Google Glass may take photos with just a wink

A number of gesture commands have been uncovered in Google Glass app source code as the company's executive chairman claims a consumer version of the device won't be ready before 2014.

A number of gesture commands have been uncovered in Google Glass app source code as the company's executive chairman claims a consumer version of the device won't be ready before 2014.

Reddit user fodawin, who had been combing through the MyGlass app's source code since it was uploaded to Google Play, claims to have discovered a set of gesture-based controls for the headset, buried deep inside the app, the code to which the user has published on a Reddit Google Glass forum. The most interesting of these appears to be the ability to take a photo simply by winking, a discovery that could send some privacy campaigners and anti-Google-Glass organizations over the edge.

Other uncovered gestures include a 'pinch to zoom' control, using two fingers (presumably on the side of the device where there is a touch-sensitive strip) to magnify a browser page, and a number of commands via head movement. There is also a 'companion screencast' which could mean that, although Google currently bans the sharing of Google Glass headsets, a system is in place within the OS that would allow an owner to let someone else try on Google Glass while keeping his or her own data and other content safe.

And while Google is yet to officially confirm a consumer launch date for the smart headset, the company's chairman, Eric Schmidt, revealed in a radio interview with BBC Radio 4 on Monday that a consumer version is 'probably a year-ish away' and that the goal for the moment is to get as many developers as possible using the devices.