Google Glass Receives Usable Video Player, Hashtag Support And Other Improvements

Google has released an update for its Glass wearable computer, bringing about a dozen improvements including a new video player, additional voice commands for third-party applications and better overall recognition of natural language.

The new features will be pushed to every pair of Google’s clever spectacles over-the-air in the next few days.

The device is currently only available to a limited number of ‘Glass explorers’, and is expected to go on sale before the end of the year.

Glassware

Google Glass runs Android with a custom ‘timeline card’ Mirror API, features indirect bone-conduction speakers, a five megapixel camera, 16 GB of flash storage, ships in five colours (black, grey, blue, red or white) and comes with removable shades. The connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a micro USB port.

The existing functions of the headset include voice-to-text messaging, video calls, access to Google’s search engine, email, translation, GPS navigation and calendar. Google Glass is able to take pictures, film video and share content on social networks. And of course, it runs specifically designed apps.

Video player is one of the apps due to receive a facelift with the new update. The new software allows Glass wearers to tap a video to play, tap it again to pause, swipe back to rewind or forward to, well, move forward.

The update also adds new features for Path and Evernote apps, which were launched in March as the first third-party apps supported by Glass. The headset wearers can now use voice commands to post updates or take notes. “This is just the beginning. More Glassware will support these and new voice actions over time,” said a statement on the Google blog.

Other additions include simple in-call volume control card, new voice commands for navigation and improved SMS support. The number of Google Now ‘cards’ for Glass has been expanded to display reservations and events, nearby movies and local emergencies.

To add captions to pictures or videos, Glass wearers can now use a new voice command, “add caption”. There’s another new command to mark content with hashtags.

You can see some of the new ‘cards’ in the gallery below:

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