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Vint Cerf weighs in on Google Glass

Google's chief Internet evangelist and one of the fathers of the Internet has joined the Glass tribe.

Dan Farber
2 min read
Vint Cerf dons Google Glass. Dan Farber/CNET

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. -- One of the fathers of the Internet, Vint Cerf has got Glass and he isn't taking it off.

Cerf was attending the Future in Review conference here, where he stood out from the crowd in his signature three-piece suit and Google Glass. He said that he has been a regular Glass wearer for the last two weeks.

"Glass doesn't interfere with my normal vision, and I found it conveniently available," he said. "It's an extension of the mobile phone and less overt -- you don't have to pull out your mobile.

Cerf has been Google's chief Internet evangelist since 2005, so he might be a tiny bit biased.

"The heads-up display is not as distracting as a mobile, and when I am driving, I can get turn-by-turn directions and only have to look up a little to check the map," he added. Cerf said he also has also been using Glass to take pictures to remind him of things (for example, he took a picture a wine bottle to record the label), as well as for phone calls and reading and sending e-mail.

Vint Cerf augments his reality. Dan Farber/CNET

"You begin to see what can happen with a computer in the sensory environment you are in," Cerf said. "It's the early days of this thing. By 2014, we should have a good idea of what people will want to do with Glass."

Google Glass is currently only available for developers and in an Explorer Edition for a few thousand beta testers for $1,500. A lower-priced, commercial version is expected in first half of next year.