Google Glass is definitely a device to get used to. If I'm being totally honest, I didn't really enjoy using it for a couple reasons. First, it was a little tough for me to focus on the screen--it always seemed a little transparent and only looked normal if i squinted one eye. Next, there was the obvious uncomfortable aspect of wearing a weird device on your head in public. Mostly I just got weird looks, and only people who were in the direct vicinity of me (or were friendly with me) actually asked what it was. After hearing me explain, they did seem to think it was cool though, and most people who asked what it was wanted to try it on.
Lastly, it just seemed that for its difficulties and social awkwardness, glass just wasn't all that useful. Maybe it was just because I didn't have it hooked up to wifi to use the other features, but it seemed like I could have taken better quality video and photos with my iPhone. I understand how glass would be great if I needed my hands free, but for the basic things I was doing yesterday, it seemed unnecessary.
As for the assignments, my interview subject seemed distinctly weirded out by the glasses, and didn't really know where to look. I think she was an extreme case though, and doubt another interview would be as awkward. I did run into a problem with the photos not covering the video in final cut...I'm not sure if I missed how to not make this happen, but it's definitely something to correct before the next glass project.
All complaints aside (I swear I'm done) the learning curve wasn't too bad at all. Once you get the hang of which way to swipe and when to tap, it isn't difficult to get glass to do what you want. The voice controls are also surprisingly good--sometimes I was sure I didn't say something clearly enough and glass caught it anyways. I did feel very high tech bossing glasses around with my voice, though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p02p6gLYAXE
Some of the interesting features not related to the camera included things like Google calendar reminders and such. There were a lot of non-journalistic applications that looked sort of interesting, but not sure if it was worth $500 let alone the $1500 asking price. I think you're right, though, the hands-free camera is the best feature. Imagine covering an event and being able to record or take photos just by looking around. That is more in the vein of where this device is useful for storytelling. You'll get a chance to explore another one - first-person stories - in the next go-round.
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