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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Technology Report. |
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The Internet company Google is testing |
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its newest high-tech device, Google Glass. |
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Most of the technologies for Google Glass |
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are already available on smart phones. |
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Google has taken those same technologies |
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and added them to eyeglass frames. |
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The company describes the glasses as wearable computers |
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that would change the way people view others and the world. |
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Chris Dale is the Senior Manager of Communications for Google Glass. |
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"Google Glass is a tiny computer that sits in a lightweight frame, |
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and rests neatly above your eye and it makes exploring |
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and sharing the world around you a lot easier." |
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The glasses have a tiny video screen and a camera |
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that connect wirelessly to the Internet |
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through WIFI, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. |
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You can make and receive calls, send and receive texts, |
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take pictures, record video or search the web. |
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You control Google Glass using your voice, |
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and a touchpad on the right arm of the frame. |
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Professor Marcia Dawkins is among a select group of people |
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who have been given a change to test out Google Glass. |
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"I thought this is something I definitely need |
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for my classroom and hopefully for my personal life too." |
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The Professor's Google Glass looks like |
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a bright orange glasses, without the actual glass. |
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But there's a tiny rectangular glass at the top right-hand corner. |
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Through that glass, she has been recording video while biking. |
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She also has been able to talk to her sister in Thailand, |
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and she plans to use the device to teach a public speaking class. |
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But not everyone is excited about Google Glass. |
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Some are concerned about possible risks to privacy. |
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John Simpson is the director of the privacy project at Consumer Watchdog. |
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"It is essentially going to allow people to come in |
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and spy on you and record that, without you knowing what is going on." |
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Google says that it has already addressed that concern. |
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Mr Dale explained that in order to start the camera or record a video, |
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the owner must say something out loud. |
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"I activate the device, and say 'Okay, glass, take a picture.' |
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Similarly, I have a little button on the top here that I can push |
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that will again show an explicit gesture to everybody around me |
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that a picture is being taken and a video is being recorded." |
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But Filmmaker Chris Barrett showed just how easy |
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it is to record people without them knowing it. |
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His glass captured a man getting arrested after a fight. |
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He shared the video on YouTube. |
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Also some are concerned about the use of |
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facial recognition technology on Google Glass. |
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But Google says it will not approve the use of such applications. |
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The Internet company says it is still testing its new device, |
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it hopes to make Google Glass available to the public by early next year. |
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And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. I |
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'm June Simms. |