Apple Officially Announces September 10 Press Event

It's official: On September 10, Apple will hold a press event at which it's expected to announce a new iPhone (or two). "This should brighten everyone's day," the official invitation reads. Apple will hold the event at its Cupertino campus at 10 a.m. PT. No word on whether Apple will stream the announcement, which will likely include the new iPhone 5S and possibly a 5C budget version.

First-Person Perspective

Outdoor activity lends itself perfectly to Glass's first-person perspective. It's no coincidence that Google's epic Glass promo stunt showcased skydivers hurtling through San Francisco airspace. Hiking around an active volcano as a cyborg? Check You really can capture environments and moments that you'd never normally think about trying to shoot. I don't use the video feature much (it kills Glass's already pretty awful battery life), but rock climbers and other adventuresome outdoor sporty types can capture footage that would otherwise be impossible short of a GoPro.

Directions

The best part of outdoor adventuring is discovery, and naturally that means veering from the beaten path. Camera aside, turn by turn navigation with Glass is one of my favorite things about it. With Glass, you can get where you're going without taking your eyes off the road. Sure, you might lose your tethered connection as you wend your way up forest service roads. But anywhere you have a signal, Glass can play co-pilot.

A Lens Suited To The Wild

After a software update earlier this year, Google Glass became more photog-friendly than ever. The camera now includes a built-in HDR (high dynamic range) feature that boosts its ability to capture good shots in mixed light or strong background light, which helps Glass's built-in glass a lot. With an ultra-wide lens, Glass is designed to capture everything in a human's natural field of view. It actually takes a bit of getting used to, but the device boasts a great wide angle for landscapes and nature photography. No lugging massive lenses up a mountain necessary.

The Drop Factor

A long fall for a phone (taken with Glass) You can protect your smartphone six ways to Sunday, but at the end of the day, if you drop it just so, your fate is sealed. Gorilla Glass, TPU cases and sticky screen films ain't got nothing on physics. If you've explored your way to places breathtaking—the summit of a rocky hike up to a waterfall's source, say—odds are you're going to take the photo opp. And in that moment, on rough terrain, pulling that glass eye out of your cargo pants is a leap of faith. Glass solves this issue altogether—no fumbling in pockets, no interrupting your pace except to find your footing and steady a shot. Extra paranoid? Invest in some Croakies. Now, if only Glass played nice with Instagram...

Forget Social Interruptions

Squinting into the wild Glass is like having a puppy—a really, really cute pitbull puppy. Everyone wants to stop and ask about it (in lieu of petting my face, happily). But they're a little wary of it at the same time. Are you recording me right now? (No.) Is Google watching? (Probably.) Standing in line for a cup of coffee can make me a captive audience for Random Stranger's rant about Big Brother. Note to world: Complaining about Glass to Glass does not open a direct complaint box conduit to Google. (See also: My Date With A Glasshole) After that whole date with a glasshole thing, the initial charm has largely worn off and I can't get away with as much when it comes to my inner social circle. And as for the outer social circle, I honestly just don't have the time or energy to deal with curious strangers a lot of the time. The good news? In the great outdoors, the squirrels are totally uninterested in what's on my face.

Twitter Analytics Outfit Topsy Extends Its Tweet Index Back To The Beginning

Topsy, a social analytics platform for searching and analyzing tweets, announced today that its data history will now include public tweets dating back to Twitter's hatching in March 2006. Users will be able to track the number of times an account was mentioned, how many users a given tweet potentially reached, and the general location and sentiment of tweets on particular topics throughout the history of the service. Prior to this update, Topsy’s data index only extended back to July 2010.