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REG MAN penetrates GOOGLE'S LAIR

Did he get the good(ie)s? What do YOU think, reader...

Wear we're headed?

LG’s Smartwatch was on display, but once more, Samsung was taking pride of place, with the Gear Live being demo’d alongside a Google Nexus 5. The phone does all the networking and number crunching while the latest Android Wear simply connects via Bluetooth and delivers notifications on its display and offers voice commands too.

LG's Smartwatch notifications in black show off fingerprints

LG's Smartwatch notifications using the black background really show off fingerprints

Although “Open Channel D” didn’t produce any meaningful results, finding out what’s happened to your Amazon deliveries and using the spoken word to set reminders on the device – such as asking it to prompt you to buy milk on the way home – worked smoothly enough. One could also add these commands to the calendar with alarms.

Samsung's Gear Live updates you on Amazon deliveries

Samsung's Gear Live can update you on Amazon deliveries

Where you’d hope this combination of smartphone and strap-on to really show its worth is on navigation, but after requesting directions to Big Ben from the Googleplex, the churnings went on endlessly with nothing to show. As far as the demo went, it was a case of swiftly moving on… although in retrospect perhaps this was a good thing as who knows where you might end up on the trail of those going by the name of Big Ben.

Samsung's Gear Live waits for route calculation

In search of Big Ben: Samsung's Gear Live waits for route calculation or is it searching Grindr?

Unlike my John Lewis Google Glass initiation, the spectacle here did have internet functioning on the eyewear and you can use voice or taps and finger slides to navigate the apps.

There are now around 70 apps available that you can use on Google Glass but you’ll need to visit the Glassware Gallery to get to them and that is accessible MyGlass, an app that runs on iOS or Android. Sorry Windows Phone users, Google doesn’t know anyone who owns one, but there are workarounds.

Getting Google Glass to fit comfortably on existing spectacles can be a challenge

Getting Google Glass to fit comfortably on existing spectacles can be a challenge

Beside muttering “OK Glass…” commands to capture video, one of the more useful functions demonstrated was Translate. At first I thought I was going to have to try to speak aloud the Italian warning sign that was held out in front of me. Yet when checking the Google Glass image, the Italian text had been covered with the translated text in English, with it all in positioned in the same place. Looks like it'll soon be time to say goodbye to your Hungarian phrasebook.

Google Glass: the new addiction?

Hey kids, wanna try some Glass? Come on, just try it once, you'll love it...

Another nice touch was the Star Chart app, which wasn’t a prediction of whether I’d end up buying this stuff (actually there was an HP Chromebook 11 in the goodie bag – thanks Google), but an interactive astronomical map that, using GPS, tracks the movement of your head to show constellations above and below you. I've had a similar app on my iPhone for years but on Google Glass a faint and rather monotone voice babbles away about various heavenly bodies. Meanwhile there's still no sign of Big Ben. ®

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