Joshua Topolsky Used Google Glass ⇥ theverge.com

Joshua Topolsky, of The Verge:

Human beings have developed a new problem since the advent of the iPhone and the following mobile revolution: no one is paying attention to anything they’re actually doing. Everyone seems to be looking down at something or through something. Those perfect moments watching your favorite band play or your kid’s recital are either being captured via the lens of a device that sits between you and the actual experience, or being interrupted by constant notifications. Pings from the outside world, breaking into what used to be whole, personal moments.

[Product director Steve Lee] goes on. “We wondered, what if we brought technology closer to your senses? Would that allow you to more quickly get information and connect with other people but do so in a way — with a design — that gets out of your way when you’re not interacting with technology? That’s sort of what led us to Glass.” I can’t stop looking at the lens above his right eye. “It’s a new wearable technology. It’s a very ambitious way to tackle this problem, but that’s really sort of the underpinning of why we worked on Glass.”

Of my questions and skepticism towards Glass, this has been my biggest. But it seems — at least according to Topolsky and the Google people — that reducing the friction in understanding information via technology actually improves the experience.

As I have mentioned many times previously, I’m still not comfortable talking to technology; this product probably isn’t right for me. But I’m more optimistic than I ever have been about it, and I’d love to give it a whirl.