14 DAY TRIAL // While Google is becoming more and more boring on one front, the one led by Larry Page, meaning most of Google's user-facing products, it is becoming a lot more interesting on another, the one led by Sergey Brin, Google X.
Not much is known about the secret labs/think tank that Brin has created to house shot for the moon projects, anything from space elevators to the self-driving cars we've been hearing about and seeing for a couple of years.
But one of the first products to hit the market coming out of Google X are heads-up-display glasses. There's been talk of this project for a while, but it looks like it's taking shape.
Prototype devices are already available and have been in testing for quite some time now.
The smart glasses will run Android, a version customized for the device, and pack most of the guts of a smartphone. They will have a cellular data connection, and a small screen embedded in front of the wearer's eyes.
The glasses will also come with a video camera that is used for augmented reality features. Location will be a big part of the product and a main focus. The device will be able to provide info about the surrounding world, things you're looking at and so on.
The technology behind Google Goggles, the visual search app, could be of great use in this device. Navigation is done with head movements to scroll or select an item.
The glasses will tap into existing Google products, but the key difference is the way the data will be displayed and the way users interact with the online products, via the HUD rather than the regular web interface.
The first products are expected to land by the end of the year and cost as much as a regular smartphone, the New York Times says, which could be anywhere between $250 to $600, €190 to €450.