Night Ops

Google Glass. What would be the practical applications of it for an op?
From the top of my head, all I can think of is:


Pros:
1. Hands-free communication device.
2. 3D visualization and route planning using Google Maps.
3. GPS.
4. Video camera (useful for recon, op recording)
5. Yes, it comes in black.

Cons:
1. Largely voice controlled.
2. Needs internet connection for mapping services.
3. Memorable if seen.

All hands free, sitting on your face. Would this not be very, very useful for NO? Recording ops, communicating with team members, viewing google maps on the go. And It's not intrusive.
The main snag is that it costs a lot. Last time I heard, 1500$. So... yay or nay? Is it worth it?

The GPS would probably be a con; the other reason we don't recommend taking phones on ops is that they record your position. If the authorities have a look at your digital record, they'll know when & where you've been. If there's somehow a way to modify one of these to only display relevant information/do specific things without recording either GPS coordinates or connecting to the internet, they may come in handy. Otherwise, I wouldn't risk it.

Xanatos wrote:The GPS would probably be a con; the other reason we don't recommend taking phones on ops is that they record your position. If the authorities have a look at your digital record, they'll know when & where you've been. If there's somehow a way to modify one of these to only display relevant information/do specific things without recording either GPS coordinates or connecting to the internet, they may come in handy. Otherwise, I wouldn't risk it.

Well, there is still airplane mode. Video camera is still useful.

I'm not sure how useful the video quality would be on such a tiny device though; I've got the latest GoPro model and even that has trouble recording anything clearly on a full moon night.

it can help cause gps,voice recording and comminications i think the video will be pretty shitty
if someone want to use it on a op without fear of tracing back to him must always delete all the data before going any ops

It seems like an awesome idea and it would be amazing if I believed you could use it privately but let's be honest they will use these to collect information. It's unfortunate but I would feel very uncomfortable with the idea that anyone would know exactly what I had been up to. Also I would be very, very afraid of breaking them during an op.

Several years ago there was a build using a low cost HMD and a compact computer that did this sort of thing for night ops. In my mind what I can take away from that is that the build can be REALLY fun but shouldn't be used as a way to improve your ability on ops where you can get by without it anyhow. Instead, the fun seemed to be in caching locations on Google Earth and syncing the device to GPS, thus allowing you to explore new areas far away where prior recon can't realistically be done and you've only got one night out there to do what you can.

As for Google Glass, to be completely honest it looks like a toy. There are far better products coming out that are similar in idea but execute it in far, far superior manner.

I recently saw a .gif of a soldier firing around a corner with Google Glasses. He had a small camera mounted on his scope and the view from it was projected onto the glasses, allowing him to shoot through a window accurately without veer exposing himself. A similar idea could be used for surveillance; if you think security personnel may enter through a certain area you could position a camera in a tactically advantageous spot. However the trouble would be in getting the camera back if you do get compromised.