Google Glass Update Puts the Web on Your Head

A new update to Google Glass will bring with it a full-fledged web browser and more hands free features.

According to a post on the Project Glass blog, an update rolling out to Google Glass devices over the coming days will add new features to make the device more useful.

Users of the Google Glass prototypes will now be able to make use of new features that sound an awful lot like the voice activation dialing and text that is a part of many smartphone operating systems.

According to Google: “Now with Glass you can get things done without having to lift a finger. Let’s say your friend texts you. You can now say “ok glass, read aloud” to hear it and answer with “ok glass, reply.” Mom calling? Just say “ok glass, answer call.” Boyfriend away on business? Send that selfie straight away with “ok glass, share with Felix.”

Gmail contacts will now be easier to use as well. Any Gmail contact will be ready to access from a new My Contacts area. Previously, this functionality was limited to only ten favorite contacts.

While those features will likely excite early Google Glass adopters, the new integrated web browser will likely come in handy as well. Using finger gestures, users will be able to browse full web pages. In lieu of multi-touch gestures, scrolling, zooming and clicking can all be done with the device’s touchpad.

It’s suspected the Google Glass device will be making its way in final form to users sometime this year for as low as $1500. Its final specifications are rumored to include a wireless internet capability and GPS compatibility.

Read: Google Glass coming to Stores By End of 2013 For less Than $1500

These improvements should help Google Glass in its quest to make computing on the go more naturally accessible to users. While today’s smartphones are great at getting tasks done while on the go, bringing many of the functions of smartphones to a more acceptable form factor could change the nature of mobile computing.

Explorer Edition Google Glass devices will receive the update automatically over the next few days. These devices are only available to a select group of technology enthusiasts through the Explorer program.

The video above highlights many of the other features that make Google Glass, and wearable computing in general, attractive to users.