App will let Google Glass wearers snap photos by blinking

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 2 (UPI) -- A U.S. developer for the Google Glass wearable computer says he's written an app called Winky that will let users snap photos by just blinking an eye.

Google has sent its Glass Explorer edition to developers and early adopters to see if they come up with interesting ways to use the augmented-reality glasses, and developer Mike DiGiovanni of Roundarch Isobay has obliged.

The Google Glass uses voice recognition to take commands and display information for uses including turn-by-turn navigation, taking photos and translating languages -- but DiGiovanni said Winky users can take photos without having to verbally say "take a picture" or press a button.

"Winking really changes things," he wrote in a bog post. "You might not think it's hard to say 'OK, Glass Take a Picture' or even just tap a button. But it's a context switch that takes you out of the moment, even if just for a second.

"It's different than taking a picture with a phone because you're not looking through a window," DiGiovanni told CBSNews.com.

Snapping photos hands-free -- and without people knowing their photos are being taken -- may add to privacy concerns expressed since the announcement of Google Glass, but DiGiovanni says people already have widespread access to less conspicuous cameras.

If someone wants to take pictures on the sly, they'll find a way that is cheaper than Glass, he said.