Google Glass may get its own app and media store quite soon

Still in developer preview, Google Glass has very few applications and no centralized way to find or buy them. That could be changing very soon.

As part of a recent update that includes web browsing features and an expanded set of voice commands, Google has made allusions to “Google Boutique.” This could mean a few things. Less obvious: a store for Google merch. More likely: an app store for Glass apps and media.

We are also expecting a media player app to come down the chute based on code in the new update.

Right now, developers are being asked to write Glass apps of all kinds, and investors are all too eager to fund their development.

But finding apps happens through online word-of-mouth, and installing them on your device. Here are the download and installation instructions for a third-party YouTube viewer app:

You can download the .zip file (you’ll need to use ADB, the developer says) or get the source on GitHub. To manage what videos get sent to your Glass, you simply set the youtubeFeed to the feed URL you want, such as your personal YouTube channel subscriptions feed.

Right, then.

A Google Glass “boutique” would make all that as simple as a hand wave or an “Install” voice command. You could download music videos, buy games, all that jazz.

Google is starting a big rollout of 8,000 Glass units, reps said at the company’s annual developer conference in May. Top members of the Glass team hinted that apps may include fitness trackers, karaoke cards, and perhaps even a payments platform.

Hat tip: ReadWrite