Augmented Reality News: Google glasses suddenly lose functionality

In a move which the observant among us would have seen coming (it was in the name of the video after all) Google have stripped the upcoming Project Glass / Google Glasses of the cool features shown, though they will come "one day". Google have confirmed that the previous full visual field filling display shown in the video is going to be far from reality for at least a while.



The previously shown heads up display (HUD) has been shrunk to a top bar at the upper edge of our visual field and will contain small notifications, much like car based HUD displays do now for speed and direction. You will also have the ability to take photos with the spectacles, presumably through winking or some such gesture.

Examples of these from the alpha units are now up on the Project Glass google+ page (shown below for your convenience).

 

Whilst the initial function set of the first generation spectacles is still promising it won't be revolutionising our lives any time soon.this leaves us with functions such as viewing, possibly taking, photos with the headset.

In other Project Glass news, Google have managed to patent the "ornamental" styling of the glasses, so it will be interesting to see how Oakley fare with their version of this, given that Googles patent just looks like a pair of spectacles, with an augmented reality armature attached!

But still, at least we won't be falling into potholes while our glasses shove someone's latest Facebook update in our field of view!