Tag: augmented reality glasses

Google Glass blocking devices seek to stop WiFi connections

| September 11, 2014

New anti-router gadgets are working to block augmented reality glasses, cameras, and drones from connecting.

There is a growing number of people who are feeling uneasy about the presence of security cameras, drones, and Google Glass wearers, among other types of device, that could be recording video or audio of them without their knowledge or permission.

In response to this discomfort with the technology, devices are being developed to stop those devices from getting online.

Among these devices, one that is currently receiving a considerable amount of attention is the Cyborg Unplug. All that a user needs to do is to plug it into an electrical socket. From that point on, if a Google Glass device or some other form of surveillance gadget should try to connect to WiFi within the vicinity, it will sound an alarm

Moreover, that gadget can also stop Google Glass and other devices from connecting to a WiFi network.

Device Blocks Google GlassWhen plugged in at home for example, the Cyborg Unplug will stop surveillance devices from being able to connect to the owners WiFi network. Essentially, the device is a very small sized router that contains firmware that is built to be able to identify and stop devices based on their MAC addresses.

This particular mobile gadget was developed by an artist who resides in Berlin, named Julian Oliver. He came up with a bit of code that was called Glasshole.sh which was created specifically to stop wearers of Google’s augmented reality headsets from being able to connect to a WiFi network. The concept was popular enough that Oliver felt justified in developing a complete consumer product that was designed for that same purpose.

On the official website for the product, Oliver points out that when the Cyborg Unplug is in its “All Out Mode,” – which is the setting that stops Google Glass and surveillance devices from making a connection with any WiFi located in the area, the use of the device is actually not legal in many areas, and he advises against its use in that way. That said, with the option available, it would not be unimaginable for consumers to choose to break the law in order to try to protect their privacy…or more realistically, for activists to slip these very small sized devices into public places with hot spots, in order to cause some chaos.

Google Glass owners now have their own Pandora Radio app

| September 3, 2014

The popular music streaming service has officially rolled out its first application for this wearable technology.

Explorers now have a brand new way to be able to listen to music over their Google Glass wearable tech, as Pandora has now rolled out its very first app that is designed specifically for use over these devices.

The Glass app gives users the ability to be able to control their stations through the use of voice command.

The Google Glass app first came to life as an internal hackathon project earlier in 2014 that was held by Pandora. The company found that the effort was so popular that it went ahead and turned it into an official application designed for the augmented reality headset. It provides users with the ability to be able to listen to music through the AR glasses in three separate ways. The first is with the ear bud that is provided in the Glass Explorer kit. The second is with the additional optional stereo ear bud gadget. And the third is with the guilt in speaker of the wearable tech, itself, which doesn’t require any additional accessories.

The Google Glass version of the app can be controlled either through the touchpad or voice command.

Pandora made a blog post to share the control methods, in which it said that “Our Glassware allows you to access your personalized radio stations from wherever you are, interacting with the service through voice command or by using the touchpad.”

Users can also either play existing stations or create new ones through the use of the new app. Among the voice commands that are available to them are those that allow them to choose or form new stations. However, the touchpad goes above and beyond that for allowing users to play, skip, or pause tracks, as well as to rate individual tracks using the thumbs up or thumbs down signs.

In order to download the app, owners of the device simply need to visit the Google Glass page, turn on Pandora, and then sign in. This is the second app that has been designed by Pandora for wearable devices. The first one was made specifically for the Pebble smartwatch, and it was rolled out earlier in 2014. That said, the company has been dropping hints to suggest that there may be more focus on wearables in the future.