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Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

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Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#41

Post by matznerd »

Pxtl wrote: post #33
ctdonath wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We had the same complaints about cell phones, especially with handsfree headsets. It was simply too creepy to have people walking around with a small box mushed against their ear ... or worse, just walking along chattering into the air with nobody around. Well, we still have the same complaints, we just find it so useful we've accepted the "cell phone zombification" of society. HUDs will be the same, and like Bluetoo…

Better example would be Walkmen. Nobody blinks at the sight of somebody with earbuds on.

But is it not awkward to try and have a conversation with someone wearing headphones, even if they are off?

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#43

Post by Pxtl »

roc wrote: post #40
Pxtl wrote: post #36

Just HUD information about local businesses - Yelp ratings, menus, upcoming events, news, etc. I want to look around a bustling city street and drink from the fire-hose of information of everything The Internet knows about this area.

Which is useful the first few times someone is in a new area. Which doesn't describe enough people often enough to normalize wearing a computer on your face. Particularly when we all have pocket computers which can do much the same thing, without the extra expense, social stigma or the assumption that a person is physically located in the area being browsed. (Sure, you could use google glass to peruse yelp reviews fo…

Thinking of a more consumer-application-world of "can't type, hands busy": Joggers and cyclists.

Also, the Glass API could easily be reused in a car - keep the software, but use a windshield-mounted GPS-style screen/camera instead of the hardware.

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#44

Post by roc »

Pxtl wrote: post #33
ctdonath wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We had the same complaints about cell phones, especially with handsfree headsets. It was simply too creepy to have people walking around with a small box mushed against their ear ... or worse, just walking along chattering into the air with nobody around. Well, we still have the same complaints, we just find it so useful we've accepted the "cell phone zombification" of society. HUDs will be the same, and like Bluetoo…

Better example would be Walkmen. Nobody blinks at the sight of somebody with earbuds on.

Earbuds, no. But wearing glass is much more visible -- more of an asserted statement. It's currently more like wearing over-ear headphones in public. Which is done by only a vanishing minority.

As glass becomes smaller, I'd imagine the pushback will abate. But until it seamlessly disappears into frames, people are going to react poorly to what is being perceived as a clearly-worn borderline-spy-camera. [1]

[1] Spy camera in the sense that there isn't much of a physical cue that someone's taking a picture or not. The light is hardly as visible as holding a camera or phone up to your face.

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#45

Post by roc »

Pxtl wrote: post #43
roc wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is useful the first few times someone is in a new area. Which doesn't describe enough people often enough to normalize wearing a computer on your face. Particularly when we all have pocket computers which can do much the same thing, without the extra expense, social stigma or the assumption that a person is physically located in the area being browsed. (Sure, you could use google glass to peruse yelp reviews fo…

Thinking of a more consumer-application-world of "can't type, hands busy": Joggers and cyclists. Also, the Glass API could easily be reused in a car - keep the software, but use a windshield-mounted GPS-style screen/camera instead of the hardware.

Again, how many joggers or cyclists are interested in spot-data during a run?

EDIT: to clarify: it's not just "hands busy, can't type". It's "hands busy, can't type, but would benefit from concurrent computing enough to justify the cost of a dedicated face-computer"

And in-car HUDs have been available for years and people don't seem to care. Putting GPS instructions up there might get more attention [1], but at the point that Glass is merely beaming data to a remote display, it loses any advantages of its form factor.

The API could be re-used but good luck getting car manufacturers to decide on a standard for such things, let alone a standard from an outside party.

[1] though suffering from the same problem of "browsing a street full of business": how often do most people really need GPS, that marginally-improved GPS access is worth a non-trivial cost?

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#46

Post by malux85 »

It doesn't need 1 "killer app" it needs a bunch of small modular apps, that take away all of my annoyances. If I had a google glass I would write all of these myself. I wish I could get one. If anyone is reading, I'll swap you a kidney for one (haha I'm not kidding)

I have a reminder system that I would like to extend and make public, maybe I could integrate it with google glass.

When I am leaving my house, at 8:15am, it throws up the outside weather and any train delays. If it's raining or cold it suggests I grab the umbrella.

While I'm talking to the station, it quickly lists my todo items for the day, so I can muse on them.

Then onto interesting news articles and summaries (I use a trained nltk "filtering" system to decide what I find interesting)

Glass needs to have several todo lists that I can talk to. I often think of ideas on the fly, I just wanna blurt them out with a voice command and have them on the list, dont want to reach for my phone and write it out.

when I meet someone at the hacker news meetups I wanna say "glass meet john" and it will take their photo and write their name. Later after hacker news meetup I can review the people again as a quick slideshow to help me remember their names.

I want a flashcard system, so that I can learn new things when I have some downtime. Waiting in the lift, I'll do 5 flashcards on organic chemistry I'm learning.

I want an opt-in proximity app, where I can say to it "Glass: next time I'm near John, remind me to tell him about the doohickey". When john is within meters of me, it will prompt me. Location sharing is opt-in and can be taken offline easily.

I want to be able to query it for basic knowledge (what's the speed of light?), nothing too complicated just a wolfram alpha API to start off with.

Edit: These are all productivity ideas, there needs to be some creative stuff in there too. I think the first one is a meditation app ... 20 mins spare on the train I'd like to meditate with music and scenes of nature. Maybe 3-4 different scene packs (forest, beach, etc)

Also a dribbble app -- I'm not a designer, but often seek inspiration from looking through the galleries of others ("When one's imagination cannot provide an answer, one must seek out a higher imagination") all of this can be done on the gallery app, and give me time to think ...

this can turn all of those downtime moments into either productivity or relaxation!

I'm sure I'd think of other things once I started using it!

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#47

Post by Pxtl »

roc wrote: post #45
Pxtl wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinking of a more consumer-application-world of "can't type, hands busy": Joggers and cyclists. Also, the Glass API could easily be reused in a car - keep the software, but use a windshield-mounted GPS-style screen/camera instead of the hardware.

Again, how many joggers or cyclists are interested in spot-data during a run? EDIT: to clarify: it's not just "hands busy, can't type". It's "hands busy, can't type, but would benefit from concurrent computing enough to justify the cost of a dedicated face-computer" And in-car HUDs have been available for years and people don't seem to care. Putting GPS instructions up there might get more attention [1], but at the p…

A voice-interface and heads-up GUI to normal existing jogger/cyclists audio information - location, velocity, music control, messages, etc. would be fine. But that's not a $1000 device featureset.

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#48

Post by dragonwriter »

panacea wrote: post #17
bad_user wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Given your tone, I do wonder whether this is something you observed or something that you wish to happen. Personally I find the applications for a HUD to be endless, given enough time and polish.

If a personal HUD was so great, why do they need to bundle an outfacing camera to the device at the same time? A personal HUD with sufficient utility might gain acceptance by people not wearing the device. Coupled to an eye mounted 'recording other people without their consent' device and Google's servers though? (And yes, my tone is indicative of a luddite stance in this particular instance)

The utility proposition of a HUD has always included data display relevant to what is in the field of vision; that's why HUDs are traditionally tied to sensor systems, whether its Glass and its camera or a jet fighter HUD and the targeting radar.

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#49

Post by BugBrother »

ctdonath wrote: post #30
BugBrother wrote: post #18

A killer application for selling to me: A chording keyboard and ssh (I use Emacs anyway). This needs a good battery and enough screen quality for readable 80+ character without headaches. Then I could go walking with a backpack filled with coffee and lunch... It might be hard to combine a readable screen with a not too high risk for getting my hit by cars. (Possibly two chording keyboards if they leave the hands usab…

Combine Glass with the Thalmic Myo https://www.thalmic.com/en/myo/ - an armband which detects muscle contractions, so you can just twiddle your fingers in the air (or make other hand/arm gestures) to type.

Hmm... sexy! I'd be happy to be able to buy a couple of Twiddler 3s, as areoevan mentioned, depending on ability to drink coffee without too much fiddling.

But the main problem I see is to follow a page or two of code/text at the same time as the external world. You probably would have to use "Steve Mann style" opaque glasses and projecting camera output on them, with intelligence for when more world interaction is needed.

(Sorry for being late, I was off for a language lesson.)

Re: Google Glass Still Needs a Killer App

#50

Post by petervandijck »

malux85 wrote: post #46

It doesn't need 1 "killer app" it needs a bunch of small modular apps, that take away all of my annoyances. If I had a google glass I would write all of these myself. I wish I could get one. If anyone is reading, I'll swap you a kidney for one (haha I'm not kidding) I have a reminder system that I would like to extend and make public, maybe I could integrate it with google glass. When I am leaving my house, at 8:15am…

most of that sounds like Google Now :)
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