LOS ANGELES—Oh, please. Just because Google makes a pair of glasses that contains a camera, everyone assumes it must be God’s gift to porn. Ever since Google Glass(es) were announced, in fact, the GG/porn inevitability has practically become a meme. But it’s a fake meme of sorts, a mainstream meme, if you will, and never forget that whenever the mainstream comes a-calling for a quote, the ultimate media whore industry will oblige.
The virtual reality, however, is that Google Glass represents the epitome of Porn Chic hype, no matter how many people extol the amazing potential of the glasses, especially when it comes to POV shoots. Sorry to burst the bubble, but there already is eyewear available that does the same thing for a lot less money. Take the Pivothead Durango. Reviewed by CNET in June of 2012, they cost $350, compared with $1500 for Google Glass.
“Smack dab between the eyes of the glasses is a lens with an 8-megapixel Sony CMOS sensor behind it capable of capturing full HD MP4 format video at 30 frames per second as well as 8-megapixel stills,” wrote CNET. “And since the storage, battery, and controls are all built into the glasses, there's no extra bits to worry about. Just put them on and start shooting.”
Of course, Google Glass is a lot more than just a camera. Equipped with an operating system, they can do things that no other eyewear even wants to do. According to a review published this month by CNET of the Google Glass Explorer Edition intended for developers and early testers, “Glass takes photos and videos, sends text messages, engages in FaceTime-like Google Hangouts, makes phone calls, searches Google, and gets turn-by-turn navigation with maps. It can show the weather, the time, and headlines from The New York Times that have been pushed to the device, with spoken headline summaries. For now, anyway, that's about it. Some features require tethering -- GPS-based functions that use the phone, such as turn-by-turn directions. Others, like Google Hangouts and Google Search, can also be performed over Wi-Fi. When offline, Glass only takes photos and videos.”
The consumer version of Google Glass, adds CNET, will arrive sometime in 2014. In the meantime, “App developers and Google will be using this model to develop software and experiences that will be incorporated into the consumer version.”
In the end, Google Glass use by producers in the adult industry will probably be determined by whether these other functions are porn-shoot useful. But whether they are used professionally or not, expect a number of people in the business to purchase them the second they are available, even if it is just to play with them. The reason for that is simple. They won’t be able to help themselves.
