix it is raising the arms it up so they aren't directly on my ears. But there is no way to keep it in that position.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#92

Post by Retric »

hammock wrote: post #86
skinnymuch wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A specially made hand held device could do it too, but it would still be a problem because you're using hands.

Could put it on your wrist, like QBs have. A fragile device on your head, over your eyes, still doesn't seem like the best solution.

Most safety equipment is designed for glasses and also works with google glass. Further, you want nothing strapped to you when dealing with heavy machinery not even a watch which means you would need to keep it in a pocket and use your hands to manipulate it.

PS: Even rings have cost many people their fingers.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#93

Post by [deleted] »

hammock wrote: post #86
skinnymuch wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A specially made hand held device could do it too, but it would still be a problem because you're using hands.

Could put it on your wrist, like QBs have. A fragile device on your head, over your eyes, still doesn't seem like the best solution.

[deleted]

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#94

Post by falcolas »

throwaway2016a wrote: post #91
falcolas wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's too high, try widening the nose pads a bit. That's what usually sets the height of glasses on your face.

> If it's too high, try widening the nose pads a bit. That's what usually sets the height of glasses on your face. Thank you for the advice. Trust me, I have. Many times and many ways. It helps (a lot) but it is still too high. What does fix it is raising the arms it up so they aren't directly on my ears. But there is no way to keep it in that position.

Odd. The screen must be a noticeable bit in front of the nosepads then, to use them as a pivot that lowers the screen.

Can't wear them further down your nose (re-bending the ear hooks if necessary)?

I realize you've probably tried it (sorry!), so feel free to ignore my suggestions, but it's triggered one of those "there must be a solution!" quirks I have.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#95

Post by puzzle »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #73
javindo wrote: post #60

Does anyone else get the impression that this might have just been an intern project* or similar? Seems very odd for a seemingly minor iterative update to pop up out of nowhere after such a long time otherwise. * The update, not Google Glass itself

I actually commented in the previous discussion about this update. (This post is technically a dupe.) But my assumption is that someone at Google still uses their Explorer Edition, and fixed some pet peeves of their own to support newer Android phones better, maybe they added the keyboard input because they needed it, etc. And then just decided to go ahead and get it released to everyone because the work was already…

At Google you just don't get something released to the public, let alone to people that paid for a device which an update could brick, on a whim. Even if someone outside the Glass team did all the code changes, they would need someone on the inside with enough permissions to actually sign and push out the OTA images.

I suspect this is a backport of work that was done to support the new Glass for Work program.

(I used to work at Google, on teams other than Glass, although I know former members.)

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#96

Post by knorker »

k__ wrote: post #59

I think what kept Glass from going through the roof was the camera. The whole thing would probably be awesome in its own with just display, GPS and compass. Many people feared for their privacy and the people using the Glass were considered douches because of this issue.

But everyone is fine with snap's spectacles.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#97

Post by ocdtrekkie »

puzzle wrote: post #95
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually commented in the previous discussion about this update. (This post is technically a dupe.) But my assumption is that someone at Google still uses their Explorer Edition, and fixed some pet peeves of their own to support newer Android phones better, maybe they added the keyboard input because they needed it, etc. And then just decided to go ahead and get it released to everyone because the work was already…

At Google you just don't get something released to the public, let alone to people that paid for a device which an update could brick, on a whim. Even if someone outside the Glass team did all the code changes, they would need someone on the inside with enough permissions to actually sign and push out the OTA images. I suspect this is a backport of work that was done to support the new Glass for Work program. (I used…

My comment perhaps could've clarified that there was likely some bureaucracy involved in release. I wouldn't even be surprised if my hypothetical Explorer Edition user was a member of the original (or current) Glass team. But likely that it was more of a 20% thing than their job.

But I am dubious this has to do with Glass for Work, because Enterprise Edition has been out a long time, and surely has had updates long before now. It's unlikely that Enterprise Edition is still built on the archaic platform Explorer Edition is built on (Android 4.x on an OMAP processor that was already old when Glass was first released). And there is little to no reason I can fathom for Google to expend Glass for Work resources on backporting fixes to a device that's been abandoned for over three years.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#98

Post by jimrandomh »

A bit of historical context. Glass unofficially supported Bluetooth keyboards up to version XE11 (that is, November 2013). Version XE12 contained one major bug which, while it didn't break keyboards themselves, did break most of the non-Glass Android apps you'd want to use a keyboard to control. Version XE16 was a four-month rewrite, which replaced the Bluetooth stack with one that couldn't handle keyboards (and bricked a lot of devices and broke a lot of other things.) At that point something went very very wrong with Google's internal politics, and despite there being both internal and external demand, work to repair keyboard support was blocked in favor of fixing crash-bugs. Combined with Glass being closed-source, an overly-aggressive auto-updater that made it hard to stay on XE11 or XE12, increased memory usage that exceeded what the existing units had, and poor communications from Google, this caused the Glass community to turn on Google and become hostile.

Three years later, version XE23 adds support for Bluetooth keyboards, and makes it more official (so you don't need an awkward procedure involving sideloading parts of cell-phone Android).

So I interpret this a sort of three-years-later apology. For which, thank you, it's overdue but is a nice gesture. Source code would also be nice, as would a public post-mortem of what the whole mess looked like from Google's end.

Re: Google Glass is still around and just got its first update in nearly three years

#100

Post by 8note »

dsl wrote: post #18

If anyone from the Glass team happens to read this: A very good friend of mine has an uncorrectable problem that basically gives him double vision all the time. I got Glass for him as a gift, and it changed his life. Emails, text messages, directions, all over a single eye so it was clear. Thanks for pushing a much needed update so he can start using them again.

I've got that problem; it's correctable either with prim glasses, or with surgery to tighten up some of the muscles that control your eyes

You can also do some practice with 3d pictures to build up better control. I made a thing for that that uses red/cyan 3d glasses. http://web.uvic.ca/~jhedin/Other%20Work/tranaglyphs/

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