Google to Sell Heads-Up Display Glasses by Year's End
By NICK BILTON FEBRUARY 21, 2012
People who constantly reach into a pocket to check a smartphone for bits of information will soon have another option: a pair of Google-made glasses that will be able to stream information to the wearer's eyeballs in real time.
According to 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.
A Google spokesman declined to comment on the project.
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The article doesn't make it clear if the glasses will /contain/ a "smart" phone or simply /attach/ to one: either way, having them available in a reasonable price range will be a major advance.
As I've said, I'm curious about ways that new technologies affect old ones, so I'm interested in knowing if the display optics can act as corrective lenses. If so, we're going to see a clash of titans: /that/ would be the "killer app" that puts Opticians out of business.
Bill Horne Moderator