Google's Glass Explorers offer input on futuristic mobile computing eyewear

Some people look through their glasses and peer into a world others cannot see.

You might notice them fidgeting with the frames. Or seemingly talking to themselves.

In reality, these people are speaking to their glasses, and they call by name: "Glass."

About 10,000 people nationwide -- including many in Greater Cleveland -- are testing Google Glass, an optical headset that brings the Internet and computer capabilities to your eyes.

The frames are equipped with a hidden camera and tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye, so wearers simply say voice commands by first saying, "OK, Glass," followed by a command. Or they can scroll through options using a finger along the side of the device.

Say "take a picture" and the device does it. Say "take a video," and you can record what you see hands-free. Want to send email? Say "Send message to .?.?."

Google Glass engineers tout the technology as a way to keep people connected to their email, online social networks and other information without having to frequently look at a smartphone. Privacy watchdogs, though, are worried that this revolutionary product will make it even more difficult for people to know when they are on camera.

For a product that's not even available to the masses yet, it's getting tons of attention -- from a Saturday Night Live sketch, to privacy concerns from the former secretary of Homeland Security and even to Apple's CEO downplaying its potential to be a mass-market item.

Is "Google Glass" a fad or is it the future? (Didn't a lot of people ask the same question about the Internet in its infancy?) The legions of testers, known as "Explorers," will help determine whether eyeglass-connected Internet becomes the next incarnation of smartphones -- or just an expensive toy.

People who were interested had to apply through Twitter or Google's Plus Hangout, explaining in writing or video how they planned to use the technology. Three weeks ago, the winners -- 2,000 developers and 8,000 regular folks -- traveled to New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco and plunked down $1,500 for their devices.

Google Glass is expected to be commercially available possibly in 2014. Here are the impressions of four local Explorers:

Mel McGee, 42, Lakewood

?McGee is CEO and director of technology at Sales Whale, an online marketing firm in Lakewood, and president of imageNation, a 16-year-old web development company.

A developer for 17 years, McGee got into wearable computing 12 years ago when she designed her own mobile computing device, a headset that also required a clunky computer in a small bag.

"I got into it because I was a programmer web developer in the mid "90"s who didn't like being stuck behind my desk during the Internet boom," she said. "I started thinking about why are we stuck to machines. That's the whole concept behind wearable computing."

McGee said she's one of several hundred developers who have access to Google's Mirror API, code that allows developers to begin creating applications. Her impression after a few weeks: It's a time-saving device meant strictly for social use right now. She sees the $1,500 as a business expense.

"It's a computer that's wearable and allows you to access additional information without excluding your current field of vision," McGee said. "It's pretty cool."

"It's like an amped-up cell phone, really, with a heads-up display," she said. "When you're looking through Glass, you have to look up a little bit and it does not impede your vision, which is a good thing. Even when you look up, you look through it."

With a background in computer science, psychology and anthropology, McGee said she is curious about the way people respond to her when she's wearing Google Glass.

"As a social scientist, I am intrigued," she said. "When I first picked them up in New York, a lot of people recognized them. A lot of smiling. Some people shied away from me though, thinking I was recording a video, so there are some privacy concerns."

Since she's been wearing them daily in Northeast Ohio, she has found a lot more people do not recognize Google Glass and tend to be uncomfortable.

"I've adapted. When people are clearly uneasy around me, I put them on my head like sunglasses so they know I'm not taping them," she said.

"Less people in Ohio recognize them," she said. "Kids seem to be much more positive. Most want to try them on and see what they are all about."

Similar to other local Google Glass Explorers, McGee believes that privacy concerns seem to be overblown.

"I think that people who have privacy concerns it's more about fear of the unknown and their voices seem to be louder."

Jeff Rohrs, 43, Lakewood

?Rohrs, vice president of Marketing Insights at ExactTarget of Indianapolis, works from his home office.

Rohrs impression after three weeks of using "Google Glass": He sees it as a pre-release product that's still rough around the edges. He knew he wanted the tangerine color, he said, because he didn't want people to think that he was crazy talking to himself while issuing commands.

"I don't want people thinking I'm a creeper, being stealth," Rohr said. "You've got a video camera on your face, for heaven's sake."

Still, he said, the first time he wore the glasses at a Fourth of July parade, he got so much attention that he felt more like a cyborg. More kids seem to be familiar with them than adults, he said, and many wanted to check them out.

"I'm kind of an unpaid product demonstrator for Google," he said."It's like a bluetooth headset on steroids. It's not a standalone device. The power of the device is that it's wearable and meant to be movable."

Even though Rohr said he gladly paid $1,500, he doesn't wear the glasses nearly as much as he thought he would. His take on what the product should cost when it's available to consumers: "I wouldn't pay anymore than $200 to $300, the price of a smartphone," he said.

He prefers to use his smartphone instead of Google Glass. Frustrations include having all of the people he follows on Twitter dumped into his eyeview, then trying to find a photo in the midst of all of the information. He doesn't like sending email messages, either. If you mess up a message, the only way to fix it is to delete it and start over, he said.

Right now, Glass is more about getting news stories and other information, rather than sending out information, he said. But even when he's getting information, he feels a little subconscious.

"Operating the device makes me feel like I'm constantly swiping my fingers on the side of my head or swatting some imaginary bees," he said.

"If this weren't for the purpose of my job and experimentation, I would return them," he said. "They have a lot of promise -- always connected to Internet -- but in terms of efficiency and functionality, about 99 percent of what you can do on Glass I would prefer to do it on a smartphone.

"My smartphone is like an appendage or part of my brain. Glass is like a hat, a nice-to-have, not a must-have," Rohrs said. "I'm excited about not what it is right now but what it could be in the future."

Sarita Graham, 35, University Heights

?Graham owns Atiras LLC, a 2-year-old search engine services firm.

Graham appears to be a "Google Glass" convert considering she wears the headgear several hours a day and so far has only one complaint. Phone calls are not generally clear.

"A lot of us have reported that to Google and they're working on a fix for that," she said. "It's a great feature, though, because you can see who's calling and answer calls without stopping what you're doing."

"A lot of people think I look weird," Graham said. "It may not look nice, but it makes my day go by easier."

She finds herself using the glasses primarily for email, text messages, online searches and the GPS feature.

"I love technology, and I wanted to part of an opportunity to make a new piece better," she said. "I can see a lot of industries making good use of this product, including law enforcement and the medical field."

Graham also thinks the glasses could be an asset in her field. "I can wear the glass and demonstrate to someone how to fix a computer problem live," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to explain things over the phone."

Matt Stevens, 29, Cleveland?

Stevens is manager of multimedia services at Thundertech, a digital marketing company in Midtown Cleveland that started looking into mobile marketing six years ago. He's also a triathlete interested in a variety of mobile technology.

Stevens' impression after using Google Glass in his work and personal life: He sees potential for the product, but since he primarily finds himself using it for the camera and video, he's not impressed with the battery life.

If you shoot videos continuously the battery is drained in less than an hour. And depending on your normal usage of seeking information, he estimates the battery probably lasts only about five hours before it has to be recharged.

"I actually applied personally, not associated with ThunderTech," Stevens said. "We brainstormed internally, and three of us entered the contest. Google picked two of us to be Explorers." As a triathlete for five years, Stevens said his video application to Google included his current use of fitness apps on his smartphone.

"I thought it would be cool to have real-time fitness data in front of my eyes -- current distance, heartbeat on a bike, your cadence -- how many times per minute you're peddling," he said.

Still, aside from early adopters like himself, Stevens questions whether people would actually use the glasses.

"It does look a little weird," he said. "I think the look of it might be a deterrent for some people. Hopefully they will eventually look a little more stylish."

"I still think it has potential, but I'm a little disappointed," he said. "Some of the times when I've needed it it let me down, like trying to get directions when I was in New York."

Stevens said he's glad his company made the investment in Google Glass so they can figure out how people, including clients, might use them.

"For me, being so connected it's a love-hate thing," Stevens said. "I can access information anytime I want, but at the same time it's good to disconnect and relax a little bit." ?

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/07/googles_glass_explorers_offer.html

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