General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGoogle Glass Is Already This Broken
Last edited Thu May 2, 2013, 11:25 AM - Edit history (1)
Terrible Battery Life
The company line is that the set will last a full day without a charge. But, with normal face-computer use, such as checking emails, taking some pictures, and recording short video, the "poor" battery life lasted five hours, before it "unceremoniously shut itself down," says Engadget's Tim Stevens. Not that a lot of people are going to want to walk around for more than five hours with a computer on their heads, but still: Google promised a full day of wearability, and with heavier use, other users saw way worse results. One six-minute video drained 20 percent of the battery for Glass enthusiast (and nudist) Robert Scoble. Another Glass reviewer said that a 30-minute video will suck the entire set dry.
Huge Security Flaws
One hacker has discovered an exploit that would allow anyone to take over Google Glass, which is about as scary as it sounds: It's like someone gaining access to your phone or computer, but even worse because they can see everything you do. The hacker, Jay Freeman (who goes by the name saurik), has a long technical explanation on his blog, but basically the upshot is as follows: "This means that if you leave your device in someone else's hands, and it has an unlocked bootloader, with just a minute alone they can access anything you have stored on it."
In addition, Google Glass doesn't have any PIN lock, like smartphones, which as Engadget's Stevens points out, makes the new gadget particularly vulnerable. "There's no way of setting any kind of protection on the thing itself, meaning if you should set it on your desk and walk away, anybody can pick it up, put it on and start sending uncouth emails and pictures to your contacts," Stevens writes.
Awkward Fit
Stevens said it took him a while to get Google's high-tech frames to sit well on his face. Shana Lynch, the managing editor of Silicon Valley Business Journal, said her pair only felt comfortable after Google specially fixed it to her face. Of course, not everyone will have that luxury never mind the people who have to fit them over prescription glasses. Google has said that it will have a real-glasses compatible version of Glass, but for now the gadget will awkwardly sit itself over prescription glasses, taking that awkward 3D movie experience out in the open. "Depending on the size and shape of those glasses, the eyepiece may be partially blocked by the frame," Stevens writes. "After letting dozens of people briefly try these on, a few with eyesight difficulties were simply unable to focus on the display at all."
There is another design feature that Google may not have thought all the way through. The titanium band doesn't fold up, so Google Glass is more or less impossible to store. You can't fold it into your shirt, like a pair of sunglasses, or comfortably slip it in your purse.
So-So Display
From Stevens: "Colors, too, aren't exactly consistent and the whole thing similarly lacks the accuracy of a modern LCD or OLED panel. It almost has the look of an old-school, passive-matrix LCD, with its occasionally murky hues." But he is the only reviewer we could find on an extensive search these past few days who had this gripe.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/05/google-glasss-flaws/64760/
unblock
(52,163 posts)i'm not overly stoked about the e-glass concept compared to other things on the horizon, but i'm not going to write it off completely just because the initial version has problems.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Sorry, there's just no way anyone can pull that look off.
Put Justin Timberlake in those things, and people would stop, stare, and say "what a dork."
dawg
(10,622 posts)he brought sexy back!
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)People still wear them though...
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)This is worse though. At least you don't need to worry about the dude with the ear piece videotaping you.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Privacy issues would be a problem.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)dawg
(10,622 posts)Of course, that would only make sense as an add-on to a smart phone, but I can see how it would be useful without necessarily being a fashion nightmare or inducing me to walk into traffic.
randome
(34,845 posts)Last edited Thu May 2, 2013, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)
Branded by Apple as iArms!
Shivering Jemmy
(900 posts)Normal people will never use it.
I mean "browsers" look like this:
Unusable technology that internet.
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)Seriously, it is amazing that you are allowed to shill and troll like you do.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)FSogol
(45,464 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)It's only got two forward gears!
The wheels are made of wood!
It's only got about 20 HP!
madville
(7,408 posts)My IPhone4 battery can drain easily in a couple of hours or less with steady use and they are complaining about 5 hours?
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)And will probably be wildly popular.
Julie
sibelian
(7,804 posts)somehow they have this beautiful knack for coming up with fantastic ideas that are also terrible ideas.
I actually feel sorry for them. Imagine having all that technical expertise and creativity and constantly producing weirdly imaginative flops.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Must be pretty demoralizing, considering how many ultimately leave.
cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)covert pictures and video?? I admit, I'm not a tech guy, I still have an old flip phone that only does calls and texts (reluctantly), but I prefer to read things bigger and see images larger and full of color and stuff, not on a tiny little screen like this.