One Journalist Wants Refund for Google Glass

[exfileme]

He lists the pros and cons of having and using Google Glass.

One Journalist Wants Refund for Google Glass : Read more

 

[Cons29]

"If you're wearing a $1,500 piece of equipment..."
you would want to do lot's of research before buying. besides, something that small... you really should not expect a good battery life, not anytime soon at least

 

[Murissokah]

Sounds like some one just wanted to get the device for a review and is now missing their 1.5 grand.

 

[Camikazi]

So basically the guy bought something without even researching it and now wants his money back. Most of those reasons are just stupid or his fault, Glass isn't a full out done product yet it is basically beta and of course there will be problems. Hell it is called the "Explorer Program" for a reason, you have to be adventurous and expect problems when you explore new territory, I guess this guy didn't understand that.

 

[southernshark]

His complaints sound legitimate to me, especially if the voice recognition doesn't work. That's a big problem.

 

[Vlad Rose]

" On the negative side, the rest of the world becomes out of focus when accessing this display. "
You mean like when you're driving and don't pay attention to the speedometer, but use it as an excuse to get out of a ticket?

 

[SlitelyOff]

Why is the guy getting such criticism? Has anyone here ever purchased something that didn't work as expected, whatever those expectations are? If you have, have you ever wanted to return that item? The things he mentioned are not things that I had ever read about GG. I don't know would have necessarily thought of those technical issues on my own (other than the social aspects of wearing it) Spending $1500 for something, even experimental, should not exclude you from having reasonable expectations that the product should work.

 

[clonazepam]

They are all common sense except the voice recognition issue. My nose was broken and therefore, since I have worn sunglasses at least once in my life, I know that a $1500 google glass will not set level on my face.

 

[ss202sl]

He was fine until he tried to get his expenses reimbursed.

 

[GlassFTW]

1. Matt lake is an iPhone fanatic and used to write for MACWORLD!

2. ALL iPhone fanatics, especially the apple paid reporters, trash android and especially Google glass.

3. Apple, in the end, will be single digits in market share and people will laugh at those who own apple products.

 

[joaompp]

So he pays $1500 for an obvious beta product, writes an article about his experience in order to pay his bills, then request a refund?
He sounds like one of those girls that buys a new dress for a job interview then returns it the next day.

 

[DePalouk]

I just bought my first smartphone and I want my money back. It has no buttons for the numbers, I have to actually touch the screen, this is ridiculous. And the camera is not even as good as a dslr. Plus, it requires a sim card to make phone calls.

 

[mapesdhs]

Hmm, so the author says, "...people fear surveillance...", yet more than
a billion people have splurged themselves all over Facebook, etc. The
hyporacy of the modern general public beggars belief.

Ian.

 

[sykozis]

Hmm, so the author says, "...people fear surveillance...", yet more than
a billion people have splurged themselves all over Facebook, etc. The
hyporacy of the modern general public beggars belief.

Ian.

People fear surveillance, yet they all flocked to smartphones that track your location.....

 

[gm0n3y]

1) Eye Contact
People won't think you are lying, they'll assume you are looking at Glass. At least until they make it invisible, which the author seems to expect.

2) Voice recognition.
This is a fair criticism, though I haven't heard it from many others. Considering that the product is still in beta and voice recognition isn't great in ANY product currently (though getting better), it is understandable though still a bit of a let down.

3) Battery
Well of course if you use it heavily the battery won't last long. The device is tiny. Are there any other devices out that are as powerful in a similar sized form factor that get better battery life?

4) Size
While it would be nice if it was smaller, it is pretty damn small for such a powerful device. Hopefully the first real release will be even smaller.

5) Conspicuous.
Does the author really want nobody to be able to tell that you are wearing them? This seems to be such a sticking point for so many people. It may not be a fashion accessory (yet), but give it time and people will get used to it. I bet someone wearing headphones would look pretty silly to the common person 100 years ago. Considering that "geek chic" is becoming more and more popular it is inevitable that these will become a status symbol.

6) Tilted photos
Not sure what Google can do about this one. Maybe have a gyroscope to automatically level the photo? As the article mentions, photo editing software seems to be the simple way to 'fix' this.

7) GPS
How is the author mad about requiring a connection to your phone for this? Does he want to pay a separate monthly fee for his Glass just to get a cell connection? Does he not have a smartphone? This is just a baseless criticism.

8) Earphone
Another fair criticism. Hopefully Google will come out with different shapes and sizes. For a beta product it seems to work pretty well for most people.

9) Envy
This is basically a problem with social media that has nothing to do with Glass. Don't look at social media and you won't feel inadequate. Or stop caring so much about what other people do and have fun yourself.

10) Too soon
It's a first gen beta product, what does he expect? The first gen iPhone was a POS and early versions of Android were pretty terrible too.

 

[Haravikk]

I was interested in Google Glass when I thought the actually glass lenses would be the part displaying the augmented content, like it would be adding it to the world around you. As soon as I found out it's really just all in that goofy little prong on the top right, I was turned completely off the idea.

Then we learned that a big focus of the device is on the camera and social integration, and I am now completely uninterested in the device except from the perspective of whether I'm now going to be subjected to idiots wearing them and taking pictures all the time; battery life and comfort are irrelevant after that.

So yeah, Google Glass is just a tacky, limited and disgustingly overpriced and overhyped piece of kit that isn't anything like what people really should expect from wearable tech, and with the battery life where it is, it's just not ready for use yet anyway.