In recent weeks , Google Glass has been distributed to its first group of beta testers outside Google and in the real world . As the pool of new smart-glass wearers grows , they are feeling out the etiquette of using the new technology . In more jaded settings , people wearing Glass are casually ignored ; their recent life choice to wear a piece of computing hardware wrapped around the front of their faces does n't register as unusual . The reactions increase , though , the farther away they go from the safety zones of the Google campus , Silicon Valley and , last week , the Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco , where the Google I/O Developers conference was being held . The first reaction from strangers is usually excitement . When the doors opened on a crowded hotel elevator , Google I/O attendee Juan Pablo Risso heard a cry of `` He has Google Glass ! Come in ! Come in ! '' Risso declined and took the next lift down , only to find the excited guests waiting for him in the lobby , ready with questions . Google Maps to get big , personal redesign . Because it is still so new and somewhat rare , Google Glass is an excellent conversation starter . When not being accosted by curious strangers , wearers can use the eyewear to break the ice . A friend of Risso 's had luck wearing his to a bar and meeting new people . After the regular barrage of questions ( How does it work ? Are you using it now ? ) many strangers ask to try on the $ 1,500 piece of hardware . The answer is typically no , and some owners will cite Google 's terms prohibiting the lending of Google Glass as an excuse . Sometimes , the conversations are behind the wearer 's back , and they 're not always `` Oohs '' and `` Ahhs . '' Glass owners reported hearing people whisper after they passed by . But snickers and sneering are common with any new , really expensive technology . The cost of the devices makes them an easy target ; wearing them is still interpreted as a geeky status symbol . `` I think there 's definitely a Glass and Glass-not thing , especially in San Francisco . There 's a cachet to it , '' said Greg Roberts , founder of dSky9 , a company developing a Google Glass app for remembering people and places . Google says you 'll know when Glass is sketchy . After the initial shock of seeing Glass in the wild wears off , there are the new and awkward aspects of conversation with someone wearing the tiny screen . When having a casual chat with someone wearing Glass , it can take effort to not stare directly at the shiny gadget instead of into the person 's eyes . The finger gesture that people use to dismiss the notifications can be distracting , as can the flash of light on the Glass itself . `` There 's definitely an interesting occurrence when the screen lights up with a notification , '' Roberts said . `` I 've asked people , 'did you just take a picture ? ' `` It 's difficult for the other person to actually see what 's on the screen , but the first question has , in fact , become one of paranoia . Google+ : One Google tool to bind them all . Risso dismisses privacy worries , pointing out that his battery would die after just three minutes of video recording anyway . Roberts says people should be a more concerned about government surveillance cameras , which he considers less obvious than a person standing in front of you saying , `` OK , Glass , take a picture . '' Just to be polite , some Glass wearers have started pushing the devices up onto their heads like sunglasses when having conversations . After the shock and paranoia subside , there is the annoyance . Can a person really be engaged in a conversation if there are e-mails in the corner of their eye ? Advocates for the technology argue that having a screen within eye 's reach could actually improve manners in the digital age . People are already habitually checking smartphones that beep and flash regularly with notifications . Instead of reaching for a phone , which can absorb a person 's full attention , Glass brings the notifications directly into the line of sight . The camera feature could help fix the problem of people experiencing big moments , such as concerts or a child 's birthday party , through their smartphone screens . Instead of taking out a phone , they can keep their eyes on the scene and take a picture at the same time . `` You 're just living your life ; you 're not living through a viewfinder , '' Risso said .
Early Google Glass wearers are figuring out the etiquette of a face-mounted screen . Many owners are constantly fielding excited or paranoid questions from strangers . The flickering screen and constant head-touching can be distracting during conversations . Some people have started pushing their Google Glass onto their head when talking .