And there isn't really any technical reason why Glass (or successor technologies) couldn't just record constantly, eg. continually overwriting a buffer of the last 60 minutes, the same way dashboard cams do. If you happen to see something interesting, just look at it, and then afterwards instruct Glass not to delete it.

There are already dedicated personal video recording devices that can do this. When you're just recording video (and not doing any other functions) it's easier to extend battery life, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Looxcie-Wearable-Bluetooth-Camcorder-C...

Wait, how do you wear that? Does it go over ear or something?

Of course, there are cheaper and more discrete solutions, like this one [1], the one you linked is probably even more conspicuous than Glass, and half-VGA resolution is pretty bad. I use the linked one as cheap motocycle cam, and it is hard to aim properly with no viewfinder, but what you can expect for about $ 10.

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj26JjSiazQ (I hope it's the right video. Corporate firewall won't let me go on youtube)

I don't know if it's more conspicuous than glass - it's very similar to a lot of bluetooth headsets. And it's been out on the market for a long time with hardly any controversy.

There's lots of devices like this - I also remember some systems that cops wear that just clips onto the front of your shirt and looks kind of like a pager. Glass isn't particularly novel in this regard (except for maybe its connectivity via wifi).

Gabe of Penny Arcade notes that the Glass gets really hot if you leave it recording constantly. So, that's one reason. Battery life would be another.

As of today, yeah it'd eat your battery alive. However, unlike something that spins a motor or shines a light the essential work involved may be low enough that even without advancements in battery technology it may become feasible or even trivial.

The first list is missing one bullet (at the bottom):

* Possibly get arrested

I don't think the significance of this can be understated. Two reasons:

One, I think the act of pulling something off of someone's face is a lot different from pulling something out of someone's hand. It's subtle on the surface, but crossing that kind of social boundary on a regular enough basis could be exactly the tipping point that turns public opinion against law enforcement on a broad scale.

Two, as the technology and form factor mature, it'll simply be harder to tell whether something is/contains a camera or not.

Have they come out with the prescription lenses version of Google Glass yet?

If that bullet exists in the first list, it'll eventually exist in the second. Given enough time.

But there's another barrier for arrest, you can't tell if it's recording (or if there's a light, people will hack it/cover it). If 8 people around have glass, it'd be fairly difficult to notice all of them, check for the recordings, and take them.

I know miniature cameras exist right now but since they only function as a camera, there's not too much utility to always having one around. Glass though has a camera but that's not it's main selling point.

Do you mean there are laws (in the US) about filming something in public, or just risk an arbitrary arrest for annoying a cop? I remember reading a story about a guy who installed a software to record from the webcam of the computers in an apple store and I think the legality of it was unclear because it was in a public place or something. (although he did end up with tons of troubles)

He means risking arrest for annoying a cop. It happens very frequently. When the victim sues, the decision always goes in the victim's favor. Sometimes with large cash rewards.

Police officers are abysmally trained and are effectively immune from the law, so expect to see abuses like this continue.

See this article, and the links in it, for some examples: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/jury-says-journal...

* Or possibility to get shot because you were pulling something out of your pocket.

* Acutally it's hit home button

* Swipe up for camera

* Hit record, boom done

Bet ya I could do it faster than talking to google glass.

I think there needs to be showdown of who can get the camera out faster.

I just hold down the dedicated camera button until it starts taking video. Sometimes you can see the edge of my pocket at the start of the video. One day, phone manufactures will start producing useful hardware again.

Dedicated camera button is one of the best decisions Microsft ever made.

Bet ya if your phone was locked down in the typical corporate IT security way (pattern lock is out, need to use a numeric pin, it needs to be at least N digits long, entered correctly before you can do squat with the phone, gods help you if you screw it up too many times), you couldn't.

There's also startup time once you've launched the app. Even on a modern iPhone, that's a second or two before the shutter iris goes away and presents you with the viewfinder screen.

The Glass demos I've seen make it instantaneous.

> I think there needs to be showdown of who can get the camera out faster.

Making a quick pull of ... something ... out of your pocket around police officers does not strike me as a good idea.

Wait, people keep their phones in their pocket instead of their hand all the time? mind = blown

Considering voice activation's problems I somewhat doubt that it's easier to turn on video on glass than on a phone.

On the Glass device, there is a small button around the user's temple. Simply holding it down for <1 second will begin recording.

It's a lot easier to turn on video on Glass.

When you press and hold the button down it records the basic 10 second video with an automatic end at ten seconds.

You have to tap the button a second time within the 10 seconds to record an extended video.

In the extended recording, you have to hit the button a final time to stop the video.

It's >1 second.

I can start recording with my iPhone (assuming it was previously in video mode) faster than I can start recording with my Glass.