Google is working on pair of augmented reality glasses running on Android, set
for release later this year, according to the New
York Times, which quoted unnamed company employees. The glasses are meant to
work like a heads-up-display that analyzes and displays information for the
wearer, priced somewhere between $250 and $600.
The glasses will have a built-in low-resolution camera that will look at what the wearer is seeing and then overlay information about nearby buildings and friends -- a bit like the glasses in the Terminator movies. They’re not designed for constant wear though, more like a smartphone, used when needed. Google is also apparently not thinking about potential business models, as the glasses are more of an experiment.
The Google glasses are reportedly based on Android and will also have a 3G or 4G data connection along with several sensors, including GPS and motion. Earlier reports on the technology from 9 To 5 Google also indicate there will be a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, but otherwise, they could be mistaken with regular thick-rimmed eyewear, similar to Oakley’s Thump sunglasses with a built-in MP3 player.
It appears there will be only one display in the glasses (for one eye), which won’t be transparent. The navigation system sounds interesting: you would be able to scroll and clock through menus by tilting your head -- but this could be quite weird when you are in a public space, navigating through the glasses menus, tilting your head back and forth.
The glasses will have a built-in low-resolution camera that will look at what the wearer is seeing and then overlay information about nearby buildings and friends -- a bit like the glasses in the Terminator movies. They’re not designed for constant wear though, more like a smartphone, used when needed. Google is also apparently not thinking about potential business models, as the glasses are more of an experiment.
The Google glasses are reportedly based on Android and will also have a 3G or 4G data connection along with several sensors, including GPS and motion. Earlier reports on the technology from 9 To 5 Google also indicate there will be a few buttons on the arms of the glasses, but otherwise, they could be mistaken with regular thick-rimmed eyewear, similar to Oakley’s Thump sunglasses with a built-in MP3 player.
It appears there will be only one display in the glasses (for one eye), which won’t be transparent. The navigation system sounds interesting: you would be able to scroll and clock through menus by tilting your head -- but this could be quite weird when you are in a public space, navigating through the glasses menus, tilting your head back and forth.
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