Google Glass Explorer edition heading

Google Glass just got real, ya'll.

The Mountain View, Calif., monolith confirmed today that it plans to get Google Glass Explorer Edition into the hands of developers within the next month. So if you know a dev who shelled out the $1,500 for the chance to be one of the first to dig into the augmented reality specs, I highly recommend being on your best behavior at their Memorial Day barbecue -- your drunken pool dive might be broadcast live over a Hangout by the host.

The news came today in the midst of a big announcement that Google Ventures is partnering with a few Silicon Valley big guns -- namely Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers -- to invest in startups developing products for the what it calls the "Glass ecosystem."
Let's hope that ecosystem includes at least a couple of startups with a fashionable design bent that can make Glass look a little more Gucci and a little less Geordi La Forge.
So it looks like Glass developers will have the specs around the time of Google I/O next month, and roughly a year after Google first introduced the technology by skydiving them into San Francisco's Moscone convention hall.
Soon-to-be Glass Explorer edition owners will have to pick them up in person in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York (sorry Omaha devs), but parachuting in to will call is optional.

The Galaxy S4's Key Lime Pie problem

The new Galaxy S4 features cutting edge hardware.
Too bad its operating system will be out of date about four weeks after the phone hits store shelves.
Samsung Electronics' latest phone, which will debut in April at the earliest, will run Android 4.2.2, also known as Jelly Bean. It's also the latest version of Android -- for now.
The problem is another version of Android, widely believed to be called Key Lime Pie, will likely make its debut at Google's I/O developer conference in May.


With the first carriers expected to get the Galaxy S4 in April, Samsung has a limited window before its best phone is running software that's no longer the latest and greatest.
Samsung's dilemma underscores the broader problem that Android handset manufacturers face with Google: slow access to the latest version of the mobile operating system.
In its defense, Samsung has had a fairly decent track record when it comes to keeping its phones updated. But a constant complaint by users of all phones has been the slow rollout of different versions of Android.
For instance, the difference between when a Nexus device gets an update and when an HTC or Samsung phone can often be dramatic.

In situations like the Galaxy S4, where another version of Android is likely just around the corner, the lack of vendor control can be glaring.

Android updates are complicated by the relationship between the handset vendor, Google, and the carriers. The handset vendor has to wait for Google to release the code. The vendor in turn has to take that code and integrate it into its customized version of Android -- in Samsung's case TouchWiz -- which can take time. Finally, the altered version of Android has to be submitted to the carriers, which can take their time when it comes to approval and roll out.

It's likely the cause of some of the perceived tension between Google and Samsung. While Google has called Samsung a threat, Samsung has been working on another operating system, Tizen, as a potential alternative to Android. While Tizen is open to a number of players, its development is under the direction of Samsung and Intel.

For now, Android remains dominant, and Samsung will stick with the operating system. Samsung executives have maintained that there is a relationship built on respect between the two companies, while Google has said that it is committed to being open.

And smartphones like the Galaxy S4 will continue to suffer from Android envy just weeks after they launch.

Google releases full Google Glass explainer video

Google developer advocate Timothy Jordan envisions Google Glass, pardon the pun, as a way for people to distance themselves from technology. This seems a bit oxymoronic, however, considering it's a device people would wear on their face.
Jordan expounds on this idea and explains more about Google's wearable augmented reality project in a new video released today (see below). The video is a recording of Jordan's presentation at last month's South by Southwest Interactive conference.
"Project glass is about our relationship to technology. It's about technology that's there when you want it but out of the way when you don't," Jordan said in the video. "It feels like technology is getting in the way more than it needs to. And, that's what we are addressing with project glass. It's so that you can still have access to the technology that you love but it doesn't take you out of the moment."

The nearly hour-long video goes through what Google Glass can do, such as record videos, take photos, chat, get directions, look up facts on the Web, and more. Jordan gives viewers a preview of the project's Mirror API, explains how the device works, and plays a video of what it looks like through the lens of Google Glass.
He aims to show the audience that since Google Glass is worn on a user's face, it seamlessly becomes part of their everyday movements, thoughts, and actions -- which is unlike a smartphone that people need to dig out of their pocket or purse to check.
"This is the idea," Jordan said. "By bringing technology closer, we can get it more out of the way."
While Jordan said that Google Glass is still in its beginning stages and far from being done, reports say that the device is expected to arrive on the market for the general public later this year.