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For Google Glass, it was only a matter of time before Glass-enabled Facebook and Twitter apps were launched for Glass users to hook up with their favorite social media platforms.
That time, apparently, is now, as new apps for Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more were announced and shown off May 16 at the Google I/O 2013 Developers Conference in San Francisco, according to reports.
Twitter announced its new app for Glass in a post on The Twitter Blog by the company’s engineering manager, Shiv Ramamurthi. “Today we’re bringing Twitter to Google Glass, making it easy for you to share photos and connect with people,” wrote Ramamurthi. “With Twitter for Google Glass, you can share photos to Twitter. The Tweet will automatically include the text, ‘Just shared a photo #throughglass.'”
Glass users of the Twitter app will also be able to keep up with people they follow on Twitter using notifications for mentions, direct messages and Tweets from specific users, he wrote. “As always, you can reply to, retweet or favorite these Tweets.”
To obtain the Twitter app for Glass, users can visit the Google MyGlass Website and turn on the app, he wrote.
The new Facebook app is also available now, allowing users to upload photos to their timelines and add descriptions with voice, according to a report by AndroidPolice. “It’s not yet possible to tag people in pictures—that requires a more capable device—but the app does provide limited sharing options for photos: users can share with friends, the public, or no one,” reported AndroidPolice.
Other new Glass apps that are scheduled in the future include Tumblr, CNN and Elle, according to AndroidPolice. These apps are early in their development and not much detail is yet available, the report stated.
A Google spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request from eWEEK for more information about the announcements.
In March, Google began demonstrating some of the cool third-party apps that were first made available for the first Glass devices that have been shipping to early users. Among them were a news app that delivered headlines and photos from The New York Times, an email app and a note-creation app for Evernote.
Earlier in May, the first software updates for the eyewear-mounted computers were distributed by Google, including new features such as incoming Google+ notifications for users. The new Google Glass XE5 software update featured a host of improvements, such as crash reporting for the devices, incoming Google+ notifications for direct shares, comments and Google+ mentions, and increased speed for transcription of queries and messages.
The first Google Glass units began shipping in April to developers who signed up at last June’s Google I/O conference to buy an early set for $1,500 for testing and development. Google also then began shipping Glass units to lucky users who were selected in a contest for the opportunity to buy their own early versions of Glass.
In February, Google expanded its nascent test project for its Glass eyewear-mounted computer by inviting interested applicants to submit proposals for a chance to buy an early model and become part of its continuing development. In March, Google also began notifying a pool of applicants who were selected to purchase the first 8,000 sets of Google Glass when they become available for real-world use and testing later this year by consumers. Those selected applicants are beginning to receive their units in waves.
Each Google Glass device includes adjustable nose pads and a high-resolution display that Google said is the equivalent of a 25-inch high-definition screen from 8 feet away. The glasses also boast a built-in camera that takes 5-megapixel photos and video at 720p. Audio is delivered to the wearer through their bones, using a bone-conduction transducer that previously had been revealed in earlier reports.
The Glass project was unveiled officially for the first time to developers at last June’s Google I/O conference. Google Glass is not expected to be widely available to consumers until 2014, according to the company.