Ask Slashdot: Should I Get Google Glass?

lunatick writes "I put in my application for Google Glass as a joke. I never figured I would be selected. Well in less than one week I got my invite to buy Google Glass. My main hold back is the $1500 price tag for a device that just seems to be a camera and navigation aid. Does anyone in the /. community have Google Glass and can they give some advice to the rest of us considering it?"

Comments

For 1500 Bucks...

[CanHasDIY]

For $1,500 you could buy an Oculus Rifts, small form factor PC, battery rig, and a couple of EyeToys, and have a real augmented reality display, with money left over.

And, you know, look like a complete idiot, instead of an 80% idiot.

Finally, an actual response

[Zero__Kelvin]

I can't say I was surprised. I knew it was going to happen. The poster clearly stated: "Does anyone in the /. community have Google Glass and can they give some advice to the rest of us considering it?"

queue all the slashdotters who cannot read and have a bias sans experience. Kudos for eschewing the low hanging Oh Noooh! It's Google and it's new and it's different! I'm a gonna punch you in da noze if you wear it! crowd and offering an actual response with some possible value. I get that you probably don't own Glass yourself either, but at least you provided some feedback that actually has some value in it.

I also don't have Glass, but would certainly try it out if I has the $1500.00 In the end it comes down to what the OPs budget is, and how badly they want a new toy. If you are looking to live on the bleeding edge go for it. If you are expecting real utility from Glass for your $1500.00, wait for it to mature. The cost will come down drastically as the capabilities likewise improve.

Re:Yes.

[Immerman]

>The people who are scoffing at Google Glass right now just can't afford it yet.

Not all of them. A lot of us think that, at least in it's current iteration, Glass is pointless, creepy, distracting, and unacceptably invasive to both the surrounding populace and the user themself. If you gave me one for free I'd probably play with it a bit, but it'd get even less usage my tablet. More likely I'd sell it and use the money to buy a medium-high performance PC and a VR helmet, which is a technology I consider to have far more interesting potential. I already have an old smart phone that I occasionally find useful, I have no desire to strap the damn thing to my face.

Re:Yes.

[Martin Blank]

There are lots of applications for Google Glass technology that have nothing to do with voyeurism.

And yet you fail to even list a single one.

--GPS without having to take your eyes off the road. (Or GPS while you're walking in a crowded area where using a phone means you bump into people, like much of NYC.)
--Finding out when the buses run by looking at a bus stop sign and having Glass cross-reference the appropriate schedules.
--Referencing a manual when you're in a position that makes it difficult to read printed material (like under a car, or even just twisted under a dashboard to pull a component)
--Taking notes when you're in that awkward position
--Pilots pulling up a checklist without having to fish around for the actual checklist (especially useful in emergency situations)
--Conferring with colleagues on the best course of action during the job without having to bring them on-site (already happening during surgeries)
--Walking people through first-aid procedures while help is still on the way
--Emergency alert notifications such as for tornadoes, floods, or evacuation that might only trip a notification on your phone.

Those are just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are plenty of others that would never occur to me if someone else didn't come up with them first.