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Developer unleashes bowel-shaking KILLER APP for Google Glass

Glassholes will be making noise about this for years to come

If the success of any mobile device platform depends on the quality of the apps available for it, then Google Glass developer Hung Truong has just brought Google's high-tech headsets one step closer to being on par with devices from mobile heavyweights like Apple and Samsung.

A recent convert to Glass and Android app development, Truong has unveiled GlassFart, which he believes to be the first-ever native fart app for Google Glass.

This wind-breaking software innovation was only possible because of Google's recently released Glass Development Kit (GDK), which allows programmers to write Android apps that can be installed and run on the Glass hardware itself. Previously, developers could only create web-based services for Glass using the Mirror API.

Not everyone agrees that fart apps are essential to the success of mobile platforms. One former BlackBerry vice president once quipped that the company didn't need "200 fart apps" in its App World store for BlackBerry 10. Given BlackBerry's fortunes of late, however, this Reg reporter is forced to question the wisdom of that position.

Most other companies prefer to play it safe and allow a generous supply of fart apps into their stores. For example, a search for "fart" in the iTunes App Store now reveals at least 500 gaseous entries. Honestly, there are too many to count, and the number has been growing steadily ever since the store launched in 2008.

Video of GlassFart, the first fart app for Google Glass

Developer Hung Truong closes Google Glass's "fart app gap" with iOS and other Android devices

Truong's app is rudimentary when compared to some of the more sophisticated iOS offerings. But his source code is available for download from Github, and he's hoping other Gas Glass Explorers will step up to help improve it.

As for Truong himself, however, his Glass development days may be over. His previous mobile apps were all written for iOS, and after playing around with Glass for a while, he still hasn't warmed up to the device and he may yet end up returning it.

"The $1500 price tag is one factor," Truong wrote in a blog post on Friday. "The public acceptance of the device is another."

In an earlier post, Truong described how awkward he felt interacting with other people while wearing Glass and seeing their reactions to it. What's more, he said, the headset only seemed about twice as useful as a Bluetooth headset, while feeling twice as awkward.

That doesn't mean he wants to discourage you from developing for Glass, though – far from it. In fact, Truong says he has an extra invite to join the Glass Explorer program that he'd like to give away to one lucky contest-winner. Check his blog for details on how to enter. ®

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