glass

SAN FRANCISCO--Google's annual developers conference started this year with the kind of rush that one can only get from demoing new technology while plummeting out of an airplane. Thursday's announcements promise to be more subdued but could have a wider impact.

Google kicked off Day One of I/O 2012 with a flurry of Android-related announcements. As expected, Google's got a big 7-inch tablet called the Nexus 7 that looks to stomp on the Kindle Fire. It'll be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a minor-point update that nevertheless offers performance and usability improvements that the … Read more

After a small press conference at Google I/O, cofounder Sergey Brin let a few writers try on his pair of Google Glasses. I took a spin in them.

The glasses were locked into "demo mode," Brin said. The only image visible from my perspective was a video loop of fireworks. The image was just above my normal line of sight, and quite small, about the size of a postage stamp.

The glasses have a compass and an accelerometer in them, and as my head moved, the perspective in the video panned as well. … Read more

Day one of Google I/O 2012 hasn't lacked for news, from introduction of the $199 Nexus 7 tablet to a significant OS update in the form of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to a heart-stopping live demo of Google Glass via chute-gliding, rappelling and biking.

And CNET has video of it all. Enjoy.

Google redesigns mobile search

A first taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Unveiling the $199 Nexus 7 tablet

The Nexus Q, a disco ball that streams music and video

Skydive with Google Glasses! No, rappell with them! No, bike!

Google Glass hits the market … Read more

In a press conference at Google I/O, Google's Sergey Brin said the idea of Google Glasses was to make users, "less a slave to your device." You won't have to reach into your pocket for simple notifications or to take a picture, he said.

"It's not for reading a book," he said, "although you could do that. It's for catching a text, or a picture.... I just took one of you now."

While a pair of Google Glasses will be tethered to a smartphone when out and about, Brin … Read more

Is Instagram just a handy photo-sharing platform, or does it represent some unconscious longing for better times when all was analog?

Whatever the case, these concept glasses let you view the world through the prism of retro photography.

Designed by Markus Gerke of Berlin, Instaglasses are specs that would take photos with an integrated camera and, of course, Instagram filters.

When seeing an Instagram-worthy scene, users would push a button between their eyes to activate the camera. It would display filtered images in the lenses, as seen in the pic below. … Read more

Today we're shooting cowboys in the living room and bringing game shows to our tablets:

A leaked PDF document hints at what Microsoft could have in store for the next version of Xbox. If the 56-page document is true, the Xbox 720 has a planned release for 2013 and will play Blu-ray movies, 3D videos and it would work with special glasses for augmented reality gaming. The document also suggests the next version of the Kinect will track four people at once, have improved voice recognition and it could be split into two units on both sides of the … Read more

Hope you're sitting down for this: Jeff actually has positive words about a movie he saw this weekend! Without giving away the surprise, suffice it to say that Jeff's complaints about the lack of creativity in film and his disgust with the movie-going experience disappeared for two hours on Friday.

In advance of Microsoft's mysterious press event today, we'll speculate what's in store for the software giant and how it could fit into the 56-page road map document that leaked over the weekend.… Read more

A few years back, Nvidia released its 3D Vision Kit active 3D solution. At the time, it was the only real choice for 3D PC gaming, but its crushingly dark images and abundant crosstalk were, let's say, problematic.

The Nvidia 3D Vision 2 glasses, along with Lightboost technology, attempts to address those issues. Check out my full review now.

Lightboost makes a big difference in performance, but aside from the Asus VG278H, the monitors compatible with the technology are really difficult to find.

It's too bad too. Even for a 3D disliker, like me, Lightboost makes the best … Read more

If a supposedly leaked, 56-page Microsoft document is the real deal, we've now got more details on the Xbox 720, as well as on the next version of Kinect. We've also got an intriguing glimpse of a Google glasses-like project called Project Fortaleza.

Our sister site CNET UK has a report on the document, which was written about by The Verge earlier today. Among other things, the document says the 720 console will feature Blu-ray functionality for showing high-def movies and will be able to play films in 3D. Check out the CNET UK story here.