Well, might as well jump. Photo: Google

We’ve seen photos of Project Glass, and photos taken with Project Glass. But now Google has posted a video that someone shot with its Project Glass augmented reality headset.

Now all we need is a video of a Project Glass headset shooting a photo of another Project Glass headset shooting video.

Google’s first video shot with the augmented reality headset could have been just a tour of the Googleplex. Instead, the company took it up a notch, and attached the headset to one of its more limber employees (or friend or family member?) jumping on a trampoline. If nothing else, the 15-second, 720p video shows us one more element of the Project Glass feature set.

Google recently stated that some of the features shown in its augmented reality headset demo video would not be available in the first version of production models. Most notably, the display wouldn’t recreate the graphical overlay UI illustrated in the wowing video.

While it’s nice to know that Project Glass will shoot video, what’s really exciting it that the glasses will stay put during aerial acrobatics. Or maybe the person shooting the video just kept the glasses in place with an elastic headband. Either way, the world needs more blackflip demo videos.

It's made of tubes. Photo: Left Field Design

If Apple changes either the physical design or connector interface of the iPhone in its next smartphone refresh, your current docking accessory will become all but obsolete. A Kickstarter project called ODOC anticipates this possibility with docking hardware that’s ready for nearly anything Apple may have in development.

The ODOC is heavy. Currently weighing in at a pound and a half with the potential to hit 2.7 pounds when it goes into production, the dock is a hefty chunk of metal. But the minimilist tube design is heavy for a reason — the dock’s engineers want to cut down on the “pick up the iPhone, but the dock fails to disconnect, and instead gets lifted off the desk” problem.

Just don’t mistake heavy for unwieldy. The cylinder-inspired design can be set to four different angles to optimize an iPhone’s viewing and even navigation position. The weight of the dock, rectangle base and O-Ring keep the iPhone stationary while swiping and even finger typing.

Case removal is optional. Photo: Left Field Design

The dock cavity itself is large enough to accept a current iPhone in almost any protective case. Likewise, if the iPhone 5 employs a larger chassis, it should fit too.

But ODOC’s most intriguing design element is its swappable USB/audio interface — if Apple ditches the current 30-pin dock connection, a replacement element can be purchased for $20. Removing the element itself involves the relatively painless the removal of four screws.

The ODOC is currently securing funding on Kickstarter.

There was a time when people were trying to get Siri on every iOS device, like the iPhone 4, pictured here. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired

Siri’s had a rough ride since its launch with the iPhone 4S in October.

When the phone launched, the 4S was universally deemed the best iPhone yet, and Siri one of its shining features. Hackers even jumped on the chance to bend Siri to their will. But since then, Siri excitement has waned, and disappointed fans have taken to the courts to vent their spleen against her creator.

And now it looks like Apple employees are also upset that Siri hasn’t yet matured into the digital assistant of our dreams. “People are embarrassed by Siri,” a former Apple employee told Fortune. “Steve would have lost his mind over Siri.”

How Jobs would have reacted to Siri complaints and its evolution, only those closest to the former Apple CEO could know. But is the general anti-Siri sentiment justified?

“Siri is a useful service if you form your queries correctly and understand what the service can do. But many people expect Siri to be more robust than it is,” Gartner analyst Brian Blau told Wired via e-mail. “So for these types of voice services, there really needs to be some education on the part of the consumer.”

But if the consumer’s education is limited to the star-studded Siri advertisements they see on TV, their disappointment may be deserved. Case in point: A number of people hit Apple with class-action lawsuit that argues Siri doesn’t actually perform like it does in Apple TV spots. “Many times advertisements are aspirational and their goal is to lead to customer engagement,” Blau said. “But maybe Apple missed the mark with this one.”

Apple lawyers have since filed to dismiss the suit, saying the plaintiffs’ complaints were incomplete, vague, and “highly individualized.”

Also, it’s important to note that Siri is still a beta product, “so clearly there’s going to be some user experiences that differ,” Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg told Wired via email.

Nonetheless, Siri has been around for well over six months now, and we haven’t seen any major updates to either its performance or capabilities. For a product in beta, you’d expect at least occasional tweaks and additions. And Siri didn’t even make it onto the third-generation iPad (but there are plenty of good reasons why it would be challenging or impractical to bring the feature to non-phone devices).

Blau and Gartenberg both expect Apple to continue to improve Siri through future updates, as Apple seems very committed to the feature. But will we not see any improvements until iOS 6? “I think Apple is holding off for iOS 6,” web developer and Siri hacker Pete Lamonica told Wired. “They’re not really the type to introduce new functionality between major OS releases, even when they could (like with Siri).”

Competitors like Samsung are starting to emulate Apple’s voice-powered assistant, and if Apple doesn’t push out some killer updates soon, Siri could lose its sparkle.

I don’t know if Jobs would have “lost his mind” over Siri, but I can’t imagine he’d be peachy with the state she’s in now.

Google's Transparency Report shows that Microsoft has requested more than 2.5 million URLs be removed from Google Search. Image: Google

Google has released a trove of insightful data via its new Transparency Report section. The data includes up-to-date numbers on worldwide traffic to Google services, as well as the number of user data requests that Google receives from governments around the world. But some of the most detailed and interesting data points can be found in the Removal Requests section.

Here you’ll find requests from companies that have asked Google to take down URLs for copyright infringement. Who’s the most prolific takedown requester? It’s Microsoft, which has requested that more than 2.5 million URLs be removed. But here’s the kicker: Microsoft has asked Google to remove URLs from its search results, while leaving some of those very same URLs active on its own search engine, Bing.

Techdirt discovered the discrepancy. Specifically, the publication found that Marketly, a reporting organization representing Microsoft, submitted a removal request on May 11 for several URLs relating to XBox 360 games. Techdirt reported that when it searched for one particular URL regarding the game DiRT 2 in Google Search, nothing showed up. It’s clear that Google fulfilled Marketly and Microsoft’s request. Yet when Techdirt searched for that same URL on Microsoft’s Bing, the URL was active.

Wired confirmed Techdirt’s findings and tested several other URLs from the same Marketly request. Most of them didn’t appear on either Google Search or Microsoft Bing, but we did find another instance where Google showed it had removed results from the page and Bing had not.

It’s strange that Marketly and Microsoft would request that Google remove URLs that are still accessible via Microsoft’s own search service. Wouldn’t Microsoft want to make it just as hard for Bing users to find links that infringe its own copyrights?

I reached out to Microsoft for comment, and a spokesperson offered the following statement: “As a search engine and copyright owner, Microsoft appreciates the need for responsible enforcement online. So each month, Microsoft requests the removal of links to web pages that infringe Microsoft’s copyrights so that customers are not deceived into purchasing or downloading counterfeit software.”

Based on the statement, we would expect Bing to remove all of the same links that Microsoft requests Google Search to remove. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case all the time. One reason could be that Microsoft, which recently released a new version of Bing, wants to give itself a slight edge over its largest competitor. But this would be a pretty ineffective method. It’s more likely that Microsoft is just slower than Google at fulfilling takedown requests — even its own.

Results from Google and Bing after searching for a URL Microsoft requested Google take down. Image: Google and Bing

A magnetic ring could reduce needle sticks. Photo: Soma Access Systems

The doctor’s office can be scary. Scratch that, the needles in the doctor’s office can be scary. This is especially true if the doctor has to puncture your skin multiple times to land the needle exactly where it needs to be.

But now an emergency-room doctor has created a system to cut down on the human-skin-as-pin-cushion problem.

The brainchild of Dr. Stephen F. Ridley, the AxoTrack sterile procedure kit uses sonograms and a virtual needle to pinpoint the exact path of a needle before it enters the body. The system helps doctors and nurses hit their targeted vein the very first time.

The AxoTrack system uses a custom ultrasound probe housed in a disposable sterile case. The probe is used in concert with a magnetic ring that surrounds the needle at the base of the syringe. This combination creates a virtual needle that’s displayed on a sonogram.

The thin blue line in front of the virtual needle can be used as a sight to line up punctures. Photo: Soma Access Systems

Detecting a needle with just a sonogram, however, is difficult — the thin gauge of a needle doesn’t appear on sonogram images. So the AxoTrack outlines a real needle with a blue “virtual” needle that’s overlaid on the sonogram display. In effect, the virtual needle and its tracking line provide medical professionals with a sighting system that shows where the needle will go when it’s inserted into the body.

According to Soma Access Systems, the AxoTrack increased the first-time success of needle punctures from 37 percent to 99 percent. The AxoTrack should not only mean fewer needle misfires, but could also cut down on our basic human fear of needles. They’re not going away, they’ll just be smarter and therefore … not in our bodies as often.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces plans regarding the Xbox at CES 2010. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired

“Steve Ballmer has an 80-inch Windows 8 tablet in his office. He’s got rid of his phone, he’s got rid of his note paper. It’s touch-enabled and it’s hung on his wall.”

This description of the Microsoft CEO’s workspace, given to Wired.co.uk in Redmond this morning, came from Microsoft VP Frank Shaw. But while it conjures an amusing image of Ballmer using his mighty palms to bat at a Windows Phone-like Metro interface, it’s a scenario Shaw said is eventually going to be available to the public.

“It’s his whiteboard, his e-mail machine,” Shaw said, “and it’s a device we’re going to sell.”

This isn’t the 80-inch Microsoft-powered Sharp Aquos Board touchscreen unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, however. Shaw explained that the model Ballmer is using and that Microsoft will promote is made by “a different company, but it’s running Windows 8.”

Microsoft has sizable plans for Windows 8, quite literally — the forthcoming operating system is designed to run on small tablets as well as PCs and laptops, and can be used with low-power ARM-based CPUs similar to those used in smartphones, as well as conventional processors made by Intel and AMD for desktop computers. The 80-inch wall-hung tablet is just another screen size supported by the OS.

Shaw stated that, perhaps like Microsoft’s Surface, it isn’t intended to be bought by consumers — at least not at launch. “It’s not a consumer thing now, but we know historically that that’s how all things start,” he said. “The idea that there should be a screen that’s not a computer, we’ll laugh at that in two years.

“Every screen should be touch, every screen should be a computer and should be able to see out as well as see in. That is the way the world is heading [and] those screens are going to be big, small, wall-sized and desk-sized.”

Windows 8 will see a consumer release preview in June, with an expected public launch later this year. No date or launch window has been set for the 80-inch tablet, or indeed confirmation that an 80-inch tablet is in fact still a tablet at all.

Facebook released its own photography-focused app on Thursday. Image: Alexandra Chang/Wired

Facebook’s first camera app for iOS, aptly and simply dubbed Facebook Camera, highlights the company’s commitment to its mobile business. But considering Facebook’s recent purchase of the photo-sharing app Instagram, it’s hard not to compare the two.

Facebook wants to make clear that Facebook Camera, which it released Thursday, and Instagram are two separate entities. Facebook Camera functions more like the Facebook Messages app — it’s a standalone offering that is closely tied to the social network, making it easier to use one of the site’s most popular features.

Since Facebook is the largest photo-sharing site, it makes sense that the company would release an app for that sole purpose. If our initial hands-on with Facebook Camera is any indication, the app will be a hit with Facebook fans.

Image: Alexandra Chang/Wired

“We’ve been working on [Facebook Camera] for a while,” said Dirk Stoop, Facebook Photos product manager. “The big problem that we were trying to solve was that if you are in the middle of an experience and you want to share your photos, it’s often too much of a hassle to go through the whole process.”

To that end, the Facebook Photos team opted for a design that leads with your iPhone’s Camera Roll photos. When you launch the Camera app, you’ll see three thumbnails of your phone’s photos. Tap them and you’ll see all of your Camera Roll photos. You can select multiple images and share them all as a single status update — a feature unique to the Facebook Camera app. This could be handy at a concert, where you could take photos and select a few to share. Photos will upload to your “Mobile Uploads” album, but appear on your Timeline as a multi-photo status update. (The only way to share multiple photos as a status update on Facebook.com is to create an entirely new album.)

“The most exciting thing is the value [the app] will create for users further down the line,” Stoop said. “When you take photos they tend to get lost and dusty in your Camera Roll. If you share things and make an effort to wrap it up into a nice little story, sometimes an unexpected thing will be important to you later.”

Still, Facebook has learned — or borrowed — a lot from Instagram. First, unlike the main Facebook app, Facebook Camera is fast. And it has plenty of filters you can use, giving your pics that oh-so-popular lo-fi look.

Facebook Camera’s home page also features a feed of photos your friends have uploaded or been tagged in. The overall layout is not unlike Instagram’s. Photos are presented in square format, and you can scroll endlessly through the feed. One nice feature that is missing from Instagram: You can tap on a photo to enlarge and zoom.

Naturally, the Facebook Camera app focuses on the site’s sharing and feedback experience. Each photo features a Like icon and a commenting feature. You also can see all of the Likes and comments already posted to each photo.

“It all sounds really obvious in hindsight,” Stoop admitted.

But why did Facebook release a Facebook Camera app so soon after buying Instagram for a cool $1 billion? And where exactly does Instagram fit in Facebook’s growing portfolio of mobile apps?

“The Instagram deal hasn’t closed yet,” Stoop said. “I can’t say much, but we’re committed to building Instagram independently. There’s overlap in the functionality, but [Facebook Camera and Instagram] have very different personalities. I see these products as separate and serving slightly different purposes and audiences.”

While Instagram has a huge user base, at 40 million users, Facebook is vastly larger at 900 million. Facebook Camera caters to this audience and feeds directly to the social network’s website. According to Facebook spokesman Derick Mains, Facebook Camera is as much an extension of Facebook.com’s photo experience as it is a mobile experience.

“This is really about making the Facebook experience better on mobile,” Mains said. “All that work that we’ve done on Facebook.com, you see us really working on improving that experience here.”

And what Facebook Camera offers over Facebook.com is a fast, on-the-go photo-sharing experience.

“We really hope that we can help people share stuff more in the moment and create better stories for their friends and themselves. And a year later they just have this treasure trove of memories and we can help them relive it,” Stoop said. “Photos become a lot more relevant when you’re able to share them in real time.”

Sharing photos on Facebook Camera. Image: Facebook

Game developer Glu, which makes the app Frontline Commando, is among the first to use Google's in-app subscription feature for Android apps. Image: Google

Google launched in-app subscriptions for Android apps on Thursday, copying, and in some ways improving on, a model carved out by Apple.

The feature is available to publishers and media companies, just as in Apple’s App Store.  But Google is also makings its in-app subscription service available to any app that wants to use it.

And that move is a win for game developers in particular, said Adam Flanders, the senior vice president of business development at San Francisco-based Glu.

“In-app subscriptions allow us to offer entirely new types of products, things that just weren’t possible before,” Flanders told Wired. “This is huge for us and game developers in general.”

Along with the roll-out Glu announced its Glu VIP Club on Android, which will run between $4.99 and $9.99 a month, and give avid mobile gamers access to new content in popular games. The subscription will also offer users bonus Glu Credits, a digital currency that can be used across the company’s games.

Flanders said about 3.2 million people play Glu games each month, across both Android and iOS. The  publicly-traded company doesn’t share user numbers specific to each operating system.

Google said in a statement that 23 of the 24 top-grossing items in its Google Play store use in-app billing. The Mountain View company is expecting subscriptions, which can be offered either monthly or annually through Google Play, will be just as successful.

Qello, a company that makes concert video streaming apps for Android, iOS, Google TV and Samsung TVs, is looking to update its Android apps in about the next 48 hours with subscriptions.

“We’re a niche business, but being able to offer the same product on both platforms should allow us to pull in people we might not have been able to reach before,” Matthew Carona, Qello’s vice president of product, told Wired. “Subscriptions are a lot easier to deal with than having to make a bunch of smaller in-app purchases every time you want to watch a video.”

Qello has been offering subscriptions through its iOS apps since Apple introduced its equivalent about a year ago. The price on Android or iOS for Qello’s subscription will be the same, $4.99. The apps offer access to about 500 high-definition concert videos and the company is working on bringing about 1,200 more videos to subscribers over the coming months, Carona said.

“Our whole business model is built on subscriptions,” he said. “Being able to offer subscriptions on Android could be a game changer for us.”

The Mindwave Mobile headset lets you play games using your mind powers. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

When you think of mobile gaming, you probably imagine Cut the Rope or Angry Birds — tapping, flicking and touching your device’s capacitive screen. But now there’s a new way to play: with your mind.

The Mindwave Mobile Brainwave Headset is a $130 EEG headset that’s compatible with iOS devices, Android phones, and, yes, even desktop computers. The headset measures brainwaves from your forehead — changes in electrical activity, really — which it then filters with complex algorithms to eliminate any interference from other electronic sources, and narrow down what those brainwaves really mean. Currently, the system can detect concentration, meditation and blinks, and uses these cues to control simple iOS and Android games.

When you put on the headset, you look like a dork. I don’t think even Brad Pitt could make this thing look cool. It’s definitely not the sort of thing any sane person is going to wear in public, but it actually works.

With the system properly situated on your head, you begin your Mindwave experience by pairing the headset over Bluetooth with your mobile device’s free MindWave Mobile Tutorial app. If the headset isn’t correctly positioned, an alert switches from “Connected” to “Check fit.” It took me about 20 minutes to get the fit just right.

Get a hang of focusing or relaxing with the MindWave Mobile Tutorial.

Once it’s on, it’s (theoretically) pretty easy to use. With the tutorial app loaded, you can focus on a math problem or an image onscreen, and watch your concentration levels rise via in-app meter. Conversely, if you relax and take deep breaths, you can monitor how well you can control your meditation levels. The system can also track blinks of different intensities. You can then use these techniques to play one of around 100 compatible desktop and mobile apps via mind control.

I checked out a few games, and overall the system was intriguing but not a replacement for other forms of gameplay control. Yes, the technology does work. It’s just not very fun.

Within the MyndPlayer app, there’s a product-placement title for Red Bull (the future of advertising, perhaps?) where you have to focus just enough to open up the can. If you focus too much, the can blows up. I blew the can up. MyndPlayer also includes a game of Tug of War, in which different opponents can be defeated by either relaxing or focusing as much as possible. Another app, W.I.L.D., offers a variety of different brain-controlled mini-games and challenges, all focused on “navigating waking dreams using the powers of meditation and attention.”

Put out a fire using your mind in the W.I.L.D. app.

Although many of the compatible apps cost money, they look robust enough to justify their prices. Plus, you have to justify the cost of your headset, right?

The headset itself weighs about 3 ounces, plus the weight of a AAA battery, which it uses for power. It’s mostly made of plastic, with an approximately three-quarter-inch-wide band that fits across your head, a rubber “loop” that slots behind your ear, and a rotatable arm that houses the EEG sensor on its tip. A second sensor is housed in a plastic clip below your left ear. You clip it onto your ear to act as a ground and reference for the EEG sensor.

The headset is adjustable, but it’s still tricky to keep it properly positioned on you head — especially if you’ve got hair. And once you do establish the correct fit, the headset sometimes slips from its position, which can be both frustrating and uncomfortable.

The Mindwave Mobile has potential — there are a lot of different games available, and many have varying levels of difficulty to keep you on your toes. After a stressful day of school or work, I could possibly see coming home, sliding the headset on, and playing a few games to relax my mind.

And who doesn’t enjoy pretending they have telekinetic powers? The hardware-fit issue can make the experience a bit annoying, but it’s not a deal breaker. Still, considering you have to fork up $130 for the headset, plus the cost of the apps, we don’t think something like this will catch on until the price drops.

Or until you don’t feel like a complete fool wearing the headset, even alone, in private.