Google Glass eyewear lets winking snap pictures

A woman tests a pair of Google glasses equiped with LIS (Italian Sign Language – ‘Linguaggio Italiano dei Segni’) capabilities and created to help deaf people during their visit of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, on November 11, 2013.  AFP FILE PHOTO

SAN FRANCISCO—Google Glass on Tuesday announced updates to the software in its Internet-linked eyewear to allow users to snap pictures by winking.

The new feature, which promises to escalate privacy concerns already being voiced about the high-tech gadget, came as one of an array of improvements.

“We’ve got a new setting that lets you quickly and easily capture the moments you care about with a simple wink of the eye,” Google Glass posted on its Google+ social network page.

“We’re starting with pictures, but just think about what else is possible,” the message continued.

Notions put forth included Glass wearers someday paying for cab rides by winking at meters or buying something in a shop with a blink.

Updates included letting owners lock eyewear so it can’t be used unless a person knows the right “handshake” of swipes and taps.

The “Glassware” code powering the eyewear was also modified to upload video directly to Google-owned video-sharing venue YouTube.

“Glass is about helping you look up and experience the world around you without getting bogged down by technology,” Google said.

The high-tech accouterment lets wearers take pictures, record video, send messages or perform other tasks with touch controls or by speaking commands. It connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi hot spots or being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones.

Facebook, Twitter and major news organizations have already tailored applications for Google Glass, which has only been made available to developers and a limited selection of “explorers” who paid $1,500 each for the eyewear.

Envisioned uses range from practical tasks such as shopping or delivering local weather reports to sharing real time video streams or playing augmented reality games in which the world is the board.

Google has not announced a public release date for Google Glass but speculation centers around early 2014.