The Livestream app lets Google Glass wearers broadcast live what they see and hear. Reuters
For Google GOOGL -0.30% Glass critics concerned about privacy, there's a new factor to consider: live broadcast.
On Tuesday, Google Inc. officially began offering the Livestream video-sharing app in its MyGlass store. The software lets Glass wearers share what they are seeing and hearing with other Livestream account holders free of charge by using the command, "OK Glass, start broadcasting."
Users who want to broadcast to non-registered Livestream viewers can pay up to $399 a month to stream their video to the Web.
The app, available in beta version since the spring, was one of roughly a dozen, including music-recognition service Shazam and a star chart, that Google unveiled as it gets ready to kick off its annual developers conference and rolls out Glass to the public.
Livestream LLC, the namesake software's Brooklyn, N.Y., creator, figures doctors could use the app as a teaching tool during surgery, or that spectators could share their experiences at concerts or at the ballpark.
But privacy advocates worry that Google's Internet-enabled, camera-outfitted glasses already make it too easy for wearers to quietly photograph and film other people.
"Obviously, there are privacy concerns with Google Glass," said Livestream Chief Executive Max Haot. "But if you think of it more as a professional tool, we think it has a great future."
A Google spokesman said new technology often raises privacy concerns and that the company is sensitive to them. It is incorporating user feedback into future versions of the device.
Livestream's terms forbid video that is unlawful, obscene or pornographic. The company addresses copyright concerns as it does with footage shot on conventional cameras: A video shared with a few friends might not cause problems, but Livestream would act to take down an illegal broadcast to thousands of viewers.
Google, Mr. Haot said, is ultimately in charge of making the device and setting rules for how wearers use it. Google bans sexually explicit and illegal material on the device. Facial-recognition technology is also forbidden.
Mr. Haot said the app went through a rigorous approval process that involved Google vetting Livestream's code and reviewing its privacy policy. "Their review process is much more stringent than the Play Store" for smartphones, he said.
Google Glass has set tech circles abuzz with the promise of access to helpful features like maps and text messages without the usual smartphone stoop. But the ability to snap photos and videos of people at any time has attracted controversy, as well as ridicule in forums like Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."
Glass wearers previously have been able to share live video using Google's Hangouts app, but the search giant recently pulled the feature, saying it "did not live up to our high standards," and few people used it. That left wearers unable to share live video, though they could save files to be uploaded later. A Google spokesman said the company offered Livestream's app as an alternative because it met Google's developer guidelines.
Google has kept a tight leash on video-capable apps as their users face a backlash from bars, restaurants and other establishments uncomfortable with customers wearing a camera that can film other patrons.
Google spent two years rolling out its Glass hardware to developers and other specially selected testers before offering it to the public earlier this year. But a $1,500 starting price keeps the device out of reach for many consumers.
Livestream once shared space in a Manhattan building now owned by Google, but Google's appetite for expansion drove the startup to nearby Brooklyn. The company spent months working on the Glass app, adapting its interface to a small display that can't take input from a keyboard or touchscreen.
Thousands of users have tested Livestream's app on Glass. Until now, however, they had to install the software through a cumbersome process in "debug" mode, Mr. Haot said.
"That was just for people who really knew what they were doing," Mr. Haot said. "We think that's important to democratize live video."
For Google GOOGL -0.30% Glass critics concerned about privacy, there's a new factor to consider: live broadcast.
On Tuesday, Google Inc. officially began offering the Livestream video-sharing app in its MyGlass store. The software lets Glass wearers share what they are seeing and hearing with other Livestream account holders free of charge by using the command, "OK Glass, start broadcasting."
Users who want to broadcast to non-registered Livestream viewers can pay up to $399 a month to stream their video to the Web.
The app, available in beta version since the spring, was one of roughly a dozen, including music-recognition service Shazam and a star chart, that Google unveiled as it gets ready to kick off its annual developers conference and rolls out Glass to the public.
Livestream LLC, the namesake software's Brooklyn, N.Y., creator, figures doctors could use the app as a teaching tool during surgery, or that spectators could share their experiences at concerts or at the ballpark.
But privacy advocates worry that Google's Internet-enabled, camera-outfitted glasses already make it too easy for wearers to quietly photograph and film other people.
"Obviously, there are privacy concerns with Google Glass," said Livestream Chief Executive Max Haot. "But if you think of it more as a professional tool, we think it has a great future."
A Google spokesman said new technology often raises privacy concerns and that the company is sensitive to them. It is incorporating user feedback into future versions of the device.
Livestream's terms forbid video that is unlawful, obscene or pornographic. The company addresses copyright concerns as it does with footage shot on conventional cameras: A video shared with a few friends might not cause problems, but Livestream would act to take down an illegal broadcast to thousands of viewers.
Google, Mr. Haot said, is ultimately in charge of making the device and setting rules for how wearers use it. Google bans sexually explicit and illegal material on the device. Facial-recognition technology is also forbidden.
Mr. Haot said the app went through a rigorous approval process that involved Google vetting Livestream's code and reviewing its privacy policy. "Their review process is much more stringent than the Play Store" for smartphones, he said.
Google Glass has set tech circles abuzz with the promise of access to helpful features like maps and text messages without the usual smartphone stoop. But the ability to snap photos and videos of people at any time has attracted controversy, as well as ridicule in forums like Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."
Glass wearers previously have been able to share live video using Google's Hangouts app, but the search giant recently pulled the feature, saying it "did not live up to our high standards," and few people used it. That left wearers unable to share live video, though they could save files to be uploaded later. A Google spokesman said the company offered Livestream's app as an alternative because it met Google's developer guidelines.
Google has kept a tight leash on video-capable apps as their users face a backlash from bars, restaurants and other establishments uncomfortable with customers wearing a camera that can film other patrons.
Google spent two years rolling out its Glass hardware to developers and other specially selected testers before offering it to the public earlier this year. But a $1,500 starting price keeps the device out of reach for many consumers.
Livestream once shared space in a Manhattan building now owned by Google, but Google's appetite for expansion drove the startup to nearby Brooklyn. The company spent months working on the Glass app, adapting its interface to a small display that can't take input from a keyboard or touchscreen.
Thousands of users have tested Livestream's app on Glass. Until now, however, they had to install the software through a cumbersome process in "debug" mode, Mr. Haot said.
"That was just for people who really knew what they were doing," Mr. Haot said. "We think that's important to democratize live video."
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