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29.02.2012 Technology

Google Smart Goggles ‘To Be Launched By 2013′

29.02.2012 LISTEN
By Daily Guide

Google is set to launch a pair of “smart glasses” dubbed the Google Goggles by the end of this year, it has been claimed.

The Terminator-style glasses are said to be able to stream information to the wearers in real time, and are set to cost from £160 to £380, or about the price of a smartphone.

They will have a small screen sitting just a few inches from the wearer's eyes through which the user will see an augmented reality rather than a webpage like on a smartphone, anonymous Google employees familiar with the project reportedly said.

On directing their gaze at a restaurant, the wearer might see reviews popping up – or when looking at a historical building, they could see images from its past.

The glasses would be Android-based, with a 3G or 4G data connection, and motion and GPS sensors, according to the New York Times.

One feature is likely to spark privacy concerns: the glasses are said to include a low-resolution built-in camera that can monitor the world in real time, overlaying information about friends who may be nearby, surrounding buildings, and so on.

The New York Times reported that Google has been actively discussing the privacy implications.

The company is said to want to ensure that people know they are being recorded by someone wearing the glasses – though it is not clear how that will be possible.

Google has released no official statement on the project.

The blog 9 to 5 Google has also investigated the project, claiming the glasses will have a ground-breaking navigation system in which users tilt their heads to scroll and click.

“We are told it is very quick to learn and once the user is adept at navigation, it becomes second nature and almost indistinguishable to outside users,” a blog post stated.

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