Google Glass Installed With Ubuntu In Warranty-Voiding Demonstration
It has been a busy couple days, and we've seen a lot so far at Google's I/O event, including quite a bit of Glass news. Earlier today, the Internet giant held a Voiding your Warranty session detailing the process of putting Ubuntu on Glass, showing the process with a screencast from the device beneath the Terminal. The process isn't terribly involved, but does take a few steps for those willing to risk messing something up and rendering Glass effectively bricked.
It's not likely anyone would want to run Ubuntu on Glass as a full-time deal, but seeing it done and knowing it is possible is certainly intriguing. The process involves using Launcher, Notepad, and Settings via adb, along with some apps like Complete Linux Installer and Android Terminal Emulator. Likewise, a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad will need to be paired to the device. Taking it a step further, the bootloader can be unlocked after this and the device flashed with a different image, providing root access.
If such a prospect is making you excited and you're not a current Explorer edition owner, don't get your hopes too high. The folks over at Geek report that, during the session, employees suggested the version set to hit shelves in the coming months won't make the process this easy, and that the ease with which current owners can achieve such things is to foster as much development progress as possible.
Other Glass information that has surfaced at the event includes word from Sergey Brin that Glass will receive a software update in the future that brings stabilization to the wearable's camera, helping combat the shakiness/unsteadiness issue that results from a head-mounted camera. No details about how that will be accomplished were provided, but we're guessing it'll involve the device's various sensors and gyroscopes to offer digital stabilization.
Earlier today it was announced that Glass will be getting more apps, including ones for Facebook, Twitter, and Evernote. The design aspects of the device were also covered today via a talk by Glass's lead industrial designer Isabelle Olsson, who showed off one of the original prototypes in all its bulky, heavy strangeness.
SOURCE: Engadget