The Top-Secret Google Glass Foundry: Finally We Get A Look Inside

Remember that top secret Google Glass Foundry event?

You know, the one for developers for Google's cool new augmented reality (AR) glasses? The one with the ultra-strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that we'd heard nary a peep out of since the second half of the event wrapped up at the beginning of this month? On its Google+ Developers account, the company that fully intends to whisk us all into a wearable future of computing just gave us a little peek at what went down at the San Francisco and New York Google Glass hackathons. 

Meet The Google Glass Pioneers

The pair of two-day events invited about 40 developers to set up camp at Google's respective bicoastal offices, handed them each a set of Google's AR visors and... well, we're still not exactly sure what took place. But we're betting that the hackathons yielded Google Glass applications far more compelling than Sergey Brin's obsession with live-streamed video stunts from Google I/O last year. 

According to the brief official Google+ recap, Foundry attendees broke into teams and dreamt up more than 80 new tricks for Google Glass. Participants in the hackathons scored special "Pioneer" edition glass bars, like the placeholders handed out at Google's I/O conference.

The eight teams that came out on top won the grand prize of a free pair of the futuristic AR devices, which went on pre-order at Google I/O for $1,500 (though we've yet to pay a dime of that). The Glass API is still on lockdown for the time being, so don't expect to hear too much unless you can get your hands on a Medieval torture device and a Pioneer or two. 

 

SXSW And Google Glass 

As Google Glass Explorer #961, I can hardly wait to get my hands (ears?) on the things. While no release date is set yet for those of us who pre-ordered at I/O, Google will apparently be holding a SXSW Interactive session for developing for its newest, coolest platform. Here's the description for the SXSW Google Glass event, hosted by Google Senior Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan:

"By bringing technology closer, we can get it out of the way. This is what Glass does. It provides an experience to the user that's there when they want it, and unobtrusive when they don't. In doing so, Glass creates a new kind of computing that's more about people than it is about computers. In this session, we'll look at Glass in people's lives with emphasis on how to use the cloud API to build new experiences and bring people closer together."

Below are more new photos from the Google Glass foundry events. Now that we've got Google Glass "pioneers" my status as a Google Glass "Explorer" suddenly feels a little inadequate. You can view the full album on Google+.

 

 

Photos by Daniel Gaines Photography and Philip Montgomery.