Over the past several weeks, Google Glass has been subject to a lot of controversy. While the concept itself is rather attractive, public opinions are mixed. In theory, this piece of wireless technology could open the gates to a new era of mobile communications. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a rather gimmicky device with no real, practical purpose but with the potential to invade privacy.
In the end, though, it might come down to how we – the users – utilize Google’s Glass. The future of this device might also depend on developers and how they’ll treat this particular headset. As previously seen in a concept video created by Playground, in theory, Google Glass could be more than just a small gadget that can run regular apps that have already been developed for smartphones or tablets.
But getting back to the “controversy” part, since early June, new things have happened in the world of the Glass, and without further ado, here is the latest.
Google Glass Gets Banned In Casinos
Roughly a week ago, NY Post has reported that multiple casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City have banned the wearing of Google Glass in the gambling area. Evidently, these establishments are concerned that this small piece of wearable technology could be used to cheat at certain casino games, such as Blackjack. In theory, an application could be created for the Glass, making it easy for the wearer to count cards at Blackjack. Although counting cards is technically not illegal, using devices to do so is. Unfortunately, Glass falls into the latter category.
While Google Glass is banned in all casinos located in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, only establishments owned by MGM Resorts and Caesar’s Entertainment have enforced this new rule.
Banned During Google’s Shareholder Meeting
As strange as this may sound at first, during a recent shareholders’ meeting, Google banned the use (by attendees) of recording devices such as cameras and smartphones. Evidently, the Glass has also been included in this list.
Although there have been several “angry” reports suggesting that Google protects its own privacy with one hand but encourages everyone else to disregard it with the other, in reality this is simply normal practice. It is common for recording devices to be banned from shareholders’ meetings, and in many other locations, such as military bases and research labs. The fact that Google Glass comes in the form of a pair of glasses doesn’t change these rules.
New Camera Update
All this controversy aside, so far, June has also brought good news about this gadget, so let’s switch gears.
As established above, one of the main features of Glass is its camera. Evidently, users can capture photos and record videos on-the-go, so it’s quite important for this sensor to perform decently.
Fortunately for Glass owners, a new camera update has been released (as reported by Phone Arena), bringing a handful of new and sought-after features. The main attraction is the addition of multiple image capture, giving users the potential to add HDR and capture higher quality photos in various conditions. Several bug fixes have also been included in the firmware.
Google has previously announced that the device will get regular updates every month, so this is just the beginning.
New Google Glass Video
In addition to the camera software update, the search engine giant has also released a brand new video, titled 20 Searches on Glass. The idea of this new video is to give people a better understanding on what Google voice search is capable of (hence “20 Searches”). The tasks showcased in the video include translating a phrase from English into Swedish, solving basic math problems, converting currency and more, all using your voice. Check out the new Google Glass video.
Ultimately, Google Glass will most likely continue to be subject of controversy for some time to come. People will either get used to it as developers focus on bringing new and unique content, or everyone will eventually forget about the project and simply move on.
What do you think it will happen? As always, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
Vlad Andrici is editor for gforgames.com and writes about technology issues.