If you take the time to step back and take a long hard look at the technology that we have in this day and age, I think you will agree that we are a privileged generation of people. From a technological advancement point of view; there has never been a better time to be alive, with improvements to technology coming thick and fast as well as the constant introduction of new and seriously impressive gadgets and consumer electronic devices.
Every now and then, we hear rumors surrounding a new product which is reported to be going to hit the shelves and it makes us salivate with anticipation. One such rumor came a couple of weeks back and focused on the fact that Google have been working on a heads-up display type product which is built into a pair of wearable glasses and would feature a number of cutting edge technologies. Today, that speculation has grown with The New York Times claiming that sources have confirmed the product.
At present we don’t know a great deal about the Google-branded glasses, but the previously aired speculation claimed that they would feature an embedded display which would be only an inch or two away from the wearers eye. The display would be used to show real time information to the owner from their surroundings, captured from a proposed front-facing camera and streamed to the display using built in 3G/4G data connectivity.
This may all seem a bit ‘virtual reality’ but we are getting to the point where that kind of functionality is becoming a reality. The actual hardware configuration of the final product remains to be seen, but the glasses could also feature an integrated flash for the camera, as well as the ability to accept voice input from the user, and all reportedly powered by the Android mobile operating system.
If the proposed internal display is correct, the implementation of augmented reality technology into the glasses in order to give the surrounding’s information to the user would be truly stunning and opens up a whole new realm of possibility for developers should Google decide to allow them to explore that route.
Considering the product hasn’t been officially confirmed, or denied for that matter, it is difficult to estimate a pricing structure but sources say that the Google glasses will cost "around the price of current smartphones" and be likely to retail from the lower end of $150 all the way up to $600 depending on the chosen specification. If that pricing structure proves to be accurate, the heads-up-display glasses could certainly be a big hit in the consumer electronics market.
When it comes to these kind of products, buyers generally tend to rule with their hearts rather than their heads and although I can’t seeing anyone actually ‘needing’ these glasses, I think pretty much all gadget and technology fans will want them.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
