Google glass

A photo of a Google Glass prototype seen atGoogle I/O in June of 2012
Developer	Google
Type	Augmented reality, head-mounted display
Release date	Developers (US): early 2013 Consumers: late 2013-early 2014
Introductory price	Developer version: $1,500 USD

Introduction

Project Glass is a research and development program by Google to develop an augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD). Project Glass products would display information in smartphone-like format hands-free and could interact with the Internet via natural language voice commands. The prototype's functionality and minimalist appearance (aluminium strip with 2 nose pads) has been compared to Steve Mann's EyeTap.

The operating system software used in the glasses will be Google's Android.

Project Glass is being developed by Google X Lab, which has worked on other futuristic technologies such as self-driving cars. The project was announced on Google+ by Babak Parviz, an electrical engineer who has also worked on putting displays into contact lenses; Steve Lee, a project manager and "geolocation specialist"; and Sebastian Thrun, who developed Udacity as well as worked on the self-driving car project. Google has patented the design of Project Glass.

Prototypes

Though head-worn displays for augmented reality are not a new idea, the project has drawn media attention  primarily due to its backing by Google, as well as the prototype, which is smaller and slimmer than previous designs for head-mounted displays. The first Project Glass demo resembles a pair of normal eyeglasses where the lens is replaced by a head-up display. In the future, new designs may allow integration of the display into people's normal eyewear.

The New York Times originally reported that the glasses would be available to the public for "around the cost of current smartphones" by the end of 2012, but other reports have stated that the glasses are not expected to be available for purchase soon. The product (Google Glass Explorer Edition) will be available to United States Google I/O developers for $1,500, to be delivered in early 2013, while a consumer version is slated to be ready within a year of that.

The product began testing in April 2012. Sergey Brin wore a prototype set of glasses to an April 5, 2012 Foundation Fighting Blindness event in San Francisco. On May 23, 2012, Sergey Brin demoed the glasses on The Gavin Newsom Show and let California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom wear the glasses. On June 27, 2012, Sergey Brin demoed the glasses at Google I/O where skydivers, abseilers, and mountain bikers wore the glasses and live streamed their point of view to a Google+ Hangout, which was also shown live at the Google I/O presentation.

Reception

In general, reception for the glasses has been positive.[citation needed] There have been parodies and criticisms aimed at the general notion of augmented reality glasses, ranging from the potential for Google to insert advertising (its main source of revenue) to more dystopian outcomes. However, Google has stated they will not insert advertising.

At designer Diane von Furstenberg's spring 2012 fashion at New York Fashion Week, models wore Google Glasses down the runway, filming the audience.

In November 2012, Google Project Glass received recognition by Time Magazine as one of the "Best Inventions of the Year 2012", alongside inventions such as the Curiosity Rover.

Don't mix google glass with google goggles.

Google Glass turns up in FCC filing

Google Glass took another step toward reality today when its maker filed paperwork with the Federal Communications Commission laying out key technical specifications and certifying its compatibility with various standards.

The documents are a routine part of bringing a new wireless device to the market. They describe a device augmented by a Broadcom 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi radio and Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy. As noted by Engadget and The Verge, the application also makes apparent reference to bone-conducting speakers that deliver sound to the wearer via vibrating contact with the head.

All of this bodes well for the imminent release of Google Glass Explorer Edition, which developers were able to pre-order for $1,500 at Google I/O last June. Still, Google is keeping plenty under wraps -- the company requested 180 days of confidentiality on various aspects of their filing, including external photos, internal photos, and the user manual.

This week the company hosted an event for developers, called Google Glass Foundry, at its offices in New York and San Francisco. But media requests to observe were declined, and participants were apparently under nondisclosure agreements: a developer we contacted afterward wouldn't talk about it.