Glass update brings World Cup notifications, improved photo sharing, and more

By Trevor Mogg Published June 10, 2014

Google’s army of Glass ‘Explorer’ testers has expanded significantly recently, and to keep them interested the Mountain View company is continuing to roll out software updates bringing new features and a more refined user experience to its face-based tech.

On Tuesday it posted details of its latest update, this one partly geared toward pleasing soccer fans waiting patiently for the World Cup to kick off this week.

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So when the competition in Brazil finally gets underway, you can use Glass to keep up with news of unfolding events by setting up notifications on Google Now. Choose your team and you’ll get the latest information on upcoming matches, matches in progress, completed matches and table standings.

Glass’s photo functionality continues to be enhanced, with this latest update offering improved sharing for Android users via the MyGlass app (coming later to iOS).

Glass team member Yury Pinsky explained in a blog post: “With the updated app, when you take a picture on Glass, you’ll see it instantly on your Android phone when you open the MyGlass app. Tap the image to open it, apply your filter du jour (or wave the #nofilter flag), and export it to the photo-sharing app of your choice – Instagram, Facebook, VSCO – whichever strikes your fancy.”

Pinsky adds that a Wi-Fi connection isn’t necessary to perform the task.

If you’re the type of person that tends to park your car only to forget where you left it when you return, you can now pull up a Parking location card to help you locate your vehicle via a map.

The update also brings with it shipping information for any packages you’ve ordered. Simply go to settings on the Google Now mobile app and give the OK to “package updates based on your Gmail.”

Finally, in response to Explorers’ requests for more battery data, the Glass team has added a notification that pops up when Glass’s battery drops below 20 percent.

Google’s wearable computer is yet to get a full-scale commercial release, though with marketing expert Ivy Ross joining the team last month it’s thought it won’t be too long before we see the gadget finally go on sale.

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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