Specification that is revealed
- 5 Megapixel Camera with video recording at 720p
- 16GB internal storage, although only 12GB is actually usable
- Wireless connectivity at 802.11b/g
- Dual core OMAP 4430 processor that has 682MB Ram on-board – Speed not known at the moment
- Display that is similar to that of an HDTV of 25” being viewed from 8 ft. away
- Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
- Possibility of 1 GB RAM
Darin Carter, Chief Technology Officer for bmi Elite, a Boca Raton online digital marketing ad agency, puts on the Google Glass he is beta testing.
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In a world where Tweets fly and data streams, how much more in-your-face can today's real-time technology get?
A lot more, if you're South Florida Google Glass beta-wearer Darin Carter.
Two weeks ago, as part of a large team testing Google's latest high-tech product, Carter began wearing a pair of "eyeglasses" that appear normal — except for the thickened right side of the frame that boasts a wraparound personal mini-multimedia center.
With a mere glance toward the dime-sized prism cube perched just beyond the top right corner of his glass frame, Carter is immediately alerted to new emails and social media notifications. He can read websites and view maps, pictures or video.
The viewing cube, or screen — which does not project images on walls or larger spaces for other people to see — is close only in proximity. From Carter's perspective, the overall display less than an inch from the lenses is not intrusive to his field of vision. In fact, anything he views displays the same as watching a 25-inch monitor from 8 feet away.
The words and pictures he views "online'' are clear and crisp, but sometimes not all the words fit on the page.
Maneuvering through the words is easy. Liken the right arm of the glasses frame to that of a finger pad on a laptop or a touch screen on a smart phone.
With the tip of a finger, Carter taps the frame to activate the screen. He taps the frame again to open an article and for the option of either reading or listening to the article being read. He slides a finger forward along the temple rim to page forward, slides his finger up or down along the same part of the frame to scroll.
By voice command, he can make a phone call or turn on the camera and take a photo or make a video.
To those facing Carter while he is wearing the device, that momentary brightness isn't a twinkle in his eye, it's a notification. A closer look and the observer can view a tiny screen image in reverse.
The device is still lightweight, despite being outfitted with a camera, the prism cube, a mini computer, battery and a hearing pad nestled on the tip of the temple arm.
Carter is one of several thousand people donning a pair of the specs as a member of Google's Glass Explorer program. The beta-testers will provide feedback to Google before the product is available to the general public. A target launch date is the end of the year, or early in 2014.
He will evaluate everything from fashion and design to utility and function that will help shape future incarnations of the device.
Not yet available in prescription, the glasses feature two removable sets of lenses — clear and tinted, for outdoor use.
Still, why would consumers want to view media so upfront and personal?
"Convenience," said Carter, chief technology officer at BMI Elite Marketing, in Boca Raton.
Used in conjunction with his phone's Bluetooth technology, Carter can perform a variety of functions once confined to a computer or mobile device such as accessing a weather forecast, taking a photo, making a video and interacting on the Internet.
"It's a game-changer, for the simple fact that it's here," said Carter who was chosen from a lottery of individuals who used Twitter to express interest in testing out the product.
The conversations are just beginning.
As Carter goes about his day, people stop to ask questions. Colleagues at work are curious.
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