Chapter 12

Finding Third-Party Apps

In This Chapter

Finding apps on the MyGlass website or app

Downloading and installing apps

Starting an installed app

Getting app information from other Glass users

Technology, and applications of this technology, will continue to improve and evolve, providing unprecedented, global access to information, individuals, training, and opportunities.

— Maynard Webb

The promise of wearable computers is that the devices themselves go away. That is, they melt into the background to deliver data as you need it instead of requiring you to look for something, as other computing devices do.

Apps written specifically for Google Glass are available now. These apps, which Google calls Glassware, go a long way toward fulfilling the promise that you see data only when you need it.

Shop for Glassware

Apps aren’t installed on Glass by default. Instead, you shop for them on the MyGlass website or on the MyGlass app on your smartphone (see Chapter 5).

Browse apps

To check out some of the Glassware that’s available, follow these steps:

1. Go to the MyGlass website ( www.google.com/myglass) on your smartphone or computer.
2. Click or tap Glassware on the menu bar at the top of the MyGlass home page (see Figure 12-1).

   

   The Glassware page appears (see Figure 12-2), displaying two sections of apps that are available for Glass. The top section, Featured Glassware, lists apps that Google recommends. Below it, the All Glassware section shows all available apps. In both sections, apps are represented as cards and listed alphabetically from left to right.

   Each app card contains the following information:

   • The name of the app
   • A description of the app
   • The app icon
   • A blue icon with a check mark (if the app is installed on your Glass) or a gray icon with a plus sign (if the app isn’t installed)
3. Scroll the screen to view all the apps.

Many apps are available at this writing, including the following:

• Allthecooks Recipes: If you not only like to cook, but also like to share recipes, tips, and ask questions of other chefs, this app gives you the best of both worlds. You can read and follow recipes on your Glass instead of flipping through a printed recipe book and also connect with fellow app users to get recipes, share information, and ask how you can make your dishes even better.
• Compass: This app tells you the direction in which your head is pointing so you can orient yourself in the real world. The Compass app also uses your GPS location when you have your Glass connected to your smartphone to tell you when you’re near an interesting landmark, in case you want to check it out.

  

• GolfSight: Glass is great for golfers, because you can use the device without letting go of your club to check your smartphone. What’s more, the GolfSight app for Glass lets you calculate the distance to the next hole and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• IFTTT: Use the IFTTT app (the acronym stands for If This, Then That) to tell your Glass to do something when an event is triggered. You can tell IFTTT to send you an e-mail message whenever you’re mentioned in a Twitter post, for example.
• Mini Games: Google created five simple games — Balance, Clay Shooter, Matcher, Shape Splitter, and Tennis — that let you have fun and take advantage of the unique features of Glass. All you have to do to start playing these games is say “OK, Glass, play a game” at the Home screen.
• Spellista: If you’re a big fan of word-jumble games, the Spellista app is for you. Each level of the game allows you to unscramble different words. You can also play the game with other Spellista users through your Internet connection.
• Stopwatch: When you need to time a process or an event, you can use the Stopwatch app for Glass instead of using your smartphone or even your watch.
• Strava: Going out for a run or a bike ride? Put Glass on your head and use the Strava app to keep track of statistics you want to know, such as how far and how long you’ve traveled. You can also view a map showing where you are on your route.
• Umano: Every day, this app sends your Glass interesting articles on topics such as technology, politics, and getting more from your personal life. The articles appear as cards on the timeline. Professional voice actors — not computer voice simulations — read the articles to you on your Glass, so the app sounds like a personal radio broadcast.
• Video Voyager: The Video Voyager (VV) app allows you to associate videos you take on your Glass with the locations where they were shared. You can share your videos taken with VV with other VV users, and you receive notifications when other VV users share videos taken near your current location.
• Word Lens: When you’re in a foreign country, viewing printed text or signs in a different language, you can use the Word Lens app to view those words and have the app translate them into your preferred language.

If you’re not sure which apps are worth using, and you’d rather not take the time to download and test each one, you can see what apps other Glass users are using on the Google+ website. See “Get Some Friendly Advice” later in this chapter.

Download apps

As of this writing, all Glass apps are available for free. When you find an app that you’re interested in, you can download it by following these steps:

1. Click or tap the app’s card (refer to Figure 12-2).

   A plus icon appears in the bottom-right corner of the card (see Figure 12-3).

   

2. Install the app by clicking or tapping the plus icon.

   The app’s description card appears (see Figure 12-4).

   

3. To see what permissions you need on your Glass to run the app, click or tap the Permissions link.

   A permissions tab or window pops up. To close the tab or window, click or tap the Close button (X) in its top-right corner.

4. Do one of the following:
   • To close the card without installing the app, click or tap its Close button.
   • To install the app, click or tap the Off button.

During installation, you see the progress of the installation on the card; then the new app’s card appears on your timeline, as shown in Figure 12-5. When you see this card, you know that installation was successful and that you can start exploring the new app on your Glass.

Start Me Up

When you have a new app on your Glass, you can start it from the timeline in either of two ways:

• If your new app accepts voice commands, say “OK Glass…” You see a menu of commands for starting various apps. You can scroll through the list by moving your head up and down until you see the command you want. Start the app by speaking the command you see onscreen.
• Tap the app’s card in the timeline (refer to Figure 12-5).

If you download and install the Compass app, for example, you start it from the timeline by saying “OK Glass, start Compass.” The Compass app screen appears, showing the direction in which you’re facing (see Figure 12-6).

Get Some Friendly Advice

At this writing, the Glassware page of the MyGlass website doesn’t include user reviews. But there’s an easy way to find out what apps other Glass users are using and what they think of those apps: Visit the Google+ website at http://plus.google.com.

When a Glass user shares pictures or video of a running Glass app in a Google+ post, the #throughglass hashtag is added to the post automatically. So the next time you visit Google+ on your computer or smartphone, search for #throughglass, and you’ll find a lot of posts by other Glass users (see Figure 12-7).

If you want to connect with a specific user after reading his post about a Glass app, you can follow that user by clicking or tapping his name in the post and then clicking or tapping Add to Circles on his profile page.