Such is Google’s reach that after just 24 hours on YouTube, this one’s already creeping up on five million views. It’s not pie in the sky, either: They’re testing prototypes on the glasses and are messing around with contact lenses to see if they can make the technology even more unobtrusive. The thing is, there’s nothing featured in the vid that the iPhone can’t do almost as well and as quickly — with two notable exceptions. One is the video chat bit at the end. The iPhone can do that too, of course, but not hands-free for when you’re on the go and not without WiFi. Then again, how often is video chat preferable to a plain ol’ phone call? Get yourself a Bluetooth headset, my friends, and let your worries about how you look before dialing someone melt away. The other cool bit is sending texts and e-mails through dictation. The latest iPhone can also do that but this interface is far more elegant than peering at a tiny phone screen to read messages and then holding the phone’s mic up to your lips.

One question, though. Who uses any of these features so regularly throughout the day that it’d be worth buying a headset or contacts so that they’re constantly available? If they get the e-mail dictation thing down pat and incorporate Twitter, Facebook, etc, that’d be a strong reason to buy since the flow of info from those sources is constant. Otherwise, if you need to do any of this in a pinch, a smart phone’s just as good, no? Why do I need lots of mostly useless info on the bridge of my nose when I’ve already got it in my pocket?