Google Glass is 'weirdest thing', says Google boss
Google Glass is "the weirdest thing", says Google boss Eric Schmidt, who says we need new etiquette for the high-tech specs.
Talking to Google Glass is "the weirdest thing", says Eric Schmidt. As the first sets of high-tech specs appear on the faces of celebrities and bloggers, the boss of Google says we'll have to come up with new etiquette to deal with the futuristic gadget.
Reuters reports that Schmidt admit, "There are obviously places where Google Glasses are inappropriate." But he believes society needs to adapt to the technology with new etiquette for devices like Google Glass, which can record your surroundings and show you information that others can't see.
I felt that weirdness first hand when I bumped into a Google employee wearing Glass at a trade show earlier this year. As we chatted, Googlechap asked Glass to start recording -- and his eye was unnervingly hidden by a bright white light. You're in no doubt you're being recorded, but it's also odd talking to someone with a sharp white light where their eye should be.
Schmidt also discussed Google's decision to examine and approve -- or not -- any apps designed for Glass, unlike the Android app Store Google Play, which lets any apps in. App-builders can't charge for Glass apps or show ads, so can't make money. Despite that, Noo Yoik noospaper the New York Times is one of the first apps, showing breaking news alerts and hourly updates, as well as reading headlines aloud to wearers.
But cunning app developers could still get around The Big G's restrictions. A Google intern has already rooted his Google Glasses, using debug mode to get ADB access and unlocking the bootloader.
What new etiquette do you think we need to cope with Google Glass -- or is the whole thing a gross invasion of privacy? And do you wear Google Glass -- or Google Glasses? Lasses make passes at boys who wear glasses in the comments, while the opposite sex like specs on our Facebook page.