Brin spoke of inspiration behind Google Glass eyewear during a brief appearance Wednesday on stage at a TED Conference known for an inspiring mix of influential big thinkers and "ideas worth spreading."
He playfully demonstrated his point on stage by ignoring a theater audience to stare down at his smartphone, saying he was intent on a message from a Nigerian prince need of $10 million dollars.
"I like to pay attention because that is how we originally funded the company," the Google co-founder quipped about a well-known scam.
"Seriously, in addition to potentially socially isolating yourself when you are out and about using your phone, I feel it is kind of emasculating," he continued.
Brin described Glass as the first form factor to deliver on a vision he had from Google's inception that one day search queries would be outmoded and information from the Internet would come to people when they need it.
Glass frees the eyes as well as the hands when it comes to connecting to the Internet on the go, according to Brin.
"That is why we put the display up high, out of the line of sight," Brin said, wearing the Glass eyewear he is rarely seen without.
"If I wore a ball cap, the display would be on the brim and not where you are looking," he continued. "And sound goes through bones in the cranium, which is a little freaky at first, but you get used to it."
Glass wearers can speak commands to the eyewear, and built-in camera technology allows pictures or video to be captured from first-person perspectives while people take part in what is happening.
"Lastly, I realized I also have a nervous tic," Brin said. "The cell phone is a nervous habit. If I smoked, I'd probably smoke instead."
He observed that smartphones sometimes become props used by people as distractions or to appear busy, saying that Glass strips away excuses not to be sociable or to not be honest about simply wanting to take a break.
Source: France24 via AFP
That's certainly an interesting way of describing Google Glass.
Personally, I can already see it causing a lazy eye epidemic as the mini-screen draws one eye in a completely different direction.
