Samsung patent points to hi-tech glasses project

Samsung is the latest technology giant to jump on the hi-tech spectacles bandwagon, with a patent was filed in Korea this month revealing designs for a pair of “sports glasses”.

The electro-specs are hooked up to the user’s smartphone and display alerts for information running on the phone, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A memo attached to the filing seen by the paper had the following brief description:

This design is of a type [of glasses] with earphones integrated, allowing [users] to take phone calls and listen to music during workouts.

As such the emphasis certainly appears to be focused on multi-tasking fitness fanatics, perhaps offering an upgrade to the Oakley Thump, our 2005 Chav Gadget of the year.

It also looks as if Samsung’s offering doesn’t have voice recognition built-in, unlike Google Glass.

The Korean electronics giant has already shown its readiness to develop wearable technology with the launch of the Galaxy Gear smart watch last month, so the leap to tech specs isn't a major departure from current strategy.

Other notable tech firms said to be doing the same include Microsoft, Chinese search giant Baidu and Sony, although the latter is very much aimed at gamers.

NTT Docomo has also been showing off a pair of 'Intelligent Glasses' which can translate text on-the-fly, although like many of the efforts listed above they're very much still at a a prototype stage. ®