Google Glass to land in developers’ hands at special events this month

By Trevor Mogg January 16, 2013

Google Glass is about to take another important step towards becoming an item on people’s shopping lists with two upcoming Google-organized hackathons that will give developers a chance to familiarize themselves with the futuristic wearable tech. The first of these will take place in San Francisco on January 28 and 29, while the second is set for New York on February 1 and 2.

Those invited include developers who’ve already put down $1500 for the special Explorer edition of the high-tech specs. The so-called Glass Foundry gatherings will give developers an overview of the device and, most important of all, allow them to get their hands on it for the first time.

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“It’s the first opportunity for a group of developers to get together and develop for Glass,” Google said in the invitation, adding that engineers from the Mountain View company will be in attendance to answer questions and offer help.

The final part of the event sounds like it could be a lot of fun, with developers given the stage to show what they’ve managed to come up with over the two days. And “special guest judges” will be there to offer their opinions too, Google said.

Google Glass project leader Babak Parviz said in a recent interview that there was still much development work to be done with Glass before it hits the market, something which could happen early next year. While we already know the device can take photos, shoot video, and bring up information on the heads-up display, Parviz said his team is currently looking at ways of getting it to work with voice commands and head gestures, as well as receive calls.

No doubt these two Glass Foundry events will really move things along.

Below is the invitation from Google to developers:

Join us for an early look at Glass and two full days of hacking on the upcoming Google Mirror API in San Francisco or New York. These hackathons are just for developers in the Explorer program and we’re calling them the Glass Foundry. It’s the first opportunity for a group of developers to get together and develop for Glass.

We’ll begin the first day with an introduction to Glass. You’ll have a device to use while on-site. Next we’ll take a look at the Mirror API, which gives you the ability to exchange data and interact with the user over REST. We’ll then dive into development with Google engineers on site to help you at any point. At the end of the second day we’ll have a lively round of demos with some special guest judges.

If you’d like to attend this first Glass Foundry, please choose and register by Friday, January 18th at 4pm PT. There is limited space. If you are accepted, you will receive a confirmation letter with additional details and required terms after registration closes. Please don’t make any travel arrangements until your attendance is confirmed.

Glass Foundry San Francisco

January 28th & 29th at Google SF

Glass Foundry New York

February 1st & 2nd and Google NYC

[via AllThingsD] [Image: Antonio Zugaldia]

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Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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