Google Glass Tech Specs and My Thoughts

It’s been a little over a week since I travel to NYC to pick up my Google Glass. I have been able to experience them at home, on campus, at a conference in Vegas (#BbWorld13), and at Disney World. A lot of people are just wondering about the basic specs on these specks. Here are all the basic specs and some of my thoughts on them after only a week of using Glass.

Fit

Adjustable nosepads and durable frame fits any face.
Extra nosepads in two sizes.

They are light and feel pretty comfortable when wearing for a few hours at a time. Feels almost like wearing a pair of glasses. Right now, if you are a prescription glasses wearer, you might want to think about getting contacts before getting Google Glass.

Google has been rumored to be working with Warby Parker on development of a more stylist look of Glass, including prescription lens.

Display

High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away.

I think the display can be one of the most amazing features of Google Glass. Imagine a transparent screen right in front of your face. Easily at a glance the ability to see photos, tweets, and email; all while still seeing in front of you. I find looking through Glass to be much less distracting, compared to staring at a smartphone.

The display, for the majority, keeps out of your regular line of sight open. Thus, creating individual who is more engage with the world around them. I believe Google isn’t out to replace the smartphone but to create a new device that might keep the smartphone in your pocket much more.

Camera

Photos – 5 MP
Videos – 720p

I think overall the pictures and video from Google Glass are pretty decent, especially how small the device is compared to most others. I think photos in well lite area come out very well. Get into any kind of darkness and you will be getting photos similar to the original iPhone. I won’t be surprised if Google upgrade the camera in for consumers because 5MP seems a little out of date.

Example of a photo in well lite area:

Example of a photo in a dark area:

Example video from Mad Tea Party ride at Disney World:

Audio

Bone Conduction Transducer

This is a really neat feature compared to having a bluetooth or headset in your ear all day. It can be a little hard to hear in louder environments but you can easily plug your ears to hear even better. It will be interesting to see what other types of technology start to use bone conduction instead of a traditional ear piece.

Connectivity

Wifi – 802.11b/g
Bluetooth

I think both the bluetooth and Wifi feature work well in most environments. It’s simple to setup an open wifi network directly on the Google Glass settings by just searching for the network. For a Wifi network requiring a password it can be setup in the MyGlass website or app. The MyGlass app is currently only for Android users but I was able to access the mobile site to setup a Wifi network on my iPhone. Once you enter the network name and password, it creates a QR Code for you to scan.

Bluetooth can be setup for both pairing with iPhone and Android. During this process it’s best to have your phone plan with tethering for data connection, when Wifi isn’t available.

Storage

12 GB of usable memory, synced with Google cloud storage. 16 GB Flash total.

I haven’t had to start deleting photos and videos off Google Glass yet but I’m sure it will be coming in the future. I do enjoy the auto backups to Google+ under private for sharing at a later time. It’s pretty amazing how small storage has become and I can expect various sizes to be introduced in consumer versions of Glass.

Battery

One full day of typical use. Some features, like video calls and video recording, are more battery intensive.

I haven’t found the battery life to be impressive. This might continue to improve as new software releases make improvements, while the Google Glass is ideal. I found that with normal use of video, picture, internet connection, and other functions Glass seems to have about 4-6 hours of battery life. This will definitely have to improve to hit the consumer market, where people expect a tech gadget to last a full day. This is especially important to wearable technology.

Charger

Included Micro USB cable and charger.

While there are thousands of Micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind. It’s recommended to use it and preserve long and prosperous Glass use.

Compatibility

Any Bluetooth-capable phone.
The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher. MyGlass enables GPS and SMS messaging.

I’m looking forward to seeing an iPhone MyGlass app in the near future. I don’t see Google Glass going to market without a connect to iOS devices.

Wondering how my journey got started?