Facebook launches app for Google Glass

The app allows users to upload photos from Google's computing eyewear directly to their Facebook timelines.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor

Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."

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Shara Tibken

May 16, 2013 11:26 a.m. PT

2 min read

Google Glass users will know they've shared a photo on Facebook by receiving to a notification in their Glass Timeline of the photo with a Facebook icon in the corner. Facebook

Facebook on Thursday launched a version of its app for Google Glass, becoming the latest technology company to release software for the computing eyewear.

The app allows users to upload photos from Google Glass directly to their Facebook timelines. They also can add optional photo descriptions, just by saying the information out loud. Right now, users can't tag people in photos from Glass, but they can tag the pictures after sharing them by going on a computer or mobile device.

"We look forward to exploring Facebook experiences across new types of mobile devices," Facebook's Erick Tseng said in a blog post. "This is only a first step."

The news came in conjunction with Google's developer conference, Google I/O. The confab made headlines around the world last year with the surprise debut of Google's wearable, Internet-enabled Glass via an extreme sports spectacle. Since that time, Google has released Glass to a limited number of people in its "Explorer" program, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin has said that pricing and availability of Google Glass will be announced by the end of the year.

While Google's Internet-connected eyewear has generated a lot of buzz, it's still too early to know if it will take off. The glasses currently come with few apps and limited functionality, but many more developers are working on creating software for Glass. Twitter on Thursday also said it has created an app for Glass. And Google confirmed it has video streaming and a development kit for Glass in the works.

To access Facebook via Glass, a Glass user has to first enable Facebook for Glass by visiting the MyGlass page. Users also must set up sharing contacts via MyGlass. After taking a photo, the user must tap the touchpad to select "share" and then decide who to share it with -- only the user, friends, or the public.

Users receive a notification -- the photo with a Facebook icon in the corner -- in their Glass Timeline to tell them that they've shared the picture on Facebook. And they can add a description by tapping on the photo, swiping to select "add description," and then speaking the information out loud. Users see a preview of the description and can choose whether to post it.