After spending a day with Facebook Home, I can report that its main function is actually pretty simple. It essentially turns your lock screen into a slideshow of updates from your News Feed.

The News Feed, you'll recall, is that stream of updates that goes down the middle of the page when you open up a Facebook app or go to Facebook.com


So, is Facebook Home cool? Almost. Mostly. It's really close.

After less than 24 hours with this phone, I can already tell that it would be nice to own a phone which allows you to press one button, and then swipe through live, high-quality status updates, photos, and news stories during any spare moment of the day.

But that's not what Facebook Home does. The status updates, photos, and news stories Facebook Home shows you aren't high-quality at all. That's because they are status updates, photos, and news stories from your Facebook friends.

If you are anything like me, the group of people who are your Facebook Friends is a motley collection of family, family friends, old classmates, casual business acquaintances, and maybe a dozen or so actual, real-life "friends." Who wants to see photos and news stories from those people? They aren't very good photographers. Who wants to tap a button and see news stories from them, either? They don't usually share my taste in news.

The problem with Facebook Home is your Facebook friends. They fill it up with useless (and sometimes embarrassing) junk.

Annoyingly, right now there's no way for a user to tell Facebook that they'd like to see less of one kind of update in Home and more of another. The good news is, Facebook knows this is a problem. We're told by Facebook that it plans to improve its update-selecting algorithms and give users manual filtering options in the future. Facebook is updating Home once a month right now, so we'll probably see improvements in this area soon.

In the meantime, I've attempted to make Facebook Home more pleasant and interesting by going through my list of Facebook friends and removing people. I'm curating.

Ironically, this process has made me realize how much I would prefer Facebook Home if, instead of pulling content from Facebook, it pulled content from the people I follow on Twitter or Instagram.

On both those services, I don't follow people because I know them or I met them one time or whatever. I follow them because they take photos of or tweet about interesting things.

I'm constantly curating those lists -- adding and subtracting people based on the quality and usefulness of the content they share.

Facebook Home is a cool innovation for smartphones. Swipe-able news belongs in a smartphone's lock screen.

But I hope Facebook's innovation is one that Twitter and Instagram (a Facebook subsidiary) copy as soon as possible.





























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Call it an epiphany: Social is officially mobile.

Several weeks ago, I was looking at the user data for one of the brands that I manage and one statistic stuck out more than others. Nearly 60 percent of the people who interact with that brand do so via smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device. I started checking other brands, and the numbers were all similar.


The majority of people interacting with our content were doing so from a mobile device.

Nielsen’s State of the Media: Social Media Report confirms that our brands aren't alone.

In 2012, the time spent accessing Facebook via mobile increased 85 percent, Twitter 140 percent, LinkedIn 114 percent, and Pinterest 4,225 percent. That’s a staggering increase. Forty-six percent of social media users say they use their smartphone to access social media; 16 percent say they connect to social media using a tablet.

Here are a five easy tips to help you optimize your social media content for mobile readers:

1. Be much more thoughtful about when you’re posting.

The average Facebook post gets 50 percent of its reach and engagement in the first 30 minutes of being posted, according to Socialbakers. It’s all downhill from there.

Start asking yourself: Where is my audience going to be in the hour or so after we post this? Is there an opportunity to capture them where they are at that moment and inspire action or tap into an emotion that you know a large number of your fans are experiencing at that time?

Don’t limit it to experimenting with when you post, either. If you have an assumption about where your audience is consuming your content (specifically, where they are on Earth), you can create some calls to action and inspire them to engage that way.

For instance, Instagram, where the mobile engagement is close to 100 percent, is great for this: “Show us what you’re doing now and how our product fits into that.”

2. Add value to the mobile experience -- which differs from adding value to the desktop or laptop experience.

The greater the distance you make your fans travel in mobile, the worse the experience becomes. No one wants to hop from one app to another—to another—to download your app that, let’s be honest, isn’t all that cool in the first place. On a desktop or laptop, people are more forgiving when it comes to bouncing around the Web. You have to be more respectful of the mobile experience.

Similarly, if you’re in the Facebook or Pinterest app and you click on a brand’s link, it’s going to send you to a website. Unless you’ve checked that link in social, you’re not 100 percent sure where you’re sending them. It might look great on your laptop, but on mobile it could look like a Geocities site and do your brand a huge disservice.

Keep your posts simple and undeniably specific to your brand.

3. Design for mobile first.

Keep your font sizes legible on your graphics. If you’re tapping through to a photo, you don’t want to have to zoom in on something just to read it. If you’re taking the time to design an asset, make sure you’re taking the time to design it so that mobile users can read it.

The default has been to design social assets for the desktop or laptop experience and back into mobile. Reverse that. Design for mobile, and it will back into the desktop experience.

4. Test different mobile platforms to understand the differences.

If you post a photo album on Facebook, you can’t click on the links that you've put in the captions of the individual photos if you’re using an iPhone or Android phone. However, those links work when you’re using most tablets. That’s good to know if you want to drive traffic in mobile.

Of course, that’s just one of the many quirks and intricacies when it comes to presenting social content in mobile. Understanding the user experience across devices is important in making sure your posts are accomplishing their desired outcomes.

5. Check your analytics.

Every brand is different, and every audience is different. Before you completely shift the way you’ve been creating and posting content, take the time to dig deep into your metrics and understand where your engagement is coming from. Certain demographics will use mobile more than others.

For the brand I mentioned earlier, males 18-34 had the highest instance of engaging with our content through mobile (nearly 75 percent). We were able to make some assumptions based on that and test some content around those assumptions.

Test, measure, analyze, optimize, rinse, repeat.

















This story originally appeared on PR Daily

Facebook unveiled today a radical new look for the news feed, but it wasn't the only social network getting major buzz following the design announcement.

Minutes after Facebook debuted the overhaul, boasting multiple feeds, mobile consistency and a bigger focus on pictures, people took to Twitter to discuss the similarities between the update and the existing look of competitor Google+, which was trending on Twitter in the U.S. for a good portion of Mark Zuckerberg's presentation.

Facebook's announcement comes just one day after Google+ launched new features of its own, including a "Local" reviews tab and larger cover photos.

As a part of an effort to de-clutter news feeds, Facebook introduced on Thursday more white space to make reading easier on the eyes. This shift is indeed reflective of Google+'s signature look. Both platforms now have a lot more space in the center of the page.



Looking at the designs side by side, the similarities are obvious. For example, Facebook's new look takes updates from friends — also called Stories — from small thumbnails to beautiful, blown-up displays, just like Google+'s approach to highlighting updates. Previews of articles shared from friends will also take up more real estate in the redesigned news feed. (Google+ does this too.)

In addition, Facebook will be removing its cluttered left side bar and replacing it with a cleaner, sleeker black bar with visual icons for bookmarks, such as messages and chat. This resembles Google+'s existing grey-scale side bar, also with stacked icons. If you take a look at Facebook's sidebar now, which features smaller icons and more text, this is a huge change toward saving space and streamlining the design. It's also similar to Facebook's iPhone app.



But Facebook has taken its design to another level by adding multiple news feeds that allow you to go beyond just scratching the surface of what's happening on the site. Thanks to feeds that highlight photos, music news (what friends are listening to and what concerts they're attending) and a section just for celebrities and organizations you subscribe to, the move gives you more control over the stories you.

Although a Google+ spokesperson declined to comment to Mashable's Chris Taylor on the comparisons, he didn't deny social networks in general are seeing the same kinds of needs for cleanliness from users.

Do you think the redesign looks like Google+? Take the poll below and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Does the new Facebook news feed look like Google+?

Images are Mashable Composites

Facebook News Feed Event

Mark Zuckerberg



Old news feed



Sharing stats



New news feed



New way to view shares




New profile photos



New Pinterest display



Music stream



News stream



New mobile and desktop view
































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Toy Story Smash It!

Buzz Lightyear blasted onto mobile this week in a brand-new Toy Story-themed game. In the 3D physics-based game you play the role of Buzz, who is trying to knock down the aliens and stop the evil Zurg with a number of different balls. Throughout the game’s 60 levels, the aliens position themselves in new and unique ways on blocks, toys, and even model trains.



Harlem Shake Creator

Haven’t made a Harlem Shake video yet? A new Android app helps you create the perfect video with step-by-step directions, built-in music and an in-app video uploader so you can send your creation directly to YouTube.



Twitter for Windows Phone

Twitter updated its app for Windows Phone this week, adding support for Live Tiles. Accounts you follow can now be pinned to your home screen for easy access, with live updates appearing on the tiles themselves when they’re posted.

The update also includes the Home, Connect, Discover, and Me tabs found in other versions of the app. The tabs function much like they do in the Android and iPhone versions of Twitter.



YouTube

YouTube updated its iOS app Thursday, adding the Send-to-TV feature it introduced for Android in November of last year. With the update you can use your iOS device to send YouTube clips to Google TV, Xbox or PlayStation 3 and watch them on the big screen.



Waze

Waze released an update this week that enables drivers to report closed roads on the social GPS service, in real time. Enabling them to help others navigate around areas that might be temporarily shut down for obstructions such as a street fair, road construction and even damage from a hurricane or tornado.



Carrot

Have trouble getting things done? Carrot rewards and punishes you based on how many items you complete on your to-do list. When you complete a task, you earn points that can later be redeemed for prizes like jokes and compliments. Don’t finish things on your list? Carrot gets very angry.



Real Racing 3

Love racing? EA launched Real Racing 3 this week. The free game features real tracks, real drivers, and even real cars including Porsche, Lamborghini, Dodge, Bugatti, and Audi.



A new Android app helps you be part of YouTube's latest craze, and a popular racing game is back with a brand new update.

Think we left one off the list? Let us know about your own app highlights from this week in the comments, below.

Image courtesy iStockphoto, scanrail.



































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Samsung will announce its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S IV, next month on March 14. We know this because the company said so — an act simultaneously like and unlike the approach by its chief mobile rival, Apple.

Apply typically doesn't say anything about what it's going to unveil, preferring instead to shroud its events with false mystery — false because everyone always knows what Apple products are coming through rumors and leaks, even if they don't know the details. And Apple may tease (it did so with the iPhone 5, sending invites with a large "5" on them), but almost never pre-announces anything.

That's why Samsung giving the name of the product in advance isn't like Apple, but the fact that it's choosing to unveil a major product at its own marquee event is very Apple-like. Samsung is now the top smartphone maker worldwide, and its unveilings rightly command attention comparable to Apple's.

Even though Samsung's Galaxy phones lead all other Android models, the iPhone 5 is still the single most popular phone in the world. Samsung has come a long way since it was primarily known for appliances, but it's still in second place.

Nevertheless, there's no question it has the momentum. With the Galaxy S IV, it has an opportunity to do what seemed impossible less than a year ago: Overtake the iPhone as the No. 1 smartphone in the world (something it briefly did last year). Samsung can actually beat Apple at its own game.

However, Apple didn't rise to the top of the mobile world by accident. The iPhone still delivers one of the best experiences in smartphones, with a well-rounded ecosystem, and the hardware is beautiful. Samsung's Galaxy line doesn't have quite have all the pieces of the puzzle, but it could get there with the S IV. Here's how.

1. Bring on the Magic

Apple likes to toss around the word "magical" to describe its products, and although that's mostly Kool-Aid, there's some justification for it. Apple has done a good job of injecting the "wow" factor into its mobile products for the past six years, and although Android has caught up to a large extent in the last year with Jelly Bean, Apple was the one who pioneered many of the things that we take for granted in a mobile experience, such as fluid animation that responds instantly to touch.

Although it's harder to wow mobile users today, a few people are doing it. The screen of the new BlackBerry Z10, for example, uses sensors to detect finger swipes even in sleep mode, letting you wake it up without touching any physical buttons.

That's the kind of magical thing that Samsung is bordering on already with its Smart Stay feature, which uses the front-facing camera to detect if you're looking at the phone, keeping the screen from timing out. If the Galaxy S IV toook that to the next level by, say, letting you actually turn on the phone just by looking at it, or speaking to it, would be a good start to laying claim to some of that Apple "magic."

2. A Better Ecosystem

The fact that the iPhone is tied to iTunes — both the software and the store — has been a key part of its success. iCloud, along with its seamless backing up of photos and other content, has taken it a step further.

Samsung's ecosystem is comparatively weak. The company has a jumble of multiple digital storefronts (called "hubs"), its horribly named "AllShare" cloud-storage system, plus some partnerships with third parties including Dropbox and SugarSync. Compared to Apple's single-storefront, set-up-once system, Samsung's is a mess.

Samsung would do itself a world a good if, with the Galaxy S IV, it would finally offer a clear ecosystem. It should either cut away the partnerships and go all-in on its own system, or just use Google's, which isn't perfect either but at least Google Play is relatively consistent.

3. Fewer Tricks, More Features

Samsung's approach to the feature set on its smartphones — particularly the Galaxy S III — has been the shotgun approach: Blast a bunch of features at consumers with questionable usefulness, and something will hit. Smart Stay was a good idea; Share Shot (which lets a group of people share pictures at an event), not so much.



In addition, some of these functions aren't very well thought out. Having the GSIII's camera automatically suggest tags based on people's faces is good, but since those tags don't work with Facebook, it's not as useful as it could be.

While any feature will find its share of fans, giving users a grab bag of trinkets isn't nearly as good as giving a big gift they didn't even know they wanted. Apple's done this a few times with the iPhone, introducing major features features such as the Retina display, FaceTime, iCloud and Siri

Think about the Galaxy S III: What's it's standout feature, other than just being a Samsung Galaxy? With its successor, Samsung would benefit from focusing on one or two big features instead of inundating users with stupid gadget tricks. Quality over quantity.

4. Improved Durability

One of the sad truths about Samsung's phones is that they just kind of feel cheap. Recently, Samsung went with plastic backs for most of its mobile devices to cut down on weight (and probably production costs), but they've also had the effect of making the device appear low-end when you put it next to, say, the aluminium-unibody HTC One.

On top of that, the Galaxy S III has failed its share of drop tests that have left the iPhone 5 still ticking. It's not the world's most durable phone, partly because a its large (4.8-inch) screen is harder to protect than a smaller display.

At the same time, competitors such as Sony (whose new devices are waterproof) have found that durability is a differentiator that consumers care about. Phones get dropped, phones get dinged and phones get submerged — if it hasn't happened to you, it has to someone you know. If the Galaxy S IV actually ends up beating the iPhone 5 in stress tests, that's a headline that will be written over and over again.

5. Mobile Payments, for Real

Mobile payments on Samsung phones are already almost certainly in the works, and it represents a ball that Samsung has picked up because Apple left it lying on the ground. Mobile payments in many countries — especially the U.S. — is a big fat boondoggle because there are so many cooks in the kitchen, from wireless carriers to hardware manufacturers to merchants to ecosystem managers.

Getting all those stars to align is something only a multibillion-dollar company with a lot of market and mindshare could actually do. So far Apple has been reluctant to advance in mobile payments, leaving near-field communication (NFC) out of the iPhone 5 and instead offering its slow-to-catch-on Passbook app.

At Mobile World Congress, Samsung announced it was partnering with Visa to include NFC mobile payments on its phones. Since Visa works closely with merchants and is a partner in Isis (the carrier-blessed partnership for mobile payments in the U.S.), Samsung could finally be the company to take NFC payments mainstream in America.

All IV Nothing?

About a year ago, Samsung had just launched a marketing campaign specifically targeting Apple, painting its adherents as uncool and Samsung products as the "Next Big Thing." But when its commercial for the Galaxy Note (with a stylus!) debuted during Super Bowl 2012, many laughed Samsung off as the one that was out of touch.

No one's laughing anymore. Samsung's market share has skyrocketed, it's due to release it's second major smartphone since the iPhone 5 debuted, and Google is reportedly worried about how powerful it's getting. Some major developers are even building versions of their apps specifically for Samsung's products.

To keep the momentum going, however, Samsung needs to take the most important play from the Apple playbook: Deliver an outstanding product. With the Galaxy S IV, Samsung has a chance to steal Apple's mobile crown, but it needs to be a game-changer. All the marketing in the world can't make the next big thing out of an insignificant upgrade.

What would you like to see in the Samsung Galaxy S IV? Let us know in the comments.

Image via Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

Galaxy S III image courtesy of Samsung
































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Mobile phones are found all around the world — ubiquitous even in emerging markets such as China and India — but how you use the device depends greatly on where you live.

In a new report entitled "The Mobile Consumer: A Global Snapshot," research company Nielsen looked at consumer behavior, device preference and usage in 10 different countries, including the U.S., UK, Australia, China, India and South Korea.

Nielsen concluded that "usage differs significantly by market and demographic groups."

For example, the majority of mobile consumers in developed markets — such as South Korea (67%), Australia (65%) and the UK (61%) — tend to prefer smartphones. Basic feature phones, on the other hand, are more commonly used in India (80%), Turkey (61%) and Russia (51%). Mid-range multimedia phones, which have more capabilities than feature phones but less than smartphones, are least popular among users, with less than 10% usage in most countries (at 21%, Brazil boasts the highest percentage of multimedia-phone users among those examined in Neilsen's report).



For smartphone users, the types of apps used also differ between countries, though they all generally prefer games and social networking. Americans like to consult maps and browse social networks, while Chinese users enjoy playing games and are more likely to access news and weather updates on their mobile apps.



Nielsen is set to present some of its findings from "The Mobile Consumer" at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.

What do you think of the report's results? Do they reflect your mobile-phone usage? Tell us in the comments, below.
































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MWC gadgets

Gadgets at the Mobile World Congress























BARCELONA — Alongside announcements from big companies, there are dozens of startups trying to push their products at the Mobile World Congress each year, usually under the umbrella of smaller shows such as Showstoppers or Mobile Focus Global.

The shows always provide a nice overview of mobile trends, off-beat gadgets and yet-to-become mainstream technology — and this year was no exception. In nearly seven hours of browsing through countless companies' stands, Mashable found quite a few that caught our eye (although many of these products already debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas).

Similar to last year, waterproof gadgets and rugged cases seem to be a big trend. Standout companies include: Australia-based Cygnett, which makes fashionable iPhone, iPod and Galaxy S III cases, Lifeproof, which makes everything-proof gadget cases, and Kyocera, which showcased their nearly indestructible Android phone called Torque.

'We're very good at making cheap Android phones, and we're good at making rugged gadgets. Now we've connected the two," Kyocera said. At its stand, the company featured a rugged iPhone case that costs around $70. Their Torque phone, equally rugged, costs $99.

Audio gadgets are also popular this year. Jabra showed us their Vox in-ear earphones, which feature a unique magnet-equipped cord that prevents them from getting tangled inside your pocket. The company also had the Revo corded and wireless headphones, both constructed from an aluminum frame and memory foam ear cups.

Zagg showcased a unique two-in-one speaker system that has a large module and a small one. Users connect their phone to the smaller module, which is battery-powered and has a speaker, via Bluetooth. To get a louder sound, they can plug the smaller module into the larger one. At 249 euros, the Origin portable speaker is not exactly cheap, but it's definitely versatile.

And if all that's not enough, Olloclip exhibited its 3-in-1 iPhone camera lens (now also supporting the iPhone 5), which quickly and easily adds fish-eye, wide-angle and macro capabilities to your iPhone camera.

So, there you have it: With a few hundred dollars to spare, you can add some serious audio and video features to your iPhone or iPod touch (most manufacturers also support the Galaxy S III, but few venture further into Android-land) — not to mention protect them from almost anything.

Check out photos of 10 gadgets at the Mobile World Congress that can supercharge your phone in the gallery, above.










































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ProxToMe

Need to send files from your phone to a friend? How about a group of friends? ProxToMe is a new app that lets you see other iOS devices around you, and then send a file from your phone to theirs, instantly. The app can be used for everything from sending a movie to your best friend, to sending your band’s latest single to concertgoers.


Highlight

Highlight released version 1.5 this week. The updated location-sharing app for iPhone and Android now allows you to upload pictures and create location-based events.


SwiftKey

SwiftKey updated to version 4 this week. The new version of the app adds SwiftKey Flow, a new take on gesture typing that predicts words from the moment you touch the screen. It predicts the next word as soon as you stop typing the first. What's more, a new feature called “flow through space” allows users to enter entire phrases with a few simple gestures.


Sunrise

Ex-Foursquare designers released a new social calendar app for iPhone this week. The free app can be synced with multiple Google calendar accounts, Facebook, and LinkedIn, so you’re sure to stay on top of all your events. Taking the concept one step further, users can also post to a friend’s timeline on Facebook, or send text messages to friends from directly within the app.



Mokriya Craigslist

An new app by Mokriya brings an officially licensed, ad-free version of Craiglist to your mobile phone. The app lets you browse through listings on your iPhone or Android, perform GPS-based searches based on your location and post Craigslist ads from your mobile phone.



Thinglist

Thinglist is a new app for storing ideas and recommendations for later on. A private, simple app for keeping track of things you want to remember, it can be used for keeping track of everything from the name of a restaurant you want to try out, to the name of someone you meet at a party.



































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A new report from product Q & A site FixYa found that the iPhone was more reliable than smartphones made by Motorola, Samsung and Nokia.

The study looked at data from 722,558 problem reports listed on the site, and combined that information with market share data from StatCounter to create an ultimate reliability score for each smartphone manufacturer.

Apple scored a 3.47 on FixYa’s Reliability Reporter — roughly three times more than Samsung’s 1.21 — and 25 times more than Motorola.



“Smartphones are consistently being compared on a case-by-case basis, but no one has looked at the overall trends across a manufacturer's entire smartphone line,” said FixYa CEO and founder Yaniv Bensadon in a press release announcing the results of the study.

“Our newest FixYa report looks at lines like the iPhone, Galaxy, or Lumia, and through a careful analysis of issues versus market share, we’ve been able to directly compare manufacturers using a reliability score. The result is an accurate and fair method of a scaled approach to fairly compare these top companies to truly see who is the most reliable, and who is barely even competing.”

Deeper than just comparing one model of phone to another, FixYa’s report looks at the brands' product lines as a whole, noting common complaints for each one.

Apple users, for instance, complain about the device’s battery life, lack of new features and customizability, and issues connecting to Wi-Fi.

Samsung smartphone users have entirely different problems, with issues surrounding the microphone and speaker on the phones as well as battery life. Samsung customers also complain that their device gets hot.

Device temperature was also an issue for Nokia customers, who complained about not only the device getting hot, but also laggy response time, a poor app ecosystem and poor battery life.

Motorola owners, who ranked the least satisfied with their handsets, were the only ones who didn’t complain about battery life (perhaps due to the fantastic battery on the Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx). Instead they had issues with the device’s camera and speaker quality, as well as problems with the touchscreen. Motorola owners were most dissatisfied with the apps that came preinstalled on their devices.

You can check out FixYa’s complete report now on its website.

Image via iStockphoto, krystiannawrocki






































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Google Glass isn't even out yet, and people are heralding the part-camera, part-mobile device as the future — a revolutionary product that will surely change the way we use (and view) technology.

But some vision specialists are worried the high-tech specs, which you'll be able to wear on your head, could lead to health issues, including eye strain, headaches and neck pain.

"While Google Glass is a brand new interactive heads-up display (HUD) technology, there are some things we can presume based on the information Google has released," said Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford, a VSP optometrist for Bright Eyes Family Vision.

"Consumers may experience a physiological impact while wearing these glasses, such as increased eye-strain and dry eyes from reduced blinking," he added. "This could ultimately cause headaches and neck pain and are the symptoms of computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain."

Most people who spend long hours in front of the computer or mobile devices know the discomfort associated with prolonged eyestrain. That could also be compounded by the fact that Google Glass will be extremely near the eye, increasing the chances of irritability.

"The glasses themselves are too close for the eyes to focus, so the display alters the light so that the perceived image is located up and to the side, about two feet away from the user," said Warford, adding that despite the effect, it will still cause straining.

A Google spokesperson told Mashable that the company has studied design comfort and safety very closely, and hasn't found a cause for concern. They said it plans to continue to watch this area carefully.

Meanwhile, Dr. Michael Ehrenhaus of New York Cornea Consultants believes eyestrain isn't going to be as much of a concern as the distraction it can cause users on the street.

"We still need to learn more about the technology and what exactly people will be seeing, but there may not be a lot of eye straining at all," Ehrenhaus said.

"The bigger issue is that you don't want to fall into a manhole while trying to look at an image in the glass."

Research has been conducted on pilots and drivers in the past reveal that when a person is mentally focused on the HUD, they are not paying attention to the world around them.

Warford agrees, noting clinical studies will eventually evaluate concentration factors, as well as visual skills and ocular physiology before and after extended use of Google Glasses to see its impact.

"For now, we can extrapolate what we know about visual processing of HUD data, the eye movements needed to use the glasses and the effects of prolonged digital screen usage," he added. "Consumers should also keep in mind the experience will not be like the original concept video or the holy-grail of augmented reality. It will be more like a phone you can see without having to hold."

What do you think about the possible health concerns surrounding Google Glass? Would you be nervous to give it a try or can you not wait to get your hands on it? Let us know in the comments.

Google Glass: How It Will Look"

OK, Glass..."

More than a catchphrase, "OK, Glass" is how the wearer will engage the headset, enabling it to listen to commands.



Taking a Photo

One of the most basic things Glass will be able to do is capture photos of whatever the wearer is looking at.



Recording Video

Similarly, the onboard camera will also be able to record videos.



Quick Communication

Here's how it'll look to receive a message.


Flight Alert

Location-based or timed alerts will appear on Glass like so.



Navigation

Showing maps based on the users point of view is potentially one of the most useful features of Google Glass.



Google+ Hangout

Glass will be able to share the wearer's POV via Google+ Hangout.



Brooklyn Bridge Query

The wearer can call search Google for answers to questions verbally.



Brooklyn Bridge Answer

Answers to queries appear similar to how voice search in Google Now works -- giving the user the one answer that they're looking for rather than a series of links.



Translation Query

Google envisions that fast translations of single words or phrases will be a common query for Google Glass.



Translation Answer

Here's how the answer will look, accompanied by an audio pronunciation.








































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