Google’s new video shows that Glass isn’t only for geeks and skydivers

For one of the most talked about gadgets of the year, Glass is developing a bit of a reputation problem. While all the awesome-gee-wizz-how-cool-is-that-concept-video fans out there are helping to build the hype, there are also Tumblrs like White Men Wearing Google Glass to remind the world that a lot of the Glass Explorers out there are kinda geeky looking Silicon Valley types. Google has tried to show how the gadgets can be used in everyday life — but a lot of those moments have been wedged in between shots of people doing less ordinary things like carving some ice sculptures or skydiving.

But the latest Glass video isn’t like that — it’s not a professional piece of work showing off a few paid actors and spectacular scenes. It’s two young Glass-wearing Googlers (Mike LeBeau and Amanda Rosenberg) having a chat and asking the computer on their faces random questions, from the conversion of temperature in Fahrenheit to Celsius to random math sums. It’s not as exciting as a ride in a hot air balloon, but it’s unlikely that will be what you’ll need the specs for on a day-to-day basis.

As Google co-founder Sergey Brin has tried to explain, the device is designed for those moments when you can’t (or don’t want to) take out your phone to Google something or check an email — like when you’re trying to find the nearest restaurant while driving, leaving the house and debating about whether you need an umbrella or when you’re walking through a shop on holiday and want to know how much you’ll be spending in your home currency. The video, shot on Glass, shows how the glasses could be used by anyone (with US$1500 to spare) in everyday situations.