As it was revealed by 9to5google a while ago, Google is currently working on such a device (what’s Google not working on these days?), and The New York Times, quoting Google employees familiar with the project, says the interesting new device will be available by the end of the year. It will cost about the same as a smartphone, between $250 and $600. The glasses will have a small display inside them, place them close to the eye of the user (a few inches). As you would expect, they’ll run Android and have 3G or 4G connectivity, as well as GPS and motion sensors. That’s actually how they’ll be used, via head movement. People familiar with the project say they look similar to the Oakley Thumps (pictured above). They’ll be able to use most of the current Google suite of apps (for example Google Latitude for location sharing or Image Search so the user knows what they’re looking at – useful if you want to look smart near works of art) and, what’s more important, using a small resolution camera, scan the surroundings and provide the user with information about what’s around them, as well as directions. Information will be displayed as augmented reality (if you’re familiar with Layar on Android, you know exactly how that works). The New York Times’ sources have also revealed the fact that the glasses are developed in the Google X offices, a laboratory facility where Sergey Bring, one of two Google founders, spends a lot of time lately. Google is not planning to make money with the new product at the moment, but that will probably be considered if users take to the product. Even if a product like this one does raise some privacy concerns (like people not wanting to be filmed without their approval or continuous location sharing), it still sounds very interesting and I have to admit that I can’t wait to try a pair on! Comment Name * Email *
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