Developers Begin Hunt For a Killer App For Google Glass

holy_calamity writes "Companies large and small are working to create the first "killer app" for Google Glass, the wearable display to go on sale later this year, reports MIT Technology Review. Evernote is among large companies that got early access to prototypes and has been testing ideas for some time, but is staying quiet about its plans. Meanwhile new startups with apps for Glass are being created and funded, although uncertainty about whether consumers will embrace the technology has steered them towards commercial and industrial ideas, such as apps for for doctors and maintenance technicians."

Comments

Privacy and etiquette

[markdavis]

>"although uncertainty about whether consumers will embrace the technology"

Personally, I think people are rude enough with their phones (and even tablets) as it sits now. I can't imagine it with a bunch of people with those stupid things on their heads. Now they can even look at you and still not be looking at you.

Then add the aspect that someone looking at you wearing one is "recording" or at least "analyzing" everything seen and heard and sharing it with Google or whomever is quite invasive. It is one thing to give away your own privacy... and quite another to violate the privacy of everyone around you all the time.

And please don't bother replying to this with crap like "but you are in public". It doesn't matter if you are in public or not. And quite frankly, sitting in a booth at a restaurant with a few friends, there is way more than a reasonable expectation that your conversations, your body expressions, what you are wearing and eating, etc are not shared with Big Brother or the entire world.

I will try to keep an open mind. But I doubt I would be comfortable with people using those around me. It is beyond spooky. And I can't imagine I am alone. So that might be the answer to the summary's question about if consumers will "embrace" the technology.

Re:Privacy and etiquette

[ceoyoyo]

I see a growing market in clothing with integrated IR LEDs.

Re:Privacy and etiquette

[macklin01]

Personally, as a guy with hearing loss that's really cutting into those handy consonant sounds above 2000 Hz, I'm thrilled at the idea of real-time "closed captioning" placed under each speaker. Right now, noisy restaurants and lectures can be a bit of a nightmare, even with top-of-the-line hearing aids.

Re:Privacy and etiquette

[timholman]

Then add the aspect that someone looking at you wearing one is "recording" or at least "analyzing" everything seen and heard and sharing it with Google or whomever is quite invasive. It is one thing to give away your own privacy... and quite another to violate the privacy of everyone around you all the time.

And please don't bother replying to this with crap like "but you are in public". It doesn't matter if you are in public or not. And quite frankly, sitting in a booth at a restaurant with a few friends, there is way more than a reasonable expectation that your conversations, your body expressions, what you are wearing and eating, etc are not shared with Big Brother or the entire world.

While I agree that wearable computing will have many drawbacks just as you describe, there will be benefits as well. It is not a black or white issue.

Consider a world where no child will be able to bully another without leaving irrefutable video evidence, or a world where no public servant will be able to act like a thug or a rude asshole without leaving a video trail. Consider a world where no supervisor will be able to sexually harass a subordinate without having video evidence sent straight to the subordinate's attorney. And for that matter, consider a world where accusations, true or false, will no longer depend on one person's word versus another's.

Most anti-social behavior takes place in private between two people (perpetrator and victim); by effectively taking away that privacy, you are exposing that perpetrator's behavior to the world. There's the old saying of "an armed society is a polite society", and when everyone is effectively "armed" with video surveillance tech that sends data straight to the cloud, the bullies and low-lifes of the world will indeed be forced to be more polite, whether they like it or not.

The world of wearable computing will indeed be very different, and there will good and bad aspects to it, just as there is with any transformative technology. But that world will be inevitable in any case, because the technology will be too cheap and useful not to be exploited in every conceivable manner.

Random Blackout

[Fnord666]

A good "killer" app would be to randomly black out the display for a second or three, particularly when GPS indicates a speed greater than 60 mph.

If you want something beneficial to the wearer instead, how about a targeting reticle?

Face labeling

[Coward Anonymous]

So I don't need to remember my best friends' names.

Sarcasm aside, pasting people's names over their heads would make Dale Carnegie warm all over. It would be useful for bosses, politicians and other people who need to fake caring about others.

Fast video record on command

[timholman]

For me, the killer app for Google Glass is obvious. I want to be able to activate high resolution video recording in an instant, either with a single spoken word or a gesture/shrug.

I have had many instances while driving/walking/jogging when I've seen some imminent accident/collision/crime where I needed a picture right now and not three seconds later. Fumbling for your cell phone camera takes too long; the moment has passed.

Give me that capability and I'll be an early adopter.

Alcohol/Bar industry

[flyneye]

Need beer goggles
Better yet, an app that shows which women in a bar have the highest basal temperature indicating fertile time and willingness to breed.
It could be modified to show which have had the most to drink in order to save you money. Perhaps there could be a ratings system linked to a database to see which particular preferences and mileage are involved and any disease. The point of technology is to save human time and effort so it can be expended toward more fruitful pursuits.
This is legitimate and a giant step for mankind that should receive a lions share of startup and government funding, providing benefits for all.(friends with benefits , that is)

if you know you should know their name

[way2trivial]

Apologize and ask for the name, they'll be hurt and say "john"

then say, "No, I'm sorry, your last name"
they'll be relieved and supply the last name

there, you've got both, and they're relieved....

My Killer App...

[VirginMary]

...would be translation, à la Google Translate. When I was in Japan on a vacation, I would have killed for something like that! Imagine having signs that you look at translated. Or menus, comics, etc.