TechnologyInsanity.com

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about the upcoming “Google Glass”.  First of all, I’m going to talk a bit about smart phones. I never really caught on to the smart phone revolution mainly because I don’t see a point in it, and as of right now my life doesn’t dictate that I need one. When I have changes in my lifestyle my views on smartphones will undoubtedly change. Mainly, I just don’t leave being in front of a PC or laptop very often.

I do still carry my smartphone sometimes to connect to WiFi hotspots but there is no cellular service on it nor is there 3G. I tried it for 2 years and I did not really care for it, mainly because I thought it was taking away from me interacting with humans face to face. Google Glass aims to solve this issue by you still looking at other humans while you use your internet connected device.

So Google glass has some limited abilities compared to a smart phone, taking pictures, video, and limited web browsers. I’m not 100% on all the details of how the thing will actually work since I did not get an “Explorer” version, but my guess is that it will be looked at as a “toy” version of augmented reality in the coming years.

Eyesight Issues

I wear glasses 24/7 to correct high myopia, so I’d have to get contacts to be able to use Google Glass until they rolled out prescription frames that also come with Google Glass. There’s no telling if wearing contacts and using Google glass will cause issues.

Steve Mann

Steve Mann has made some comments on Google Glass and how it has some issues. I don’t think that these issues really apply that much because it seems like a casual version of augmented reality. His arguments are that Google Glass will cause eye strain – which is probably true. The “screen” is not directly in front of you so you have to actually move your eyes to look at it. If you’re doing that all the time there’s no doubt you’re going to run into eye strain issues. However, I see this as more of a casual device so these issues may not be as apparent.

Privacy

Some people are concerned if this thing catches on that people will lose their privacy. Well, I really don’t think anyone has privacy as it is in the world today. There’s cameras everywhere and people taking pictures with smart phones all over the place. I’m sure the Amish will hate this thing, but the truth is even the Amish are being recorded and their pictures taken all the time as it is today.

I don’t see any significant change here just because people have a video recorder/picture taker on their face. Just consider yourself in the public eye when you walk out your front door. That’s just the way things are now.

Conclusion

So I come to my point – I will not be getting Google Glass mainly because it is bound to have issues being the first version of augmented reality released to the public. Do I like the idea? YES. I love the idea – and I think that later versions will be quite awesome and something worth buying. As of now, though, I’m not interested. We shall see if my views change when it is actually released to the public.

I personally own this camera, and really, for a budget camera it’s not bad. Though, don’t be fooled by the high MP count, it takes DECENT pictures but not amazing or overly amazing. I mean, what do you really expect out of a $139.95 camera?

Anyway, it DOES have a nice, long list of features you can look over on the amazon page: Panasonic DMC-FH25K 16.1MP Digital Camera with 8x Wide Angle Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)

If you’re in the market for a camera and on a budget, this is one of the top rated for its cost. Just don’t expect the absolute best pictures out of it, you need to go a bit higher to get the kind of lenses required. Most of what is included in this particular camera are digital enhancements for a lower class lens.

Again, when you think about it, what do you expect out of a $139.99 camera that’s just point and shoot? If all you need it for is general picture taking, this is probably the camera for you and why it’s so popular.

Personally, I haven’t had any problems with it since I bought it and it takes decent pictures. If you’re ready to buy, check the amazon page: Panasonic DMC-FH25K 16.1MP Digital Camera with 8x Wide Angle Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)

For the most part, the LG Passive Cinema screens have been getting rave reviews. Let’s see how it stacks up.

Pros

• Lightweight Glasses
• Cheap glasses, so you can break them without worrying about the cost.
• No need for batteries/recharging.
• Decent 3D quality.
• Great 2D display.

Cons

• Not as good 3D as active.

Now, if you don’t know the difference between plasma, led, and lcd you might want to refer to my LCD vs LED vs Plasma guide. That will give you a good idea of what you’re actually looking for in a TV, along with 3D.

As far as cinema screens go from LG, they’re basically top of the line when it comes to passive. There’s a little difference between active screens made by Samsung, but there’s really not that huge of a difference. Right now Amazon has a deal on this particular set, $800, plus 6 free pairs of 3D glasses. You can get that here: LG 42LM6200 42-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 120 Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV and Six Pairs of 3D Glasses.  At that price, I’m not sure you could go wrong.

If you want something a little bigger just upgrade to the LG Cinema Screen 47LM7600 47-Inch Cinema 3D 1080p 240 Hz LED-LCD HDTV

This app was mostly designed with mobile in mind, but it works well with desktops as well.

It’s not an entirely different browser, rather it’s just a plugin for Firefox or chrome on the desktop.

Anyway, how’s the experience compare to regular search? Well it’s kind of interesting as it shows images of the sites instead of text. I question how useful this really is since I generally use text in the listings to see if the site has what I want. With this you kind of have to go visit the sites to see if they have what you want. I don’t know if this is the best setup.

I think for casual browsing however, it’s not a bad idea and could probably be useful, and in general if you’re browsing on an iPad or iPhone it’s usually casual browsing. So for their primary target market, I think they did a good job with Yahoo Axis.