glasses

Privacy officials from 6 countries request details on Google Glass

Google's new Google Glass is raising privacy concerns around the world, prompting privacy officials in six countries to write to the Web giant for more details about the high-tech specs.

While Google Glass' capabilities are largely limited at this point, privacy and security are two of the major concerns for the device. Users could seemingly videotape or photograph others without their knowledge, leading to bans by bars and casinos.

In a letter addressed to Google CEO Larry Page, privacy commissioners in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Switzerland, and Israel want to know how Google intends to use the information … Read more

Lewis Black gives middle finger to Google Glass and Xbox

Technology can be frustrating, especially when it's designed to oust you from your sense of being.

Who better, then, to offer a jaded human's perspective than Lewis Black, a man who makes lemons seems remarkably sweet?

Appearing on "The Daily Show," Black looked through a glass darkly at what he called the latest "space toys." You know, things like Google Glass that excite space boys.

You might imagine that Black's observations are both predictable and curmudgeonly.

You might conceive that he isn't the wisest commentator when it comes to new technology.

However, … Read more

LiveMap offers augmented-reality helmet for motorcyclists

Imagine a souped-up Google Glass built into a motorcycle or bicycle helmet that superimposes information and directions in front of your eyes as you speed down a highway or move through a congested downtown area.

LiveMap, a startup based in Moscow, is developing a motorcycle helmet with a head-mounted display, built-in navigation, and Siri-like voice recognition. The helmet will have a translucent, color display that's projected on the visor in the center of the field of vision, and a custom user interface, English language-only at launch, based on Android.

Unlike visor-mounted heads-up displays, which have been available for a … Read more

Google Glass search shown off in new video

This week Google's Project Glass team released a video demonstrating just how good the augmented reality specs are at what Google does best, search.

Much of the hype around Glass has centered on its ability to capture a true first-person perspective (we've already seen the first marriage proposal through Glass), but the 20 sample searches in the embedded vid below showcase the power of what's essentially Google Now at its best, integrated into the new hardware.

We've heard plenty of rhetoric from Sergey Brin and others at Google about using Glass as a means of getting the device out of the way; providing a more seamless experience that allows a user to search without having to translate a query into a series of swipes and taps. The video shows off some of the most realistic uses for a Glass search, such as accessing flight information while driving, checking last night's sports scores, and even the requisite pictures of cats in pajamas.… Read more

Acer now eying wearable tech too

Acer is looking at wearable technology as its next big opportunity, a high-level executive told tech Web site Pocket-Lint.

The wearable technology market could be worth billions of dollars to the industry, ST Liew, president of the smartphone business group at Acer, told Pocket-Lint in an interview. He teased some wearable tech product to emerge in 2014.

Acer is just the latest company to look into wearable tech, a burgeoning market that is starting to see interest from major players. From Google Glass to the Nike Fuelband, the category has begun to pick up steam. The products are often seen … Read more

White House petition seeks to ban men from driving

Forget texting or driving with Google Glass. A petition on the WhiteHouse.gov "We The People" site is going after the true menace behind the wheel -- men.

Full disclosure: I'm also a man, and have been for nearly 15 years in the eyes of the law (although according to certain cultural traditions, I've got more like 13 years of official manhood under my belt, and folks who know me well tell me I'll never actually achieve the title).

The official demand of the petition is to "Prohibit Straight Men From Driving," although there's also a reference to include "men of other sexual orientations who are attracted to women" under the proposed ban.… Read more

The tech behind Kinect and how it will control your living room

LOS ANGELES -- At first I thought I had misunderstood him, so I made sure to reply slowly. "So you're saying Kinect is going to blast IR signals at your living room, and they're going to reflect off walls and stuff and bounce back to control all of your devices?"

"That's correct," Marc Whitten said.

"Whoa," I replied.

"Kinect has a really powerful management of that energy," he explained. "It's just light," he went on, "but it just exists in a different spectrum." I … Read more

NanoGlass is a poor geek's stripped-down Google Glass

Now that Google Glass is in the hands of developers, it seems like everybody wants a smartphone connection on their specs. That pesky $1,500 price tag is a little annoying, though. Let's say you don't need all the fancy Glass features, like an eyeball-level display, camera, directions, search, and voice commands. If you're satisfied with just notifications, then you may soon be able to connect your smartphone to your glasses for $25.

The NanoGlass Indiegogo project from EmoPulse consists of a small Bluetooth device that attaches to the side of a pair of glasses. A fiber optic strip extends toward the front, just enough to show up in your peripheral vision.… Read more

Possible future Google Glass lessons in Trulia's app

Trulia for Glass video on Vimeo.

From aiding first responders to real-time language translation, Google Glass has software developers excited for the potential of wearable computing. But the true test of success for Glass may be how quickly it's adapted to more commonplace uses, such as helping real estate listing company Trulia sell and rent properties.

"It's an exploration tool," said Jeff McConathy, Trulia's vice president of consumer engineering, of his company's in-development app during a visit to CNET's San Francisco office. "It's not about deeply engaging with the content, it'… Read more

Crave Ep. 124: Obscenely overpriced phones and tablets

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Crave has compiled a list of some of the most ridiculously opulent smartphones and tablets from around the world -- and surprisingly, they do a lot less than a cheap Android phone. Plus, a plush toy and app combo that turns your phone all cuddly. And a warp-speed look at Windows updates from Windows 1 to Windows 8. … Read more