Google Glass Banned At Comic-Con: San Diego Convention Sets Strict Rules For The Futuristic Headset

Christmas for comics fans is here with Comic-Con taking over the San Diego Convention Center from July 24-27, but convention-goers should be careful where they wear their futuristic Google Glass headsets.

Comic-Con's convention policies state that recording during panel events is strictly prohibited. While spectators can wear Google Glass to snap photos and video on the showroom floor, all recording devices must be stored away during the panel sessions and screening events where exclusive content may be shared. The rules apply to video recorders and camera phones as well.

Remember recording of footage on the screens during panels is prohibited (see below: No Video or Audio Recording of Movie and TV Panels). This includes Google Glasses. You cannot wear Google Glasses during footage viewing in any program room. If your Google Glasses are prescription, please bring a different pair of glasses to use during these times.

Sorry “Walking Dead” fans, you'll have to ditch the glasses before that panel starts. The cast of the hit AMC show will host a panel Friday, where a sneak preview of the fifth season will be screened, but fans can't videotape the early-look session with their Google Glass headsets.

While Comic-Con is banning Google Glass from panel events, it's not alone. Some banks, bars, sports arenas, concert venues, locker and dressing rooms, hospitals and even classrooms also have implemented stringent rules regarding the use of Google Glass. The headset recently went on sale in the U.K., where movie theaters quickly banned them. Movie theaters in the U.S. have also banned Google Glass, the consensus being that they are aiming to prevent the illegal copying of feature films.

Google Glass can continuously record for about 45 minutes, maybe that's not enough to record an entire movie, but it could be just enough to capture some of the TV and movie trailers debuting this weekend at Comic-Con.

Comic-Con is a mecca for all things geeky, and Google's futuristic headset should be a perfectly acceptable fit on the showroom floor. CNET’s Danny Sullivan took his Google Glass headset to Comic-Con 2013, also held in San Diego, and found many fans of the headset.

“I probably demoed Glass to about 30 people in all, letting them try it on and play around. The reception was universally positive,” Sullivan said. “No freak-out over privacy, either because I was wearing them or in general. Just amazement.”

Another thing Google Glass owners going to Comic-Con should keep in mind is the camera quality may not be good in poor light. Also, there's no zoom feature, and connectivity at a major event like Comic-Con can be abysmal, at best, so be patient with your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.