[huhtenberg]

Google should really make a camera-less version of the Glass.

Portable eye-level display is insanely useful. But if it's burdened with something that is viewed by many as a source of privacy concerns, it would just hinder the adoption. It will make the Glass banned from corporate environments, planes and basically every place that has "no cameras" signs. Like supermarkets.

[huggah]

Every single person I have talked to who has used glass for more than a few days has found the instant camera to be the most compelling feature of Glass. The author of this article did as well! In that context, I can't see how it makes sense to offer a camera-less version, at least not at launch.

[huhtenberg]

> Every single person I have talked to who has used glass for more than a few days

Are you on the project Glass team or something? :)

Have these persons commented on the actual display quality? The resolution, the color depth and so on. There's suspiciously ZERO in-use shots of the display as seen by the wearer. Makes you wonder why.

[gfodor]

I'd imagine getting an accurate visualization of how glass actually looks (without simulation) would be a bit more involved than just sticking a camera in place of the wearer's head. It certainly seems like the type of thing you simply have to put on to get a sense of how it feels.

[kzrdude]

You can't really photograph it, it's so close to the eye.

[huhtenberg]

You and I can't probably photograph it, but the Glass marketing people should be perfectly capable of doing that, don't you think?

I mean, c'mon, it's an interaction product. With no images of the actual interaction. How odd is that.

[Kiro]

What? Have you missed the new Glass homepage? It's filled with GUI images and a video too.

[huggah]

No, but I work at Google, and I'm interested, so I've had lots of chances to play with it and talk with people who are on the team or are in the dogfood.

ETA response to the second question: I'm very happy with the display. That's probably as much as I should say, and I don't know the actual details anyway.

[tomkinstinch]

There's always the low tech solution: place a circle of electrical tape over the lens. Disconnecting the microphone and GPSr would be more involved, but without them the functionality is greatly reduced so maybe that's moot.

FWIW, opaque tape over the lens is the method the NSA recommends for securing the cameras on iOS devices and laptops:

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/os/applemac/Apple_iOS_5_Guide.p...

http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/factsheets/macosx_hardening_tip...

[jkn]

It will make the Glass banned from corporate environments, planes and basically every place that has "no cameras" signs. Like supermarkets.

What about mobile phones then?

[drucken]

It is quite obvious when someone is trying to record you with a mobile phone or normal camera as well as it just being plain inconvenient.

Something like Google Glass's eye-level form factor is made to be as convenient, discrete and available as possible.