Google's latest and hottest gadget needs little introduction. Since its public unveiling in April 2012, the tiny head-mounted Android computer has been collecting controversy and sociological analysis. It is currently available in limited beta to eminent members of the tech community and to a selection of "Glass Explorers". As members of the latter program, Catwig are delighted to be able to explore Glass.
The first thing Catwig.com did when it got its hands on Google Glass was bring it back to its lab to begin its autopsy. There weren't any major roadblocks in disassembling the hardware, though it's not something a novice will want to attempt.
"Much of the disassembly ahead was specialized, and required a certain precision in dexterity to pull off,"Catwig noted in its worklog. "That said, if you're careful and familiar with disassembling consumer products, Glass did not seem to present any major lurking hazards of inadvertent disassembly damage to components. As a testament to this, we were able to reassemble Glass after this teardown and it still operated perfectly, albeit with cosmetic damage."
Removal of a Torx T5 screw provided the initial point of entry, which allows you to detach the pod from the main titanium frame. Doing so also provided access to the device's serial number found against a black surface behind the frame. From there, Catwig, got busy putting its spudgers, screwdrivers, and other tools to work so that it could expose the main CPU board and other inner parts. As it turns out, Google uses a TI OMAP4430 processor, 16GB of SanDisk flash, and an Elpida mobile DRAM chip to power Glass.
The final product might different from the developer edition Glasses out in the wild, but at least for now, it doesn't look like Glass will be a bear to repair.
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