Open Garden, a San Francisco start up looking to get mobile phones to share Internet connections with wireless devices, just added another device to its list: Google Glass. It didn't do this, of course, with Google's permission, but it is seeking to become a larger player in Glass' future.
OpenGarden users hacked Glass to work with the service's mesh network - which uses a collection of hosting devices connected to the Internet to distribute its connection to other users. This is notable because while the currently $1,500 Glass devices can take photos and stream videos, it still has to do so through a Bluetooth link to a smartphone.
Tethering Glass can, though not always, add additional monthly costs to the already pricey device. If Glass could work on a mesh network it could connect to the Internet automatically without the need for, as Google founder Sergey Brin put it, an emasculating smartphone. This would also free users from being burdened with pairing their devices or purchasing tethering plans from their mobile network operators, and it could transform Glass into another Open Garden node, further spreading Internet connections.
In an interview with TechCrunch, Open Garden Chief Executive Officer Micha Benoliel said Glass would be a perfect match for Open Garden.
"We believe the Android OS is going to reach out to more and more new types of wearable devices," Benoliel said. "Google Glass is one of them. It shows how Open Garden can enhance the user experience and become the by default solution to keep your devices always connected to the Internet."
But it took Open Garden more effort than just tapping into Glass' Mirror API to get Glass working with its software. Benoliel told GigaOm that Open Garden's developers had to gain access to the Android kernel in order to modify the device's networking functions. That level of difficulty, GigaOm observes, coud make distributing Open Network over Glass all but impossible when it releases to the general market. Benoliel said he is trying to persuade Google to let Open Network release an application for Glass.
Open Garden has been installed by over 2.5 million users since it launched in 2012.
