David Phipps ’14 has been raising some eyebrows this week with his new eyewear: Google Glass. The technology is so new that it is not yet available to the public.
Google Glass is a pair of glasses with a mini-computer mounted in the top corner. The operating screen is activated by voice and by facial and head movements.
Users can take pictures, record video, look up directions, search the web and use other applications on the device.
Phipps is a Google Explorer, meaning that he is one of a select group of people who applied to have early access to Google Glass.
Phipps picked up the new eyewear while on a trip to San Francisco over Spring Break.
“I applied sometime last year. I don’t remember when, and I don’t remember what I said actually,” said Phipps.
One of the most innovative things features of Google Glass is the way it transmits sounds to the user.
“You’ll hear noises when you use [the Google Glass] but you don’t have any headphones in. It vibrates your skull to actually make you hear things,” said Phipps.
Phipps said he has really enjoyed learning how to use the new technology and is excited to keep experimenting.
“The things I’m really looking forward to—I’m in a band and the only bottle neck is that I really have to learn lots of lyrics which is really annoying, so now I might be able to just put them up here,” said Phipps.
“I might try it this Saturday,” he said, referring to the concert tomorrow at 9 p.m. in Smith Union.
Phipps sees potential for Google Glass to become very popular in the future, but one perk is certainly making it popular with him.
“One thing that’s really cool—they also give you free beer at Google,” said Phipps.
When I sat down to interview Phipps, he let me test out his new hardware. I winked aggressively to turn on the camera and take a picture and was also able to test out the maps and compass apps. Wearing Google Glass seems futuristic—like something out of Star Trek or The Jetsons.
The technology is not as intuitive as picking up a cell phone, but learning how the different features operate is part of what makes it exciting. I don’t imagine purchasing one anytime soon—something about it seems a little robotic to me, but they’re a lot of fun to try out and play with.