>One of the unique things we are doing with Glass ... is that we are having this discussion very publicly. We, as a company, could very easily have taken this technology into a conference room, wrapped the conference room in tin foil and developed this over the course of two to three years and released it en masse and basically said, "You know what? Deal with it. The technology is ready, and here it is."<p>Wow. Just wow. The arrogance displayed here is staggering, to the point that it erodes my confidence that Glass will see much success. (I didn't have much confidence in it to begin with.) You can tell the possibility that Glass might just simply not catch on, hasn't so much as drifted into his conscious awareness. The idea that Google is doing everyone a <i>favor</i> with the Explorers program, so that everyone can get used to it, as opposed to doing this for the usual reason of not releasing a shitty product, appears to be something this guy <i>actually believes</i>.<p>I've heard that Google selects for arrogance to some degree in their hiring practices. Perhaps it's time to rethink that.
Put a hinge on the camera and display module; flip it up towards the sky to turn Glass off. Down it's on, up it's off.<p>Give wearers a simple, clear way to communicate that they've turned Glass off when it's inappropriate to have it on and at least you'll ensure that Glassholes are a subset of assholes. (There's not much you can do about the assholes.)
Glass is a cool idea but not much more. Just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should... it's a product made because it's a neat idea rather than one made for some certain utility or benefit. As far as I'm aware, the only thing it really adds beyond capabilities of a smartphone is the wearable camera-- in a package that's smaller, but uglier, more expensive and more likely to get you mugged/killed.<p>Can't help but wonder how many Glass users are smartphone-free, and if not, what meaningful benefit they see in using it.
Simple solution: no camera.<p>Wearable displays have other great benefits - though input awkwardness might kill it (voice isn't good enough as the sole input).
<i>No single piece of technology has sparked as much interest, scrutiny and even ire as Google Glass</i><p>Except for things like the original iPhone, Tesla cars, and the like. Or, going back in history, things like 'television' and 'photography'. Yes, a ye olde television is useless without a television studio and transmitter, but Glass is equally useless without internet access or links to a smartphone.<p>Glass is an impressive bit of technological achievement, but come on, keep it in perspective.