Google Glass

Overview and User Guide

09.04.2014 By: Raja Ali Haider

Table of Contents

Abstract.............................................................................................................Page 3 General Description...........................................................................................Page4 Development and its History..............................................................................Page 5 Main Functions and its Features.........................................................................Page 6 Software..............................................................................................................Page 7 Technical Specifications and Interface................................................................Page 8 Diagram of Google Glass Interface......................................................................Page 9 How to set up Google Glass.................................................................................Page11 Google Glass Application......................................................................................Page14 How Google Glass Does Work?.............................................................................Page16 Criticism and Privacy Concerns..............................................................................Page17 Conclusion and Recommendations.......................................................................Page18

Abstract

As new technologies such as the Google Glass are developed and released to the public, so too are new security problems and privacy apprehensions that must be acknowledged and accounted for. This paper examines the connotations of such abilities in the hands of everyday users, as well as the process through which your average programmer can deploy potentially insidious applications to a Google Glass unit. In addition, this piece will explore such topics as new social engineering apprehensions inherent with the release of a technology such as this and hardware vulnerabilities or exploits that have been discovered (as well as those that havent). Already, dozens of Google Glass first-look users have found various ways to sabotage or subvert the device for other purposes, and these types of misuses are something every user and developer of this new technology must be aware of.

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. Albert Einstein

General Description
Google Glass is the first commercially available wearable computer designed for mass use. The device consists of titaniumrimmed glasses with interchangeable lenses. Google Glass includes headmounted display (HMD) placed above our right eye and camera, which has the ability to take photos and record 720p video. Another distinctive feature of the device is the dynamic speaker designed as a vibrating surface contacting the skull of the user. Sound vibrations are conducted directly to the inner ear without generating the audible sound waves.

Google Glass is a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). It was developed by Google with the mission of producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Wearers communicate with the Internet via natural language voice commands.

Google provides four prescription frame choices for about $225.00 U.S. It is necessary to remove a small screw in order to move the Google Glass from one frame to another. Google entered in a partnership with eyewear company Luxottica, owners of the Ray-Ban, Oakley, and other brands, to offer additional frame designs.

Development and its History

Google Glass was developed by Google X, the facility within Google devoted to technological advancements such as driverless cars. The military used Head-mounted displays as early as World War II. Google Glass is smaller and slimmer than previous head-mounted display designs. The Google Glass prototype resembled standard eyeglasses with the lens replaced by a head-up display. In the summer of 2011, Google engineered a prototype that weighed 8 pounds (3,600 g); it is now lighter than the average pair of sunglasses. In April 2013, the Explorer Edition was made available to testers and Developers in the United States for $1,500; a consumer version was made available in 2014 for "significantly less" than the Explorer Edition.

The product began testing in April 2012. Sergey Brin wore a prototype of the Glass to an April 5, 2012, Foundation Fighting Blindness event in San Francisco. In May 2012, Google demonstrated for the first time how Google Glass could be used to shoot video.

Main Functions or Its features

Google Glass is a convergent device that combines the following functions: Communication:

email: receive, read and send mails phone calls: receive incoming calls and dial numbers when connected via Bluetooth with your smartphone on Android or iOS Google Hangouts chats social networks: posting to social networks Facebook Twitter

Internet:

Google search for information, the results are displayed on the device display search for geographic location and tracks using Google Maps weather forecast for the next 2 days Video Diary:

recording 720p HD videos (from 10 sec to unlimited duration) take photos 5 MPix Google Glass Apps in the future will let you create augmented reality by detecting environmental signals and information and visualizing it on the device display Google Glass is being developed by Google X. The project is led by Barak Parviz who has also worked on putting displays into contact lenses The first official information about Google Glass was published in The New York Times in late February 2012. The Explorer Edition is available to testers and Google I/O developers in the United States for $1,500, to be delivered in early 2013, while a consumer version will be available in 2014 for $ 300 500 A few dozens of applications have been so far developed for Google Glass, but according to analysts, the volume of app market for Glass will hit $6B by

Software Used By Google Glass

Applications

Google Glass applications are free applications built by third-party developers. Glass also uses many existing Google applications, such as Google Now, Google Maps, Google+, and Gmail. Third-party applications announced at South by Southwest (SXSW) include Evernote, Skitch, The New York Times, and Path. On April 15, 2013, Google released the Mirror API, allowing developers to start making apps for Glass. In the terms of service, it is stated that developers may not put ads in their apps or charge fees; a Google representative told The Verge that this might change in the future. Many developers and companies have built applications for Glass, including news apps, facial recognition, exercise, photo manipulation, translation, and sharing to social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. On May 16, 2013, Google announced the release of seven new apps, including reminders from Evernote, fashion news from Elle, and news alerts from CNN. Following Google's XE7 Glass Explorer Edition update in early July 2013, evidence of a "Glass Boutique", a store that will allow synchronization to Glass of Glassware and APKs, was noted. Version XE8 made a debut for Google Glass on August 12, 2013. It brings an integrated video player with playback controls, the ability to post an update to Path, and lets users save notes to Evernote. Several other minute improvements include volume controls, improved voice recognition, and several new Google Now cards.

MyGlass

Google offers a companion Android and iOS app called MyGlass, which allows the user to configure and manage the device.

Voice activation

Other than the touchpad, Google Glass can be controlled using "voice actions". To activate Glass, wearers tilt their heads 30 upward (which can be altered for preference) or tap the touchpad, and say "O.K., Glass." Once Glass is activated, wearers can say an action, such as "Take a picture", "Record a video", "Hangout with [person/Google+ circle]", "Google 'What year was Wikipedia founded?'", "Give me directions to the Eiffel Tower", and "Send a message to John" (many of these commands can be seen in a product video released in February 2013). For search results that are read back to the user, the voice response is relayed using bone conduction through a transducer that sits beside the ear, thereby rendering the sound almost inaudible to other people.

Technical specifications and its Interfaces

From a technical point of view Google Glass is a wearable mobile computer on Android 4.x OS without the support of cellular networks. Google Glass Technical Specifications

Google Glass technical specifications are shown in the table below. Specification Display/ Projector Value High resolution display is the equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away, video resolution WVGA (800x480 Pix) 5 MPix (2500 x 2000 Pix), 720p HD video WiFi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth (supposedly v.4) Dualcore TI OMAP 4430 (CortexA9), frequency 1.2 GHz 16 Gb, available to users ~ 12,5 Gb 1 Gb, available to users ~ 650 Mb MicroUSB Android v. 4.0.4 Contact vibrating dynamic speaker (sound transmission from the device to the inner ear through the skull bones) In place One day of typical use , presumably 700 800 MAh Accelerometer, GPS receiver
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Camera Resolution Connectivity Processor ROM (ReadOnly Memory) RAM (Random Access Memory) Connecting to a PC Operating System Dynamic Speaker

Microphone Battery Detectors

Google Glass connects to the Internet only by WiFi. Bluetooth can be used to pair your Glass to your smartphone.

Google Glass Interaction

You can use touch gestures on the touchpad, a microphone for sound recordings and voice command's recognition, buttons to turn on/off the device and for photography / video recording purposes. Google Glass
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Google Glass interface is shown in the picture below

On / Off button turns the device on and off. Capture a photo/video. Press the camera button to capture a picture. After snapping a picture, youll see a brief preview of the shot youve just taken. Capturing video clips with Glass works similarly to taking a picture. Press and hold the camera button. Glass defaults to recording video clips of ten seconds; to continue recording past the default limit, press the camera button. Touchpad recognized users motions. Typical Google Glass gestures: Swipe forward and back to move through items on your timeline; Touch the touchpad once to select an item; Swipe down to close menu (and get back to a previous menu entry) and to close mobile apps.

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Setting up Google Glass

Turn Glass on and off by pressing the round power button, located on the inner right side of the device. When turned on, Glass is active when it can interact with the user and display information, or it goes to a sleep mode, when the display is off and power is conserved. After a period of inactivity, the display will turn off. Turn on the display by tapping on the right side of the device or by tilting your head up. You can set Glass to go into a sleep mode whenever you take it off (On Head Detection). This means that the touchpad will become locked; Glass will stop receiving phone calls and will stop playing notification chimes. Turn on On Head Detection from the Settings bundle. To start using Glass, you should register it via your Google Account. Plug it into a computer via USB and go to www.google.com/myglass this will initiate a registration process, which consists of four steps. Steps 1 and 2 prompt the user to accept the Terms of Use.

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Step 3 requires you to connect to a WiFi Network. Step 4 generates a QRCode, which should be scanned by Glass; it includes the settings for the devices, including WiFi authorization.

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When Google Glass scans the QR Code, it automatically sets itself up using parameters from the PC, including WiFi connection. When it is done, you are good to go. At this moment a Google Glass Home Page should become available via your google account at glass.google.com/myglass, where you can manage your settings and install apps.

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Google Glass Application

Currently (June 2013) Glass has the following domains for application: 1. Communication: using the device to communicate with other people via mobile, Gmail, Hangouts etc. 2. POV photo and video 3. Internet search using Google Voice Search 4. Social Networks. Glass User Menu

The user menu appears as soon as the device is turned on. The Home screen will greet you with the current time and the words ok glass.

Swipe backwards to scroll through weather and settings, allowing the user to configure various Glass features (WiFi, Bluetooth, sleep mode settings, onhead and tiltup detection, current software version) and a weather forecast for 3 upcoming days. Swipe forward to scroll through your timeline; note that all activities (pictures and videos taken, Google search history etc.) are sorted from newest to older (left to right). On top of graphical interface, Glass recognizes the following English commands: Record a video: ok, glass, record a video Take a picture: ok, glass, take a picture Use Google Now: ok, glass, [question] Google+ hangout: ok, glass, hang out with [person/circle] Search: ok, glass, google [search query] Image Search: ok, glass, google photos of [search query] Translate: ok, glass, say [text] in [language] Navigation: ok, glass, give directions to [place] Messaging: ok, glass, send a message to [name] Weather: ok, glass, how is the weather in [location]? Flight Information: ok, glass, when does flight [flight number] depart from [airport]?

The quality of speech recognition is exceptionally high, even commands with accent are recognized properly.
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Usage Scenarios
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As of today (3 of July, 2013) Google Glass may be used in the following ways: Bluetooth headset: using your smartphone, pair Glass with your iOS/Android device (no PIN required). However, making or answering a phone call should be done via a smartphone. Taking POV pictures and videos: you can start video recording by saying ok, glass, record a video or take a picture by saying ok, glass, take a picture, or by pressing the camera button. Using Gmail: New incoming email messages appear in the menu. Using touchpad you can view the card which displays the subject and snippet of the message. Reply to received messages by speaking your reply. New mail is composed in the same way. Note that the receiving address should already be in your Google contacts. Chatting in Google Hangouts: sending and receiving messages to and from Google contacts. You can record new messages by speaking it. Googling for Places and Organizations: Search for information, such as ok, glass, google [restaurants in Moscow] displays a list of places. The user can then swipe through the list and tab the linktocall to contact the place. Connecting to a PC

PCs running Windows XP/7 or Mac OS X detect Google Glass as a portable media player. The Glass is connected via a standard MicroUSB cable. Google Glass allows for import of photos and videos taken, but its impossible within the current software version to copy files on Glass and use it as USB Flash storage

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How Google Glass Works?

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Criticism and privacy concerns

Concerns have been raised by various sources regarding the intrusion of privacy, and the etiquette and ethics of using the device in public and recording people without their permission.There is controversy that Google Glass would violate privacy rights due to security problems and others. Privacy advocates are concerned that people wearing such eyewear may be able to identify strangers in public using facial recognition, or surreptitiously record and broadcast private conversations.Some companies in the U.S. have posted anti-Google Glass signs in their establishments. In July 2013, prior to the official release of the product, Stephen Balaban, co-founder of software company Lambda Labs, circumvented Googles facial recognition app block by building his own, non-Google-approved operating system. Balaban then installed face-scanning Glassware that creates a summary of commonalities shared by the scanned person and the Glass wearer, such as mutual friends and interests. Additionally, Michael DiGiovanni created Winky, a program that allows a Google Glass user to take a photo with a wink of an eye, while Marc Rogers, a principal security researcher at Lookout, discovered that Glass can be hijacked if a user could be tricked into taking a picture of a malicious QR code. Other concerns have been raised regarding legality of the Glass in a number of countries, particularly in Russia, Ukraine, and other post-USSR countries. In February 2013, a Google+ user noticed legal issues with Glass and posted in the Glass Explorers community about the issues, stating that the device may be illegal to use according to the current legislation in Russia and Ukraine, which prohibits use of spy gadgets that can record video, audio or take photographs in an inconspicuous manner. Concerns were also raised in regard to the privacy and security of Glass users in the event that the device is stolen or lost, an issue that was raised by a US congressional committee. As part of its response to the governmental committee, Google stated in early July that is working on a locking system and raised awareness of the ability of users to remotely reset Glass from the web interface in the event of loss. Several facilities have banned the use of Google Glass before its release to the general public, citing concerns over potential privacy-violating capabilities. Other facilities, such as Las Vegas casinos, banned Google Glass, citing their desire to comply with Nevada state law and common gaming regulations which ban the use of recording devices near gambling areas.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

At the moment, Glass doesnt have a comprehensive ecosystem of apps and services. Some market leaders (Evernote, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) have developed their Glass apps that mainly allow just sharing the content. Leading analysts (Mary Meeker from KPCB) forecast a rapid increase in demand for wearable gadgets, the same way that it happened with personal computers, smartphones and tablets after the release of iPhone. Experts at Life.SREDA VC firm consider Glass and similar gadgets as very new channels for serviceuser interaction, which increase the role of context in user actions, primarily in the fields of ecommerce, communication and search for information, as well as payments. That being said, Glass is capable of only changing the way users interact with services and receive information. The core of user actions and demands and the essence of the problems and tasks will not undergo significant transformation.

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