The World Through Google Glass

Wearing Google Glass is an experience that's hard to describe accurately. When you tell people that it creates a virtual screen that appears to float in front of you, they tend to get the idea that it's very distracting or obtrusive. That's not the case, although the display is certainly "there" when it's on.

A picture would convey the idea much better, but how do you photograph a virtual screen? It turns out to be easier than it sounds. Using a smartphone camera held very close to the Google Glass prism, we were able to capture what the floating display looks like to the eye.

The screen is semi-transparent, so you can still see whatever you're looking at, just with the display overlayed. It really only takes up a small part of your entire field of view, so you can always look away, although when it's commanding your attention, the experience is immersive.

SEE ALSO: What Will Google Glass Do to Our Brains?

One more caveat: The prism of Glass is positioned over only the right eye. That means the screen appears to be even more of a ghost than it looks like in these photos, since the binocular picture your brain puts together from your two eyes is absent Glass on the left side. It's hard to get used to, and the effect gets irritating if you use Glass for a long time. Taking breaks is recommended.

The screen is much more conducive to one-sentence messages and notifications than longer verbiage, and most apps wisely keep any text simple. Headlines are ideal for Glass — probably why The New York Times is one of Google's initial app partners for Glass.

Active navigation may be the most "magical" seeming experience with Glass: As you turn your head, the entire map will rotate — an impressive effect in 3D mode. It really makes you feel like you're in control of an entire virtual world.

Are you excited for Google Glass? Would you wear it in its current form? Let us know in the comments.

Images by Pete Pachal, Mashable; homepage image by Nina Frazier