You might think that anyone who can afford a $1,500 pair of interactive glasses might not be inclined to ride public transit, but Google has a different vision in mind.
On Monday, the company released an update to the wearable computer that will allow Glass wearers to view public transit directions on the device in real-time.
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The directions will include details such as where to transfer to another bus or train, as well as time estimates of how long it will take to reach your destination, in much the same way as the directions feature works on Google Maps.
And while most of us have seen the image of Google co-founder Sergey Brin riding the New York City subway wearing the device, this was back when there wasn’t a $1,500 price tag attached to the device. The fact that every tech savvy thief out there likely knows that Glass is the most expensive wearable computer in the wild could make wearing the device on public transit a bit nerve-wracking.
So, unless you’re Glass owner living in public transit-centric cities like New York or San Francisco, where even celebrities can be found riding the train, it’s unlikely this feature will get a lot of use.
That said, when Google releases a mainstream — and presumably cheaper — version of Glass sometime in 2014, this new transit directions feature could turn out to be quite popular indeed.
The virtual screen that Google Glass shows you through the prism appears to be a display floating a few feet in front of you. Although it's obviously very tiny, Google says it's the equivalent of a 25-inch screen seen from 8 feet away.
The message screen "ok glass" is the most common one you see, since it activates whenever you tap the side or tilt your head up. The screen lets you know Glass is on and actively listening to your voice.
The most recent sports scores are just a single swipe away.
The screen is big enough to display a single sentence or simple text feedback extremely well. The font gets smaller for longer results, although it maxes out at about two sentences.
Although photos don't look great on Glass, you can easily discern the content, and they look much better when exported to other displays.
Most notifications involve both a headline and a photo, as with this one from Reddit.
The multicolor "spectrum" effect isn't visible to the eye -- it appears in this photo because it was taken outside and some sunlight was refracted.
The New York Times' notifications tell you how many articles are waiting. You can see them in a manner similar to the Reddit headlines by tapping the touchpad on the temple.
Here's what you see when you want to share something via Twitter. GlassTweet is a third-party app.
When you ask for directions, Glass first confirms the address.
Here's the UI for navigating with maps. The arrow moves as you turn your head.
Navigation in 2D gives you a bird's-eye view of the map.
Error messages are very clear.
The main settings screen lets you know if you're connected to Wi-Fi and how much battery power is left.
Image: Flickr, Ted Eytan