Google Glass stolen in vehicle prowling

A mobile technology entrepreneur in Coeur d’Alene had an expensive pair of glasses go missing from his car recently.

Nick Smoot told police he believes a thief took a briefcase from his Audi early last Saturday. In addition to a Macbook Pro, the leather case contained an orange Google Glass, the $1,500 computer eyewear that hit the market this spring.

Smoot received the gadget six months ago as one of the first people invited to try it out before Google began selling the product widely. He believes someone stole the case from his car, parked in his Coeur d’Alene driveway, in the middle of the night. The doors may have been unlocked, he said.

As an early explorer of Google Glass, Smoot said he’s impressed with all the technology that’s packed into a small device.

“It’s definitely useful for things like hiking,” he said. “If you’re wanting to take pictures while you’re hiking, literally the camera is already on your head. You can take video or snap photos, and you can even do it just by winking with the retinal scan.”

He has held a video conference call with a business partner while feeding his year-old son at home, and tapped into driving directions using the high-tech glasses.

“I think they’re amazing for that,” he said. “It’s a transparent view and you can look right through it. It’s just gives you a little blue line, turn by turn. … It’s pretty snazzy.”

He also has listened to music and checked email on the device while mowing his lawn. “It’s nice to be able to dual-task like that, if need be. It’s not like lawn mowing is a very mentally tasking exercise,” he said.

Smoot, 32, is CEO of a company that has developed an app, Here On Biz, that tells business travelers when they are near any of their phone or social media contacts.

He said he’s working to get a new Google Glass through insurance.