Google Glasses
Most of the privacy advocates think Google Glasses invade privacy. I agree with them to some extent, but public picture taking or video recording is not illegal at least in the USA and India. It comes to just moral sense or commonsense of the camera holder. Keeping it aside, I think the following industries, would definitely be not happy.
- Film Industry – with the online piracy already taking toll on some of the film producers and distributors, Google Glass may help the movie pirates easily to record. Sometimes some of the movies streamed on the Internet even before they hit silver screen, and this could expedite that process even faster. You could argue that there are spy goggles already available and movies are being pirated using micro-camcorders, smartphone cameras, pen cameras etc. While they are true, you may have to hold them properly for better recording. But with Google Glasses, you don’t have to because your nose and ears will provide stability for that as long as you are not moving or shaking your head.
You should expect ban of these from entering theaters. Yes, it may help some of amateur and short film makers, but major industry be not happy. - Bars, Clubs and Restaurants – This may not be common but definitely bars/clubs/restaurants have to add a clause to their terms and conditions, otherwise two drunkards one with Google Glass and one without could argue and show.
There is a bar in Seattle already banned Google Glasses. - 911 operators and Traffic Cops – Too many distracted people walking, driving already and this may increase that. West Virginia already banned Google Glasses for drivers.
The main privacy concern I have is if a Google Glass wearing person is standing behind me while I am withdrawing money from a bank ATM machine, his/her God given eyes may not quickly notice the key strokes that enter in the PIN field, but his/her 720p Google God given Glasses would definitely. Even if (s )he may not be intentionally looking, it will definitely worry me.
The industries that benefit from Google Glasses:
- Attorneys – Civil, Criminal and Traffic cases because of these. No I am not talking about stolen Google Glasses, I am talking about the fights and causalities that may happen because of this.
- YouTube and other Video Streaming Sites – These sites would get more and more videos at a faster rate.
- Online Movie and videos indexing sites – yes they say they are not hosting these, but they happily index those and launch many lunatic ads powered by Google AdSense and others. Yes some of the ads are video or audio content living on the sides of the screen without controls to disable or mute them.
Yes, there are definitely uses for Google Glasses and wearable computers, but they are not for mainstream like smart phones.
Disclaimer: Before Simmons questions about my first hand experience with Google God given Glasses, here is my disclaimer.
No Simmons, I am not an attorney, not a 911 operator, not a cop, not a bar/club/restaurant owner, neither a civil rights person. And I own neither a streaming nor movie indexing site. And you are right, I don’t own a Google Glass and haven’t seen one in physical. And I might have written more about Google Glass than anyone from Google itself. And yes my English is not as good as yours, but my computing and engineering skills are better than yours. If you think that is debatable, so be it.
I hope my disclaimer satisfies you, grammar Nazi of MobilityDigest.com. 
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About The Author
saiweb
Mobile Gadget Geek. My mobility started with HP Jornada Handheld PC LX320. I currently own and use various Windows Phones, iOS devices, Android devices and HP Touchpad.
Yo… I just realized the amateur porn industry can see great benefits from using this. 😮
I gotta be honest, I’d like to have a pair of these on the next time I get pulled over by a dickhead cop too. But that’s just me.
Otherwise you make some very valid points.
Why I don’t wear skirts and dresses.
Hmmm… I’m starting to feel the need to get me some google glass and suddenly develop random cases of “butter fingers” with them when around the skirted, female folk.
#evilgenius
Let’s see. All restrooms, all locker rooms, the YMCA, some beaches, schools, most any corporation with more than 1000 employees (probably even Google’s offices), hospitals, doctor offices, clinics…..
On second thought, it might be easier to make a list where they will be welcome.
Man you guys just won’t let go of this product! Got you all excited, more than usual even for Google, even with all those sweet Blue “leaked” screenshots you got your hands on, all you can obsess over is the horrors of Google Glass.
Who cares? If the thing sucks as much as your crystal ball says, it might flop harder than Windows RT. If it is awesome, it may still flop hard enough that, like me with Windows Phones, you may never encounter a single one in the wild for years. If it’s both awesome and lacks all these problems somehow, maybe it will take off well enough for Microsoft to come up with an even better version two or three years later.
The world is about to be taken over by cicadas, not bad-driving sexual deviants with money to burn. Cicadas people. Those you should be worried about, especially if you suffer from trypophobia because those things turn the ground into swiss cheese and those clusters of holes will really eff with your head much worse than a Glasshole would.
If you don’t know what trypophobia is, it’s a fear of clusters of holes, do not google it because there’s a decent chance you might have the phobia and it will really mess your head up if you google it. To be safe, don’t even let yourself start to imagine clusters of holes, that might set you off, I don’t know. Be safe.
Hey Ram, these bad things which you were so thoughtful to highlight in different colors, in what way does Google Glass create these problems in a degree that much more affordable and less conspicuous technology that has existed for quite a few years?
Regarding bars, do you really think that, just like people tend not to rock their bluetooth earpieces in social settings, that this will become so pervasive and problematic that bars will have to hire lawyers to draft some sort of terms of service to refuse service to someone wearing this? Are you aware that by his own admission this Seattle bar owner “banned” it as a clever publicity stunt?
Regarding distractibility, 911 operators and traffic cops, exactly how much do you know about what drivers wearing this thing will see when driving and how will it be revealed to affect their driving versus doing nothing or even improving their driving?
As for the film industry being crushed by the convenience of head-mounted cameras, are you not aware of the availability, often before the movies are released, of often Bluray-quality bootlegs of movies and telesyncs that would likely remain superior to helmet-cam style bootlegging? Are you sure this will make any difference? Man, just how big an ass do you have that supplies so much of this material for you to just keep pulling out?
Grammar Nazi? It’s not like I’ve been breaking your balls for not using the subjective or splitting infinitives Ram. It’s just nicer sometimes when your writing is comprehensible for me and for your fellow engineers.