Developers have been hard at work creating Google Glass apps, or Glassware, for months, but without a more robust first-party development platform, many have been unable to implement all the potential features the new hardware offers. On Tuesday, Google finally showed off its Glass Development Kit (GDK), a new set of tools that will open up development on its computerized headset. Glass Developer Advocate Timothy Jordan gave a presentation highlighting three things that can only be accomplished on GDK.
Unlike Google Mirror API, the interface that Glass developers have been using up to now, the GDK will allow for offline Glassware functionality, real-time user response and “deeper access to hardware, such as the accelerometer and the GPS.” Jordan went on to demonstrate each of these additions via specific apps that take advantage of the GDK’s abilities.
Google wants Glass to succeed and analysts have lofty expectations for wearables overall. The Glass app developers are probably the hardware’s best shot at gaining traction, so it only makes sense that Google wants to provide them with the best tools it possibly can.
A video demonstration of the GDK follows below.
