So I’ve had Google Glass for a little over a month, and I have to say it’s better than I expected. I thought since the product is still in beta, there were going to be a lot of issues. So far, I haven’t seen any bugs. The learning curve is fairly small, as is seen by the people who try on my Glass with my limited explanation. I’ve had people approach me in the grocery store to ask me about it, and I’ve heard whispers as I’ve walked by. So far, the general public reaction is positive.
Pros:
- Convenience — being able to take a picture or check email without pulling out my phone is incredible. Walking around downtown New York and downtown Atlanta and being able to snap photos without a lot of pre-planning is great for snapshot-style photos
- Alerts — the only alerts I get are in my main personal Gmail account. It’s an unobtrusive “ding”, which lets me know I’ve got a new email. I can then choose if I want to check it on Glass, go to a computer or my phone, and what I want to do with it. There’s no disruption to my workflow, and no distraction to my activities.
- Picture quality – for being such a small camera, the photo and video quality is superb. It’s comparable to my iPhone.
Cons:
- Still difficult to hear – with the release of XE8, we were given volume controls. However, I still have a hard time hearing people when talking to them on the phone. The Glass Guide showed me a trick to cup my hand over my ear to hear better, but this negates the benefit of being totally hands-free
- No photo options – there is currently no way to zoom, apply any kinds of filters or control the shutter speed. I know the idea of Glass is to provide an “in the moment” device, but sometimes I want to be able to zoom.
The battery life is actually pretty decent, all things considered. Do I wish it were longer? Absolutely. But I know there’s a hardware limit. I’m also still waiting for the iPhone app to be released, so I can benefit from the full functionality.
It has been a great month so far. I’ve taken hundreds of photos, dozens of videos, and met some really great people. Everyone who tries on Google Glass is all smiles.