Google Glass specifically prohibited using the camera for facial recognition —- but let you silently take pictures and video and post them to Google+.
They literally blocked a useful feature (recognizing people you have already met) and promoted a feature nobody wanted (posting pictures of people without consent).
Let’s be clear: the Internet was available in phones of that era, but they were not well integrated into the experience. I recall having a Blackberry that required two minutes to “log in” to the Internet when you wanted to actually use it.