Google announced a KitKat update for the Glass with new features such as photo replies via Hangouts and advanced photo browsing but excluded video calls for now.
Google, the world's largest internet company, announced the latest KitKat update for its computer tech eyewear, the Glass. News of the KitKat update arrives just one day before the Glass is scheduled to go on a one-day sale Tuesday, in the U.S.. The significant move shows Google's continued efforts to bring the best possible experience to its Glass users amid a series of criticism it has attracted over the recent times.
The Google Glass team announced the latest KitKat update, called XE16, in an official Google+ post, Monday. The update, which arrives later this week, will improve battery life on the Glass and make it more reliable and easier to update in the future. Google also said that the new update will allow developers to design application using the latest software development kit (SDK) and the GDK. Google's abrupt pause in rolling out its monthly updates in March is understandable as the web giant took a break to make a jump to Android 4.4.
Google Glass update will add new features to improve the overall experience for its Explorers. Sadly, the web giant has decided not to add video calls just yet in order to improve the feature so it reaches the company's high standards. The video calling feature is currently available to less than 10 percent of Glass users, but the company has no timeframe for the roll-out.
"We hold ourselves to high standards for the features that we build, and video calls aren't living up to these standards," Google Glass team wrote in a Google+ blog post.
Other notable changes to the Glass following the update includes photo bundles, which organizes photos, videos and other content of each day in groups to make it easier to find the right content by scrolling through timelines. While the video calling function is left out in this update, Google added photo replies via Hangouts. Users will get an option to take a snap and send directly to other users.
KitKat integration adds voice command menu and the ability to send feedback more easily. Google said the changelog will be updated with more features that will adorn the Glass after KitKat update. The timing is ideal for the new update, considering a large group of audience will soon be joining Google's Explorer program through the one-day sale of Glass. The sale of the $1,500 eyewear begins Tuesday 9 a.m. EDT.