Want to know who will get early versions of Google Glass, Google’s forthcoming smart eyeglasses? There’s an awesome new list out with lots of names you’ll know.
Last month, Google announced it would expand its “Explorer” program beyond developers and invited people to apply through submissions via Google+ or Twitter, with 8,000 openings up for grabs.
The Google Glass #ifihadglass Winners list from Andrej Karpathy (spotted via BetaBeat) looked for confirmations that Google began posting to winners on Twitter this week, then backtracked to show what their entry was.
The list is ordered by the number of Twitter followers each person has, so it’s easy to spot celebrities that will be sporting the new eyewear. It doesn’t include those who entered via Google+.
At the top of the list is Neil Patrick Harris, who promised that if he won, we’d go behind-the-scenes on his TV series:
I’d show what it’s like to act on the set of HIMYM all day! #ifihadglass — Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) February 20, 2013
Next up, Soulja Boy, who entered saying we’d see them in a music video:
#ifihadglass I would put it in my new music video @projectglass — Soulja Boy (@souljaboy) February 27, 2013
Alyssa Milano came third on the list, with this promise to use them on humanitarian missions:
#IfIHadGlass I’d take all of you on my humanitarian missions with @unicefusa so we can affect positive change together! — Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) February 21, 2013
Kevin Smith was fourth saying he’s use them to show how he’ll write Clerks 3:
I’ll tell you what I’d do #ifihadglass – I’d document the writing of CLERKS III. Watching writing happen: it’d be both exciting AND boring. — KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 21, 2013
In the fifth spot, Brandy Norwood said she’d just be really excited:
#Ifihadglass I would be sooooooo ecstatic!!!! My entire world would be enhanced!! So thankful for the future of technology!!! Go Google!!! — Brandy Norwood (@4everBrandy) February 26, 2013
I was excited to see that in seventh place, Levar Burton made it with his awesome and much retweeted joke about Google Glass being a downgrade:
#ifihadglass It would be a downgrade. -Geordi La Forge — LeVar Burton (@levarburton) February 21, 2013
Geordi La Forge, picture Wikipedia
Burton, for the few who may not know, played Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Born blind, La Forge had his own smartglasses, a VISOR, that gave him enhanced vision.
It was a surprise to me to see former US Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich make the list at number 10, but apparently we’ll be seeing visits of zoos and museums now:
#ifihadglass i would take it on tours of zoos and museums to share the animals and fossils — @projectglass google.com/glass/start/ — Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) February 21, 2013
Another person I was happy to see make the list was Adam Savage of Mythbusters, who entered with:
With Google Glass, I might finally be able to know what Buster was thinking when I looked at him. Jamie too. #IfIHadGlass — Adam Savage (@donttrythis) February 26, 2013
Further down the list, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley will be checking into the glasses, having said:
#ifihadglass I’d bring the “see thru walls” / “see around corners” superpowers that come from #Foursquare checkins to your face(, yo!) — Dennis Crowley (@dens) February 20, 2013
WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg made the list with his promise to somehow let you perhaps blog from the eyewear:
#ifihadglass I would hook it up to WordPress. — Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) February 20, 2013
I was surprised and happy to find that I made the list. Guess I’ll be figuring out how to waterproof my pair, because I tweeted how useful they’d be while paddleboarding:
#ifihadglass & it was waterproof I could record my paddle boarding :) twitter.com/dannysullivan/… — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) February 23, 2013
And yes, I was paddleboarding when I made that tweet. I’m thinking maybe cellophane to protect them? Or just don’t fall off.
So is the list only people with lots of followers? That was one of the criteria from the content, as The Verge noted, and which you can see on the contest’s FAQ page:
An independent jury will look at all of the applications (including any photos and video) to see if they meet the application requirements. Applications will be scored based on how creative, compelling, original, useful, and influential the applications and their proposed uses for Glass are, and how broad a spectrum of user interaction they would provide.
However, there are a huge number of people without massive followings that also have won a chance to purchase early versions of the glasses. At the bottom of the list, weighing in with seven Twitter followers, here’s a shout-out to Alex McAlpin, AKA @galacticboy2009, who entered with:
#ifihadglassI would make them Wi-Fi intuitive with app support so that you can use them to adjust settings on your DSLR or GoPro. — Alex McAlpin (@galacticboy2009) February 21, 2013
Again, this list doesn’t include people who entered via Google+, such as our own news editor Barry Schwartz who won. He talks more about his experience in our separate post, How I Got Accepted To Google Glass.
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