Google glasses first look at developers' event in San Francisco

January 29, 2013 (SAN FRANCISCO) -- Google gave a select group of developers their first look at its new high-tech glasses Monday at an event wrapped in a cloak of secrecy.

Last spring at Google's IO conference, co-founder Sergey Brin announced Project Glass in a publicity stunt complete with skydiving before unveiling the real surprise.

"This is a really new technology and we really want all of you to help shape it," he said.

Developers lined up to pay $1,500 each, for an early version of the smart glasses that photograph your life and feed you relevant information through a little display right above your eye.

Forget tablets and cellphones -- analyst Paul Saffo says this is something new.

"I think Google Glass is going to really capture consumers' attention because it's been awhile since we've been offered a completely new gizmo," he said.

Now those developers who signed up are getting their first chance to play with glass at a top secret event in San Francisco. Word is they've signed such an air-tight agreement that they may not be allowed to take the devices out of the building or use them with their personal Google accounts, let alone show them to the media.

Despite the shroud of secrecy, plenty of people are talking about Project Glass. You might even argue the deafening silence coming out of Google's San Francisco office has only made the speculation louder.

"I just think it would allow you to be more interactive with your environment because you're always sort of staring at your phone and you're never realizing what's around you," aspiring Glass owner Ritu Kumar said.

But if you do look around you, you might spot Brin wearing glass on BART or Muni. Last week he was spotted wearing them on the New York subway.

To Saffo, it all looks like a calculated public relations plan.

As just about every tech company seems to be working on some sort of glasses. Google and its developers are working on giving you a reason to buy theirs.

"What kept everybody from commercializing this is figuring out the secret sauce that would make ordinary users want to wear these things and Google must think that they're getting close," Saffo said.

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tech, jonathan bloom

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