Follow-Up: Google's Goggles Come Into Focus

Google's working on a new device, a pair of augmented reality glasses that've been all but confirmed by the New York Times. We looked at this idea a couple months back--now here's what's new.

The New York Times isn't messing around with today's headline: "Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses By Year's End." Nick Bilton's convinced enough by info from his sources to really go for it. And the article's original pre-publish headline even borrows a little sci-fi iconography to spice things up: "Google to Sell Terminator-style Glasses..."

That's more or less what we said back in December when we included a clip from that very film to illustrate what an Augmented Reality system could ultimately be capable of.

Now, according to the Times's sources (who are "several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named"):

"...the glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year. These people said they are expected “to cost around the price of current smartphones,” or $250 to $600.The people familiar with the Google glasses said they would be Android-based, and will include a small screen that will sit a few inches from someone’s eye. They will also have a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS."

That's pretty detailed. Other leaks add yet more detail, describing a unique navigation system which uses head motions to scroll and click and a low resolution camera that views the world in real-time to feed data back to the wearer. They're not designed to be worn long-term; rather they are meant to be slipped on and off about as often as you'd dig a smartphone out of a pocket. Google's also said to be very concerned about privacy, and whether or not passers-by need to be aware they're being recorded by a camera. As for data, the idea is that the Android-powered specs will tap into Google software like Latitude, Goggles, Maps and so on--with the bonus that you'll be able to do things like check in to locations through ...

[Source: Fast Company]