Google patents Project Glass-style flip-up smart watch
updated 04:42 am EDT, Wed October 3, 2012
Timepiece could provide Glass system without headset
Google has patented a smart watch where the front turns into a flip-up transparent touchscreen. According to the patent, the wirelessly-connected timepiece would allow the user to see notifications and messages from other devices, like other smart watches, as well as providing some of the functionality of Project Glass when using it to look at nearby objects.
The front bezel can flip up, allowing the inside to become the display for the wearer, while the area usually deemed to be the watch face could also house a second display, functional only when the watch is opened up. The transparent display will allow for data to overlay real-world objects, such as health-related information when looking through at a cereal box in a supermarket.
If constructed by Google, it could be seen as a more socially viable version of Project Glass, providing many of the benefits of the system without the need to wear the fairly conspicuous glasses. [via Engadget]
