Google will be shipping Glass to developers "within the next month," according to comments made during the Google Ventures Glass Collective event. The Explorer Edition of Glass, meant for programmers and costing $1,500 per device, could reach customers before the company's developer event, Google I/O, on May 15th.
Google's high-profile augmented reality Glass eyewear is to be made in Santa Clara, reports the Financial Times. Google is said to be partnering with Chinese manufacturer Foxconn on the hardware, though Foxconn will be overseeing the operations in Santa Clara. Google is also keen to closely oversee the manufacture of the prototypes through to the production versions in order to maintain tight quality standards.
Google is exploring the possibility of building its own smartwatch, according to reports. The device is allegedly being created by the company's Android division, instead of the X Lab where Glass was created, and follows news of other companies creating their own smartwatch devices, such as Samsung and Apple.
Google has applied for another patent relating to its head-mounted display project, Glass. Titled "Wearable Computer with Superimposed Controls and Instructions for External Device," the application details how the headwear would provide information and virtual controls for other electrical items, such as a refrigerator.
Samsung and Corning are planning to build a new glass plant together in China. Estimated to cost $600 million, the factory will focus on glass production for TFT-LCD displays, according to Reuters. Although still to be finalized later this year, the joint venture is expected to be constructed in China's Wuxi New District, an industrial zone 120 kilometers west of Shanghai that is popular with international manufacturers.
MIT researchers have worked out a way to make glass without all the drawbacks in the medium. The 34 page research paper explains a method for making self-cleaning, hydrophobic and extremely clear glass.
