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May

Google Creates Dedicated Developer Page For Glass System Images And Kernels - XE5 Image And Pre-Rooted Bootloader Already Posted

Posted by Jeremiah Rice in Development, Glass, Google, News

Shhhh. Listen closely. Do you hear that? It's the sound of thousands of developers and modders salivating. Though the system images for Google Glass have been available for some time (thanks in no small part to this humble establishment), Google has decided to take the guesswork out of backups and modifications for their wearable tech. The Google Developers website has a brand new Downloads section for Glass, complete with the latest factory image (XE5) and a bootloader. The latter even comes pre-rooted - because Google knows its audience.

Google has also posted the source code for the current Glass kernel to its corporate Git hub, GoogleSource.com.

May

What's Cooler Than 5 Popped Collars? 5 Popped Google Glasses, Of Course

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Off-Topic

Have you heard? The popped collar is coming back. But that's sooo last year now that we have Google Glass. Presenting: 5 popped Google Glasses (combined current value of $7,500 or more like $8k if you count taxes), because having 4 popped Glasses on isn't nearly as cool.

Right part of the image credit: +Adib Towfiq

Left part of the image credit: Someone on the Interwebs, who the hell knows.

May

[APK Teardown] Google Glass XE5 - A "Take A Note" And Menu Voice Commands, More Wink Work, And Localization Progress

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Glass, Google, News

Man, Google Glass moves at the speed of light. This is crazy.

The big XE5 update just hit the interwebs, so that means it's time for a teardown! XE5 is still Android 4.0.4 based, but now we're up to build 4.0.4-665738; the old version was 4.0.4-625737.

The Glass Team is still extraordinarily messy; any new file usually has copies in a million different locations. Basically, everything ships in every APK. Maybe the Glass Team is using extremely bad organization as a form of Teardown obfuscation. (It's not working.)

Take A Note

It looks like note taking is coming to Google Glass!

May

[Download] Google Glass XE4 And XE5 System Dumps - Please Do Something Cool With These

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Glass, Google

Have you tried finding a Glass system dump? It's impossible. A Google search turns up the same thing, over and over again: Me, talking about system dumps or begging for one.

So, to rectify this great injustice of the Internet (and because people keep asking me, personally) we've decided to hit you up with the Glass system dump. The Explorer program seems to be all about hacking and experimentation, so hopefully Google adopts an open policy towards posting Glass code. Please don't yell at us. <3

You can grab the original 285.7MB version of the Glass software, XE4, from our list of mirrors:

And the brand new, updated, 298.9MB XE5 version from any of these fine bit shifters:

If you find anything neat, or get any of this to run on something that it isn't supposed to run on, let us know.

May

What We Can Learn From The Google I/O Session Schedule: Tons Of Gaming, Lower Latency Audio, Next-Gen Google TV, And More!

Posted by Ron Amadeo in News

We are gearing up for I/O here at AP, and with the release of the I/O Sessions schedule, we've got an even clearer idea of what Google has in store for us.

Google I/O is a traditionally developer-oriented conference, but it's also always been a huge source of news about upcoming products. I/O is the one time of year when Googlers are allowed to show off their projects, so there's lots of news out there; you've just got to pay attention.

Didn't get a ticket to I/O? No problem! You can still join the geek party and watch all the action live (or not live, whatever) on YouTube.

May

Running Native Android Apps On Google Glass: INGRESS! (And Other Stuff) [Video]

Posted by Ron Amadeo in Glass, Google, News

Let's have some fun.

We always kind-of expect Glass to be Android based, but I was surprised to find just how Android based it was when I did a teardown of a Glass system dump. "Android based" is selling things a little short, Glass is Android, with just a few APKs piled on top. It reminds me a lot of Facebook home.

So, while I am still plugging away at my full review, I decided to take a bit of a break and see what happens when you try and run real Android apps on Glass.

It's actually pretty easy.

May

Reddit Gets Its Own Google Glass App, Sets Record For Most Brilliant Stupid Idea

Posted by Eric Ravenscraft in Applications, News

When we talk about Google Glass, we have a lot to be hopeful for and a lot to be worried about. Some of those worries might be a little less than rational. Like the fear that you'll potentially be monitored all the time, which is totally different from how it is now. So, for all the Glass skeptics out there, allow me to do you a favor and replace some less rational fears with some that are more reasonable: if Google Glass becomes popular, everyone is going to start looking at cat pictures on their glasses, no one will watch where they're going, and society will collectively walk into poles, open sewer holes, and each other.

May

[APK Teardown] Google Glass "XE4" System Dump - Are You A Typophile?

Posted by Ron Amadeo in APK Teardown, Glass

Despite not (yet) having Google Glass, I've managed to get a hold of a system dump, so it's time to have some fun for the day and see if Glass has any (more) hidden goodies for us. It'll also be fun to see just what makes Glass tick, and how the OS is laid out.

APK Teardown is usually at its best when I have a previous version to diff against and, you know, when I've actually used or at least seen the software in question. I don't have any of those benefits for this teardown, so things could get interesting.

Apr

Cracking Glass – Saurik Posts Account Of Google Glass Root, Controversy, Exploits, And How To Crack Your Own Glass

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Glass, Google, News

Several days ago, something happened that sent a not insignificant ripple through coverage of Google Glass: someone "jailbroke" the device.

Saurik, who posted the above photo to Twitter, had modified Glass' software "while in the Bay Area after picking it up from Google's headquarters in Mountain View."

Understandably, this idea was a bit bedeviling to the press – ostensibly, Glass is a relatively limited platform for developers, who can only write apps using a web-based API, allowing software to be integrated with the device over the internet. Eric Schmidt's words regarding the relative closed-ness (or at least, less-than-total openness) of Glass' platform to start were still wet on the page.

Apr

Google Shows Us 'The Basics' Of Using Glass In New Video

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Glass, Google, News, Videos

Google's official Glass YouTube channel released its first video today – a minute long introduction to Glass' most basic controls. The video is titled Glass How-to: Getting Started, which leads this writer to believe there may be more How-to's in the works.

Impressively well-produced and perfectly simple, the video discusses Glass' gestures – tapping, swiping forward, backward, and down, and gives a very digestible explanation of the device's time-based card interface. The video shows off a few possible Glass cards, but nothing we've not seen before – Google Now notifications for a flight and nearby places, a message, the clock home screen, and calendar items are all represented.