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Google Glass as congressional catnip: That didn't take long

Let's stipulate for the record that Congress has every right to ask questions of private industry as it works on the nation's behalf. I remember reading something to that effect when I was studying social studies once upon a time.

Then you have this: A public letter sent to Google CEO Larry Page by eight members of Congress inquiring "whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of the average American."

News flash: Congress has discovered the 21st century.

It's not that the congressional representatives who signed onto to this letter were necessarily naive … Read more

Google likes the look of Microsoft multitouch for Web

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google would like to endow Chrome with Microsoft's technology for letting Web applications deal with input from mice, pens, and touch screens.

Developers of the Google browser said at the company's Google I/O show here Thursday that Microsoft's Pointer Events approach -- built into IE10, Windows 8, and Windows Phone 8, and being standardized at the World Wide Web Consortium -- has some real advantages.

"We're going to start landing some experimental support in Blink for Pointer Events," said Chrome programmer Rick Byers. Blink is the open-source browser engine at … Read more

How Google slurps in Street View data -- not just from streets

SAN FRANCISCO -- By now Street View is a routine part of online mapping. But people might not be so familiar with how Google actually gets the data for its 360-degree panoramic views of the world.

Street View imagery launched in 2007 with photos taken by cameras perched on cars. That's still the mainstay of the project, but there's much more to it now, and Google was showing off its methods at its Google I/O 2013 developer show here this week.

Exhibits included not just a car, but also a snowmobile, tricycle, backpack, trolley, and self-propelled underwater … Read more

Google Glass spurs privacy questions from Congress

Several members of Congress sent a letter to Google to ask about privacy concerns related to Google Glass, including how the company will prevent Glass from unintentionally collecting data without user consent.

"Because Google Glass has not yet been released and we are uncertain of Google's plans to incorporate privacy protections into the device, there are still a number of unanswered questions that we share," the Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, led by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) wrote in a letter to Google CEO Larry Page.

Eight members of Congress signed the letter, and they want information from Google … Read more

Larry Page's reality distortion field

Larry Page is turned off by treating his life's work as a kind of sporting competition. In his way of thinking, battles over Android vs. iOS or Google+ vs. Facebook are a petty distractions, glorified in the press. They generate negative energy, which leads to a diminished capacity to innovate and focus on moonshots, such as self-driving cars, that have the potential to change the world.

"Every story I read about Google is us versus some other company or some stupid thing," the Google co-founder and CEO told 6,000 developers at Google I/O in his … Read more

Google: Check out our new Glassware like Tumblr

Google Glass just got a lot more interesting.

Google on Thursday unveiled several new apps -- or "Glassware," as it calls them -- for its wearable computing device. The apps include Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Evernote, CNN, and Elle and join the apps already available from The New York Times and Path. The new apps are currently available to Glass owners.

While the apps have limited functionality compared with their mobile and Web versions, many companies noted the first release is only the start of what their Glass apps will soon offer.

"We believe that wearables are the … Read more

Caption this: Google's giant I/O robot hand

It's Google I/O 2013 time, and that means revamped Maps, subscription music, Glass apps, and giant robotic arms!

At a Google I/O fete Wednesday night in San Francisco, partygoers took in sights including a shirtless Billy Idol, an electronic dance floor, and multiple robots roaming the joint.

One of the most rockin' robots had to be this giant hydraulic hand that picked up and crushed 55-gallon drums.… Read more

Twitter unveils Google Glass app

Twitter launched its official app for Google Glass on Thursday.

The app lets Google Glass users tweet photos and text, as well as reply to, retweet, or favorite tweets and notifications. When you share a photo using the app, it will automatically put the words, "Just shared a photo #throughglas," in the tweet. If you're one of the elite few who own a pair of Google Glass frames, turn on the Twitter option here.

There was already a third-party app that let users tweet from the wearable tech, but it could only share photos. Twitter was caught … Read more

Facebook launches app for Google Glass

Facebook on Thursday launched a version of its app for Google Glass, becoming the latest technology company to release software for the computing eyewear.

The app allows users to upload photos from Google Glass directly to their Facebook timelines. They also can add optional photo descriptions, just by saying the information out loud. Right now, users can't tag people in photos from Glass, but they can tag the pictures after sharing them by going on a computer or mobile device. … Read more

Glass to get streaming video, official development kit

SAN FRANCISCO--Google's got video streaming and a development kit for Glass in the works, the company confirmed on Thursday in front of an overflow crowd at Google I/O 2013.

In addition to those features, Timothy Jordan, a senior developer advocate for Project Glass, said that offline support and media access will also be coming to Glass. Jordan did not reveal a release date for the improvements, only saying that they would all be "coming soon" to the wearable Internet-connected headset.

Google, he said, wants to hear from developers about what they want in the Glass Development … Read more