back to article Google's Page drops the A-bomb: Google Glass runs Android

Google chief exec Larry Page has confirmed his company's techno-spectacles Google Glass will run some form of Android. During an earnings call yesterday for Google's first-quarter 2013 financial numbers, Page revealed the choice of operating system when asked about the new product and how it would fit in the existing Google …

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  1. Babbit55
    Holmes

    News?

    Why would a google "Smart" product run anything else? especially if it will sync with a google phone?

    1. Shagbag

      "Android" or "Linux + Toolchain"?

      I thought linux + toolchain was all that was needed with 'Android' being a red herring in this case. Am I wrong?

      1. csumpi
        Facepalm

        Re: "Android" or "Linux + Toolchain"?

        "I thought linux + toolchain was all that was needed"

        No. What's needed is supports of binary drivers. And since the linux kernel doesn't do that, Android is the name.

    2. Bob Vistakin
      Facepalm

      Re: News?

      I was expecting Windows for Spectacles Consumer Edition 1.0 (tm)

      "Hi! I'm Clippy. It looks like you're trying to use IE for Spectacles. Oh - I see this is standard CSS from 1998 - I'm sorry, I'm not able to render that without a dozen extra ActiveX controls, a reboot and compatibility mode being enabled. Would you like me to get on with that whilst you perform your operation, Dr. Chamberlain?"

    3. ThomH

      Re: News?

      I guess it's just about conceivable, given that Android and Chrome OS are distinct, that there would have been a third branded OS since Goggles are neither primarily interested in displaying HTML content or, as I understand it, intended to run full, largely discrete, self-contained applications.

  2. dotdavid
    WTF?

    Android?! Really?!

    My money was on IOS.

    </sarcasm>

  3. IGnatius T Foobar
    Meh

    Did anyone suspect otherwise?

    Did anyone suspect otherwise? This is really not news.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Did anyone suspect otherwise?

      Of course it's news, suspect != confirmed. Would you be happy if the BBC only reported on suspects being identified for crimes and never bothered to report on whether they had been released/charged/convicted?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Did anyone suspect otherwise?

        The reverse. I'd rather journalists only reported on the actual stuff and cut the repetition.

        Murder:

        1) "Someone was found dead. They think it was murder."

        2) "Confirmed murder."

        3) "Funeral of murder victim."

        4.1-4.n) "Police are investigating the murder. Leads, blah, questioned, blah."

        5) "Police have charged ..."

        5) "Accused has gone to court."

        6.1-6.n) "In the murder trial..."

        7) "Accused has been found guilty/not guilty..." If not guilty, go to 4.

        7.2) "The murderer was sentenced to ..."

        8) "Family of the murder vicitim is suing..."

        As they say, 90% of "news" is known in advance. Journalism: it's a load of journalism.

  4. Mike Brown
    Holmes

    there are more pressing concerns

    For instance:

    Where do bears defecate?

    What religion is the new pope?

    1. Oninoshiko
      Joke

      Re: there are more pressing concerns

      also

      where the new pope deficates, the religion of bears!

      Pressing matters!

  5. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Shasta McNasty
    FAIL

    Shocker

    The only shocking thing here is that El Reg's editorial staff didn't bitch-slap the author for pointing out the blindingly obvious.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shocker

      It's not especially shocking. They got an extra story out of it, and given the popularity of the topic, a whole bunch of clickthroughs to the article (ka-ching), and then through to the comments, and those who comment (ka-ching, and ka-ching (though both smaller than the first one...)). The bottom line is that the bottom line is looking a small amount better after the posting of this story.

  7. Geoff332
    Facepalm

    And the prize for 2013's least surprising tech announcement goes to...

  8. Rob
    Go

    Stop Press

    I just heard the Sun will be disappearing later today and that it will go a bit dark for everyone.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Stop Press

      Everyone? Now that would be news. Bad news.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Stop Press

        sooner or later, wherever you are in the world, it goes dark eventually, on average about 16 hours after it got light

        1. Shrimpling
          Headmaster

          Re: Stop Press

          Wouldn't the average length of day over the whole globe be about 12 hours?

          1. hayseed

            Re: Stop Press

            I suspect slightly higher, due to refraction + the sun not being a point source (assuming the day is over when the sun can no longer be seen)

    2. Crisp

      Re: Stop Press

      Reports from the UK suggest that the Sun has been missing since last summer.

      (2011, if I recall correctly)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Stop Press

        The Sun has been missing (ethics, integrity, you name it) since Hillsborough.

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

    4. Rob
      Go

      Re: Stop Press

      Blimey, that's a lot of replies, I take it Friday was a slow day for everyone else as well ;-)

  9. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. James Hughes 1

      Re: It runs Android?

      Hmm, well, it's entirely possible that it was running plain old Linux, meaning less overhead running the Android layers, and hence requiring a less powerful CPU.

      But hey ho, looks like its Android.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: It runs Android?

        Of course it was not going to run Linux. There could have been an outside shout for ChromeOS, just maybe.

    2. David 164

      Re: It runs Android?

      Chrome OS ;)

    3. Crisp

      Re: It runs Android?

      Who fucking let Gordon Fucking Ramsey in?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yeah and I thought they would run iOS or something else - is this really news?

  11. Aaron Em
    Happy

    "tech-specs tech specs"

    Did you hug yourself when you thought of that one?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Microsoft clone version

    Ahhhh, all I can see is blue and this stop code number.

  13. Frankee Llonnygog

    Runs Android?

    Won't the specs get all smeary when you swipe across them?

  14. Trokair 1
    FAIL

    Worthless

    Doesn't matter. I won't be purchasing the garbage until they drop that whole "You are only leasing it" BS for the agreement. "Don't Be Evil" my fat white ass.

    1. Idocrase

      Re: Worthless

      Which is for the benefit of the idiots trying to flog the developer prototypes on ebay, the release version will most likely come under the same agreement as items like oh, say, any android device already does.

    2. JDX Gold badge

      Re: Worthless

      Hitler was evil. Saddam was evil. Leasing a piece of luxury tech kit is not evil - get out of your arse and take a look at the world around you.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    oh great

    Another android fork to go along with all the fragmentation...

    The bulk of people are still on version 2.3 anyway and you need 4 and above for the app so I guess it doesn't matter since they won't sell this thing in any large numbers

    1. Idocrase

      Re: oh great

      Yeah cos it's googles fault manufacturers are too damn lazy to update their devices.

      What version of android are the Nexus devices running again...? Oh yeah, at least 4.1 (with the exception of the Nexus One, which doesn't have hardware support for later versions)

    2. Mark .

      Re: oh great

      From http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html - most Android users (54.3%) have Android 4.x. Those who don't probably aren't going to be the target market rushing out to buy some new device like this anyway...

      As for numbers, yes it means that with total Android sales of 750 million ( http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/03/13/google-ceo-larry-page-750-million-android-devices-activated-to-date-more-than-250-million-in-the-last-6-months/ ), there will "only" be a potential userbase of over 400 million. I mean, what's that? It's only way more than all the iphones that have ever been sold.

  16. adnim

    Can it be...

    rooted?

    What else matters to anyone who values their privacy?

  17. Lallabalalla

    Android is the new Java

    All we need is a small runtime, and, bingo!

  18. Idocrase

    Sweet, boost the resolution, custom overlay, delete all the bloat, install some truly useful apps ported from whatever phone i have by then, and walk around pretending I live in the future!

    http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/6/62561/1898568-deus_ex__4_.jpg

  19. Arachnoid

    Anyone

    The point is once the iGlasses are through to full production I think they will almost certainly look much like any other pair of glasses........so are you going to pick a fight with every spectacle wearing geek?

  20. Anonymous C0ward
    Boffin

    There are going to be other wearable computing devices

    And shouting so much about Google Glass is going to get wearers of similar but less "evil" equipment beaten up too.

  21. SDoradus
    Pirate

    Android and Linux will be joined at the hip again

    As far as I'm aware there's a project to fold the Android drivers back into the Linux development cycle short term. Mid-term Torvalds and Google have agreed on both being based on the same kernel. Checked on Wikipedia and apparently this is scheduled for kernel 3.3 to 3.8; "The merge will be complete starting with Kernel 3.8".

    The upshot is that if Glass is not running Linux now, it could be soon.

    1. Christian Berger

      Re: Android and Linux will be joined at the hip again

      The question is less what it runs on, but what we can run on it. If those are glasses which run non-free software transmitting everything to Google they are a privacy nightmare. If however you have free software which does the processing locally or at your server or a server run by someone you trust, it can be OK.

      If Android would be free instead of just open source, we wouldn't have that problem. Everyone could decide to make their own version of it or choose one of the many which are already around, just like Linux. If you don't like Unity, take Xubuntu instead of Ubuntu. If you don't like Shuttleworth at all, take Debian or Fedora or SuSE or whatever. You are not bound to the ideas of a single person, you can choose to do whatever you want.

      That is freedom, and that's what is important, particularly with those invasive devices. If we don't fight for it now, expect your future brain enhancement computer to require regular software licenses and/or to upload all your most intimate thoughts to some big company with access to everybody who claims to be a covernmental entity and maybe advertisers.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Android and Linux will be joined at the hip again

      It is running Linux. Just not the main branch.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What he means it is runs Linux. It's almost like Android is their brand name for Linux.

    The UI isn't touch, it won't look like Android, so it's nothing more than a device using parts of the runtime of Android.

  23. Gil Grissum
    Mushroom

    Hmmmm.....

    The first round of G-Glass Malware is sure to be just round the corner.

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