Google disqualifies some #ifihadglass contest winners that "snuck through"

After announcing that it would be sending out invitations to its Google Glass Explorer Program applicants through Google+ and Twitter, Google recently revealed that it has had to disqualify some applications “that snuck through." In an official post on Google+, the Mountain View company stated that it received some applications that did not comply with its terms. ”…it’s become clear that a few applications that don’t comply with our terms have slipped through the cracks, and we’re going to have to disqualify applications like these,” Google said. 

Announcing this latest bit on Twitter, Google tweeted, “We’re gonna need to disqualify a few non-compliant #ifihadglass applications that snuck through. Details here: http://goo.gl/oxDFX.” That said, Google has confirmed that for the rest, the channel is open for feedback. 

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The much-awaited results for the #ifihadglass contest came in only a couple of days ago. The contest was part of Google’s attempt to seek people who would help it design the future of Glass. It saw a myriad bunch of enthusiasts telling Google what they would do with Glass. On Twitter and Google, they sent in their responses with the hashtag - #ifihadglass. “There were so many creative, diverse, and (sometimes) crazy applications. We’ve certainly learned a lot through this whole process and it’s inspiring to hear how much passion there is for Glass,” Google wrote in the post announcing the results. 

Google closed down registrations for #ifihadglass earlier this month. At the time, the search giant did not reveal anything about how many buyers would be receiving the device. It’s rumoured that Glass is expected to be made available this year, but at a much lower price compared to the $1,500 (approx Rs 75,000) Google is asking for the initial units.

Some applications snuck through, said Google

Glass has been in development for the last couple of years and can be called Google’s most ambitious project yet. The company co-founder Sergey Brin said in May last year that he was hopeful the Glass Project would be ready in 2013.

The wearable is likely to feature bone-conduction technology instead of traditional speakers for sound and a small screen in front of the user’s eye to display information. It will also feature a camera, which Brin showed off.

Recently, Google also revealed the first set of apps you will find on Glass. The search giant showed off the apps for The New York Times, Evernote, Path, as well as some core Google features like search, Translate and Gmail. The Verge reported from the Project Glass developer panel at SXSW Interactive that the apps hint at the UI direction Google is taking with Glass. For one, the Google Now influence is very apparent, thanks to the use of cards here as well. 

Google reportedly has four design principles it wants developers to use as guidelines when working on apps for Glass. These are: “design for Glass,” “don’t get in the way,” “keep it timely,” and “avoid the unexpected." 

Even Google knows that having a constantly-beeping HUD on your person can be grating and so wants to give you a limited amount of information. The NYT app, for example, can be set up such that only breaking news will be pushed out to you. Gmail can also be configured to only show notifications for ‘Important’ e-mails, so it would be a good idea to start using the Priority Inbox regularly and fine tune it for Glass if you’re going to buy one. Once a notification is received, the content can be read back to the user, or in the case of an alert from Gmail or Path, users can reply to it right from Glass.

Overall, the apps look clean and take the Google design philosophy forward while adding new rules to the game. The guidelines give us a better idea of what sort of apps to expect. Obviously, playing Temple Run on your Glass might not be a great idea just yet.