Google is clearly trying to push its Android operating system in new directions. Only yesterday we reported about a lapdock mode found in Android 5.0 Jelly Bean. It allows you to replace everything but the large display in your laptop case with a smartphone. Now we’ve heard about another new direction for Android: augemented reality glasses.
According to insiders at Google, glasses that run Android are
being developed that allow the wearer to see a Head-Up Display. The glasses have their very own 3G/4G connection, meaning they can potentially replace a smartphone. Navigation is also novel and requires head movements such as tilting to perform actions. There’s sure to be voice control too.
If that doesn’t sound futuristic enough, Google is also embedding a camera and GPS into the glasses. By combining the two it will be possible to enhance what the wearer is seeing. Your reality will be augmented to point which direction you need to travel in to reach a given destination, or which shops have deals on you may be interested in.
The project is currently in progress at Google X Labs, a secret laboratory in California tasked with focusing on potential future technologies. The Android glasses are therefore just an experiment at the moment, but if it works well enough there’s nothing to stop Google releasing them.
As the glasses integrate many of the features of a smartphone, it is expected they would cost somewhere in the range of $250-$650. There’s even a suggestion we could see them launched before the end of 2012.
My one concern? Having what is effectively a smartphone so close to your head and connected via a 3G/4G connection for extended periods of time. Such glasses are sure to bring up questions relating to health risks.
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Source: www.geek.com
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