Glass is an elegant hardware device; its possibilities far outstrip the capabilities of its available software or the certainty of its market success.
Among the biggest technology releases of 2013 is Google's wearable computing platform, which it calls Glass. The Glass device, the first iteration of which was made available solely to developers, is now being offered in slightly updated form to a limited number of other purchasers (whom Google terms "Explorers") including those who added themselves to Google's list and certain customers of Google's services. Glass currently retails for $1,500, and while most commentators suggest that Glass will (and must) be priced significantly lower in order to succeed in a broader market, Google has not yet announced any final pricing or timeframes for a general release.
Glass consists of a plastic processing unit (available in a choice of colors) mounted along the right temple of an eyeglass-like stainless steel frame. The processing unit has a side-mounted power button, a top-mounted camera button, and a speaker which presses against the user's head for extra volume boost through bone conductance. It also incorporates a microphone, an eye sensor along its inner front surface, and a front-facing camera.
The device supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect to the Internet, smartphones and tablets and serves as a hands-free headset for calls. Although Glass lacks a built-in GPS unit, it can access and use the GPS functions of a Bluetooth-paired phone or tablet. Glass uses a small set of prisms to project a virtual display appearing to float in space in front of the user; to anyone else, the prisms show a tiny glowing rectangle.
Glass runs on a modified version of Google's Android operating system that displays various screens as cards; the user can navigate among the cards and applications via voice commands or tapping and swiping the outside edge of Glass. Rather than running applications from the Google Play store or Amazon's App Store, Glass has its own set of applications (called Glassware) available via Google's MyGlass online portal. New applications, both official and unofficial, are made available on a regular basis, and as the installed user base expands, the number and diversity of applications will likely similarly expand.
A standard microUSB port works for recharging the non-removable battery, connecting to a computer for file transfer and as the port for Glass' included mono earbud (stereo earbuds that also connect via microUSB are available for an additional charge). Also included with Glass are an elegantly designed wall charger and matching microUSB cable and "Shades," sunglass lenses which attach between Glass' nose pieces.
Even with the current high price, invitation-only purchase process, tiny number of Glassware applications and battery life challenges, Glass remains a technological tour-de-force and shows great potential overall. What is less clear, however, is how valuable Glass is and will be for legal professionals and how it compares to the numerous other mobile computing devices used by attorneys. In its current state, Glass' best feature is its hands-free nature. Between Glass' built-in features and currently available Glassware, attorneys can not only make/take voice calls but video calls, and can capture still images, record and share video (limited by battery life), send and receive text and social media messages, read news headlines, and review presentation slides with little or no touching or swiping needed.
With its December 2013 software update, Glass can be configured to snap photos triggered by the user's wink. Attorneys may be able to get real-time messages and information displayed in their line of sight during meetings, negotiations, depositions or even trials, although this will certainly give rise to ethics and disclosure issues. Beyond those features, though, there are few additional applications to extend them, and the number is growing very slowly if at all right now.
Glass today is an elegant hardware platform whose possibilities far outstrip the capabilities of its currently available software or the certainty of its market success. Those who invest in it, especially at its current $1,500 price point, do so largely to explore what Glass might become for themselves and their clients rather than for what it is today.
Jonathan Ezor is an assistant professor of law and director at the Touro Law Center for Innovation in Business, Law and Technology, counsel to Olshan Frome Wolosky, and member of the LTN Editorial Advisory Board. Email: jezor@tourolaw.edu.
Read more: http://www.lawtechnologynews.com/id=1390587532103/Google-Glass%3A-A-Vision-of-Potential#ixzz2rbWFXbnD
Jason Atchley
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