Google glasses expected later this year, but not the only option

Anyone who has seen the Terminator movies has surely thought to themselves, "how cool would it be to see the world as they do?" If the latest rumours about a Google X project are true, a new pair of advanced glasses can allow you to do just that.

Google has announced new augmented reality glasses that provides users with real-time information on the world around them, according to The New York Times. The Times reports that the glasses will be made available by the end of this year and retail for approximately $250 to $600.

These upcoming glasses, colloquially referred to as "Google goggles" by some, are not to be confused with the app Google currently has available in the Android and iPhone app markets. The Google Goggles app lets you use your smartphone to scan the world around you and get information on what you see through the phone's camera, with the ability to do things like scan a logo and display information on that company, or scan a bottle of wine and find local stores that carry that product.

The Google glasses take the concept one step further, removing the middle-man smartphone and putting the ability to perceive the world with a flood of information right in front of your eyes. According to the unnamed sources in The New York Times story, the HUD (head's up display) glasses would be based on the Android operating system, a 3G or 4G data connection and motion and GPS sensors.

This image from The Daily Mail roughly illustrates how they could look and function:

The project was first written about in December by Seth Weintraub at 9 to 5 Google. Weintraub says that the glasses would look similar to Oakley Thumps, sunglasses with built-in MP3 player functionality.

While glasses that run on an operating system like Android are truly unique, the availability of HUD technology is not. Although not as widely discussed as the Google glasses, other companies have been quietly developing their own HUD systems to introduce to consumers in other ways.

Lumus gave a taste of their wearable displays at this year's CES, but Engadget reports they've now developed a second optical engine that could be installed in motorcycle helmets or other eyewear. There are no concrete plans for integrating the OE-31 optical engine into specific devices yet, but if the technology is there, then it's only a matter of time.

(Image from Mail Online)