Microsoft Granted Patent For Augmented Reality Glasses 89
another random user writes with an excerpt from the BBC about Microsoft's vision for augmented reality glasses: "A patent granted to the U.S. tech firm describes how the eyewear could be used to bring up statistics over a wearer's view of a baseball game or details of characters in a play. The newly-released document was filed in May 2011 and is highly detailed.
... Although some have questioned how many people would want to wear such devices, a recent report by Juniper Research indicated that the market for smart glasses and other next-generation wearable tech could be worth $1.5bn by 2014 and would multiply over following years."
Noticeable differences from Google's version: two lenses, a wrist computer, and wires.
Patent nonsense (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Nobody is going to wear these things (Score:4, Insightful)
Why can't they be indistinguishable from normal glasses? Google's prototypes are pretty close to normal glasses already:
http://blog.sitestogo.biz/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/google-glasses.jpg [sitestogo.biz]
You think that thick part can't be integrated into the frame and the screen can't be part of the main lens?
Re:Patent nonsense (Score:1, Insightful)
This is a piece of hardware, and a specific implementation of it. This is exactly what patents are for.
Re:Patent nonsense (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I'll just say this now (Score:4, Insightful)
My watch glows in the dark so I only have to look at my wrist at night to see what the time is. It is powered by my wearing it so I don't need a mains supply (and cable / proprietary adapter) to recharge it. It can withstand water pressure of 10atm.
It also only cost me £30 a decade ago and hasn't had any problems whatsoever.
Until my smartphone can do all of those things I'm keeping it.