If you haven’t heard, Google Glass, the latest gadget from the Silicon Valley giant, has set the media and tech world abuzz, with both admiration and controversy surrounding the device. Google Glass was released to the public last week and combines smartphone technology with wearable glasses that is reminiscent of something seen on Star Trek. Public, in this case, actually means beta testers (called Glass Explorers) who had to apply for the chance to purchase the spectacles in advance by writing a 50-word essay using the Hashtag, #IfIHadGlass. Those chosen had the opportunity to purchase the device for $1,500U.S.D..
Along with the admiration of a device that appears to do everything, comes controversy. The 8,000 individuals who were able to purchase the device were bound to a restrictive end user license agreement, in which the product would be de-activated and rendered useless if sold, loaned, or transferred to a third party. This was discovered after one winner decided to put his glasses on ebay and was contacted by Google. However, it appears there were no restrictions against modifying or rooting the device other than the loss of warranty and technical support.
Blog: Google Glass and Tomorrow's Security Concerns