Most people will recognize that quote from the end of Back to the Future. I may not get my flying car, but I am getting Google Glass. Even though I need my copies of Remediation and Lingua Fracta, I also need to be home for a package I’m expecting from Norman, Oklahoma. So, I’ll do that today. Yes, my Google Glass should finally arrive from the optical shop and I have some techy decisions to make. *Update* No it didn’t. It was not mailed until Tuesday 3/4, and is scheduled for Friday delivery. More time for thinking.
Should I stay with my iPhone or move to an Android phone? This is a new question for me, one that I did not expect to take so seriously given that I just bought my iPhone 5s in the fall. However, I have had severe problems with the iPhone 5s; I miss maybe two-thirds of my calls and unless the person leaves a message, never know that they called. No ringing. No notification save voicemail, and that is not always immediate. I moved to an apologetic voicemail message that says my phone doesn’t ring, so please leave a message. That is not acceptable, but according to the support community threads, not uncommon and very difficult to fix. Apple advises to check to see if you have your mute switch on or if you have accidentally turned on “Do Not Disturb.” Neither is the case for me. I am very familiar with the mute switch because of teaching and I don’t use Do Not Disturb, although I periodically check to see if the phone somehow has turned it on by itself.
On the other hand, on the most basic level, the main difference for using Glass between the two is that the IOS version of MyGlass won’t do texting. Glass is essentially very dependent on your phone and bluetooth, and to some extent, can be seen as a bluetooth extension of your phone, only on steroids. So, as long as MyGlass works, I can keep my iPhone and do the basics. On the surface, that sounds workable. My Apple integration is fairly complete, with iCal working very well for my scheduling. However, I do not intend to be a basic Glass user. If I am honestly to do research, real research about the blurring line between public and private, this needs to be more than a glorified phone device.
With an Android phone, I would have over 70 apps designed for Glass available, none of which are available for iPhone. Just looking at highlights, I could post to WordPress. The DriveSafe app would be vital for long trips. There is a Twitter photo app, which is a major deal for me. There is a Feedly Glass app, which to my mind, is much more practical than the touted New York Times integration. There is Evernote for Glass, which may be the nudge I need to convert over to Evernote since there is also a good iPad and desktop version. One of the big things I want Glass to do is to schedule appointments and tag them research, teaching, service, or personal, something I currently do with iCal. it looks like MyGlass has Google Calendar integration, but I won’t know for sure how functional it is until I get it up and running. It may be one of those functions that are so basic that no one is talking about it.
Then there are the apps that you don’t know you need until you try them. There is a fitness companion app. there is even a “where did I put…” app that lets you note where you put things (Remember where I put… ). On the more frivolous side, there is a meme generator and a version of the Ktarian game from STTNG, the one that was so vey addictive that even Ensign Wesley Crusher fell prey to it for a time until of course, he used his superior analytical powers and once again, saved the Enterprise and the universe. Oh, Wesley–proving over and over that being right does not save one from being annoying.
Glassware exists for many, many purposes and only two apps are available for IOS: MyGlass (the main interface) and Send to Glass. It looks like this Apple diva may be going back to being a multi platform user.
Lanette Cadle 