Google Glass Users Get Trade-In Scheme

Each Google Glass device includes adjustable nose pads and a high-resolution display that Google said is the equivalent of a 25-inch high-definition screen from 8 feet away. The glasses also feature a built-in camera that takes 5-megapixel photos and video at 720p. Audio is delivered to wearers through their bones, using bone-conduction transducers.

Glass Updates

In August, Google Glass Explorers received several cool and useful software updates for the devices, including Google Now “cards” that provide up-to-the-minute information on the weather, nearby traffic, restaurants and much more. The Google Now cards for Glass give users the capabilities to receive reminders for dinner reservations, hotel bookings and concerts for which the users receive an email confirmation, as well as the ability to find show times and movie information for nearby theaters.

Critical information such as emergency alerts can also be received through the cards when severe thunderstorm or flash flood warnings are in effect. Other Google Now cards will present information on real-time traffic conditions and alternate routes for commutes, as well as local weather forecasts and live sports scores for a user’s favourite teams.

Google Now, which was introduced for Android devices by Google in June 2012, presents its information through a series of flip-through “cards” that are visible on the screen of a device, providing a different piece of information on each card. The “cards” appear at the moment they are needed by users, such as the train schedule card appearing when a user is heading to the local train station.

Earlier in August, another early Glass user unveiled the first video game that he built for Glass, which uses head motions to play the game. Mobile games designer Sean McCracken also became one of the first Glass Explorers when his gaming idea was selected by Google as part of the #ifihadglass competition.

In February 2013, Google expanded its nascent test project for its Glass eyewear-mounted computer by inviting interested applicants to submit proposals for a chance to buy an early model and become part of its continuing development. In March, Google also began notifying a pool of applicants who were selected to purchase the first 8,000 sets of Google Glass when they become available for real-world use and testing later this year by consumers. Those selected applicants have been receiving their units in waves.

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Originally published on eWeek.