06/12, 10:08am
Texas Instruments processor, Sandisk memory used in Glass
The Explorer Edition of Google Glass uses a non-replaceable 570mAh battery, according to a recent teardown. The main pod containing the 2.1Wh single-cell Lithium Polymer battery and the Glass hardware itself is also found to be removable from its main frame by a single Torx screw, suggesting that the device has at least some user-serviceable areas, with other parts not easily reached.
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06/02, 1:55pm
Google says facial recognition Glassware is a no go
Google will not be approving any facial recognition apps for its Google Glass wearable computing device, citing privacy concerns. The Project Glass team made the announcement on Friday in a post to its Google+ page. The decision reportedly came after the team listened to an immense amount of feedback from Glass users and people concerned about the impact of the technology.
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05/25, 5:37pm
Always-on voice commands, wink-based photography
Google Glass has a number of hidden features not normally available to users, giving a hint for what is in store for future iterations of the onboard software. Hidden inside the firmware of the Explorer Edition headset are a number of "Labs" items that were left behind by Google in the device, including options to keep the "Ok Glass" voice command function always listening, and the ability to launch a browser.
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05/19, 11:30am
Head-mounted display for glasses wearers still being developed
Google is still working on a version of its head-mounted display for wearers of glasses, it has emerged. A number of Google employees roaming the Google I/0 developer event were said to be wearing the modified version of Google Glass, working with prescription lenses and a different frame to the headband usually provided with the device.
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05/08, 9:04am
Stores alleged to focus just on Glass brand, teach customers
Google is planning to create stores to sell Google Glass to customers, according to a rumor. The search company is allegedly working on making the retail locations with the aim of helping the end users with setting up their devices before leaving the store, a similar process to what Google is doing with developers initially receiving their Explorer edition devices.
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05/03, 3:51pm
Features so far reserved for Android
iPhone owners with early access to Google Glass will soon also be able to use the glasses' navigation and text messaging features, a Google worker tells TechCrunch. Getting either function currently requires the official Android companion app. In the near future, though, Glass will be able to access them regardless of the device it's tethered to. Exact timing hasn't been mentioned.
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05/01, 6:19am
Minute-long video explains adjustment, basic navigation
Google Glass will have at least one app for it upon its consumer release, following reports that a Twitter client is being worked on for the device. The news of the app comes at the same time as the search company releases a video explaining to future users how to use the wearable computing system, with a heavy emphasis on controls via the touchpad.
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04/28, 4:31pm
Code released after hackers gained root access to headset
Google has released the kernel GPL source code for Google Glass, in an effort to provide developers more information on how Glass actually functions. The download, measuring in at around 65 megabytes, comes in the wake of hardware hackers successfully gaining root access to a developer edition of the device within hours, by using already-existing Android exploits.
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04/27, 3:17pm
Rooting of Google headset could allow local file storage options
The Google Glass headset has been rooted, shortly after it has started being issued by the search giant to developers. Jay Freeman, a hacker that goes by "Saurik" and creator of the Cydia app store for jailbroken iPhones and iPads, gained access to a level that he could theoretically prevent the device from being affected by Google's own restrictions.
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04/22, 3:50pm
Wearers of Glass need to learn, create new social etiquette rules
A release of Google Glass for the general public may take place early next year. Executive chairman Eric Schmidt suggested that the version of Glass that will be provided to customers is "probably a year-ish away," which could give time for developers to create applications using the now-shipping Explorer edition.
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04/22, 1:54pm
Google Glass companion app includes 'Eye Gestures' functions
Google may allow for users of Glass to use their eyes to control the headset. A user by the name of fodawim on Reddit found eye options hidden in the code of the companion app for Android, specifically functions for winking. Of the five, two related to wink calibration, two turned the function on and off, and one last seems to allow a wink to trigger a photo from its 5-megapixel camera. Other eye-related controls have yet to be found, though the company has patented a number of different control systems that could potentially be used with Glass.
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04/18, 4:04pm
Files found within Google Glass app include multiplayer features
Google may be creating its own gaming platform, according to a report. The MyGlass companion app for Google Glass was found to contain a folder labeled "games" that held a number of files relating to various game-related functionality, something that the search giant could allow developers to implement for all apps downloadable through play, not just for Glass.
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04/17, 8:49pm
Google issues draconian Terms of Service for Google Glass Explorer edition
The Terms of Sale for the Google Glass Explorer edition has been found to forbid the reselling or loaning of the device, reports Wired. The much-hyped Google smart eyewear has been in hot demand since Google made the device available for purchase by developers following a competition to get early access to a limited number of the devices. While few are quibling over Google taking taking steps to avoid scalpers selling on their device for a profit, the inability for users to loan their Google Glass device has been criticized as being overly restrictive.
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04/16, 5:55am
First Google Glass headsets leave manufacturing
The specifications of Google Glass have been revealed through a Google support page. The internal details of the headwear are published at the same time as the company begins to produce units for the first wave of Glass pre-orders, along with Mirror API details for developers, and the a companion Android app.
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04/11, 5:58am
First registrations to get Glass by Google developer event
Google will be shipping Glass to developers "within the next month," according to comments made during the Google Ventures Glass Collective event. The Explorer Edition of Glass, meant for programmers and costing $1,500 per device, could reach customers before the company's developer event, Google I/O, on May 15th.
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04/05, 6:25am
Google video shows how to develop for Google Glass
Google has posted a video to YouTube of its SXSW presentation detailing different aspects of how it envisions Google Glass coming to life when it launches late this year. The video embedded below highlights how Google Glass actually works over a Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connection to a smartphone, which is how it connects to the Internet. The end result is that many of the functions that seem like onboard apps, are really cloud-based web apps that can be developed using the Project Glass Mirror API.
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04/03, 8:28am
April Fools Day joke flushes out possible future Baidu product
Baidu is looking at possibly creating its own version of Google Glass. Following an April Fools' Day joke that apparently showed the company producing a head-mounted display with a number of similar features to Google's product, the Chinese search company has confirmed it is working on its own smart glasses, but only as a small-scale internal test for feasibility.
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03/26, 2:06pm
Google to work on providing Glass to businesses
Google is sending invitations out to participants in a social media campaign for the Google Glass Explorer reservation program. Individuals will receive a message from Google over Google+ or Twitter confirming the invite, if their entry to the #ifIhadglass competition was impressive enough to the search engine, over the next few days.
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03/12, 5:36pm
Google still creating version of Glass for prescription frames
Google has shown it is still developing a version of Glass for wearers of prescription glasses. A photograph on Google+ shows Google employee and wearable computing pioneer Greg Priest-Dorman wearing a version of Glass with the frame seen in the Explorer Edition replaced with seemingly normal glasses. Google states the prescription version will not be ready for release at the same time as the Explorer Edition, but apparently will still make an appearance later this year.
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03/12, 6:48am
Applications to follow four Glass principles
Google has demonstrated some potential uses for its head-mounted display project at SXSW Interactive. Software, including versions of Gmail, Evernote, Path, and the New York Times, were shown off, explaining how Google Glass would interact and display the content using Google's Mirror API for the headwear.
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03/01, 2:53pm
Parking capacity, flight information potential uses for headset
Airline JetBlue has created mock-ups of how Google Glass could be used for air travel. A posting on Google+ shows a how the Glass interface could show a number of important details for passengers when they are in an airport, including information relating to flights, baggage, and airport car parking facilities.
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02/22, 12:51pm
Google Glass tethers to Android, iOS device, includes GPS chip
Google is hoping to release the consumer version of Google Glass before the end of this year. The head-mounted display will be a "fully-polished" version when it goes on sale, and will apparently be priced at or below $1,500, the price paid by software developers registering to receive the Explorer edition before the general public.
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02/21, 10:37am
Authors describe direct display onto retina
The US Patent and Trademark Office has published a Google patent application that appears to describe many of the technologies used in the company's Glass wearable display system. The authors describe the limitations to current wearable displays, including traditional screens that block the wearer's vision or heads-up displays that typically serve as passive headwear reliant on signals from external sources.
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02/20, 7:59am
New UI uses 'OK Google' as command keyword
Google has created a new video showing off the user interface of the Google Glass headset. The video, an updated version of a previous video, has been revealed at the same time as Google opens up its Glass pre-orders to non-developers, allowing the Explorer edition of the headset to be ordered by "bold, creative individuals."
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01/31, 3:58pm
Developer edition of Project Glass expected in next few months
Google's head-mounted display, Google Glass, has made it's way to the Federal Communications Commission. The developer's edition of the headset, Google Glass Explorer Edition, has appeared in filings at the FCC, suggesting that those who paid for the $1,500 display will be receiving them in the coming months.
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01/28, 7:10am
Startup Meta has partnered with Epson to break into the nascent wearable devices market. In contrast with Google’s Project Glass single display approach, Meta’s planned product will utilize dual 3D displays. It also aims to add further depth to the AR experience by incorporating 3D tracking for gesture control, which his highlighted in the video embedded below.
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01/16, 7:14am
Head-mounted display to have Google-hosted two-day hackathons
Google is holding a pair of developer events to kickstart app development for Project Glass. E-mails have been sent to developers that bought the $1,500 developer edition of the head-mounted display, inviting them to the Google Glass Foundry events, where they will be given the chance to use the device, as well as to work on how to use the system's underlying software.
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09/14, 7:15pm
Film includes cameo by Sergey Brin
A short video filmed solely with the Google Glass eyewear has appeared online. The four-minute piece uploaded to YouTube shows scenes before, on, and behind the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, as part of designer Diane von Furstenberg's runway show for her spring 2013 collection.
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09/11, 5:54pm
Voice commands bring up UI, execute actions
While the Google Glass wearable computing project is still in development, Google has begun showing off some of the interface that will drive the Glass experience. The Wall Street Journal got some hands-on time with Google's face-mounted computer, and its reporter came away with a finer understanding of the way the technology will work. While some of the voice commands that will eventually drive Google Glass' interface are functional, it appears to still be very much a work in progress.
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09/10, 10:50am
Headset display used as fashion accessory, records video
Google Glass has been spotted being used at a fashion show. Designer Diane von Furstenberg added the high-tech eyewear into the runway show for her spring 2013 collection at New York Fashion Week. The headset ended up being on both sides of the catwalk, not only being used as a fashion accessory, but also recording behind-the-scenes footage.
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06/27, 4:15pm
I/O attendees get chance to pre-order
As a part of the Google I/O keynote, Google demonstrated some of the possibilities of its Google Glass wearable computing project. Project Glass is still nowhere close to a consumer release, but the technology shown was intended to impress, with live-streaming user perspectives.
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04/04, 12:35pm
Google Glass appears in test phase
Google ended speculation about its computing eyewear by confirming Project Glass. While providing few details in the tease itself, the company showed a monocular set of augmented reality glasses that would provide a way of both getting information and communicating without needing to hold anything. In a concept video (below), Google suggested it could be used for everything from holding video or voice conversations to providing the weather when looking outside or getting live map directions.
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