
Microsoft is developing a Google Glass competitor - cyphersanctus
http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/22/microsoft-patent-shows-its-working-on-a-google-glass-type-device-of-its-own/
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netcan
What these things really need is some way of being controlled directly by the
brain.

I don't want to be wearing goofy glasses and telling them to guide me to the
pub. I just want to conjure up a rabbit to follow.

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cyphersanctus
Hehe, I suppose that wont be hard in the nearby future (25 years). The glasses
could have neuro-censors that would be in constant contact with key parts of
both sides of the brain.

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acous

      The glasses could have neuro-censors
    

That's a frightening typo!

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cyphersanctus
Lol, frightening indeed. My bad.

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pmelendez
Am I the only one who thinks Google Glass is a bad idea?

We already trusted our virtual life to google (emails, what we do, etc). Are
we sure that we are ready to trust our real(physical) life too?

Don't get me wrong... It seems like a cool project but I wouldn't use it,
maybe I am getting too old :/

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AnthonyMouse
It doesn't bother me much for a simple reason: Sutherland's wheel of
reincarnation applies to cloud computing. Right now there isn't enough
processing power or storage on a portable device to store everything you would
want out of a thing like this, but give it time. And then it's hardware, it
doesn't _have to_ be ad supported -- the device can know all about you, but
it's your device.

So that's one possible future. And the tech they're developing is pretty
agnostic to whether the information it collects is stored in the cloud or just
on the device, so let's try not to be too pessimistic about something cool
just yet.

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cyphersanctus
True, then again the temptation for them to start feeding you personalized
real time ads, were your whole life is their ad canvas, might be too great to
resist. Lets wait and see.

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scotty79
> Microsoft Patent Shows It’s Working On A Google Glass Type Device Of Its Own

It only shows that Microsoft calls dibs on this newfangled idea of wearable
display. I don't see any invention described there. Rather just an idea.

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bharyms
Is Microsoft really developing or simply trying to get some patent to fight
with google?

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ryanmacg
It looks like this was submitted (May 2011) before Google announced Project
Glass (Apr 2012)

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mhb
And people have been thinking about augmented reality for decades.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Damocles_(virtual_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sword_of_Damocles_\(virtual_reality\))

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micampe
we don't even know what Glass is going to be, how can it have competitors? so
far all we know is that it's a network connected display inside a pair of
glasses. but that's been available for purchase for a couple of years now
([http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/snow-heads-up-
displ...](http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/snow-heads-up-display)).

people have been working and experimenting on wearable computing and HUDs for
decades ([http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/one-on-one-steve-
ma...](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/one-on-one-steve-mann-
wearable-computing-pioneer/)), I'm really curious to see what Google can come
up with, being probably the first major company trying to make a general
consumer product, and Glass may well end up being an awesome revolutionary
product but so far I fear that it's being hyped so much that it may end up
being the next Segway.

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czr80
Can a product have a competitor if it hasn't actually launched yet?

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Achshar
Not only that, but the market has not been established either. The product has
not real solid use case except getting Facebook/G+ notifications on the go.

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Evbn
And head mounted camera, and hands free walking/biking directions and
augmented reality.

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Achshar
Head mounted camera is only of use to a niche of users. Walking/biking
directions can still be seen on a mounted mobile on bike and mobile in
hand/voice directions on headphones. Augmented reality is not a specific use.
There are not many things that augmented reality can be used on in real world
by casual user right now. And there won't be any until someone (like google)
creates it.

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addies
Maybe I'm way off, but I think this is kind of what Google intended in some
sort of way with their Google X lab. They're exploring innovative and new
ideas but I think it's with the intent of spurring on this competitive spirt
with the other tech giants. One company exploring these ideas is innovative
but may not make much progress; having a bunch of companies compete to come up
with the best version of these ideas may make the progress on these
technologies increase rapidly.

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Evbn
Google would prefer if MS Monocle ran Android. They aren't a charity.

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meaty
Microsoft's current strategy with everything seems to be:

"me too! me too!!!"

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daeken
As was pointed out elsewhere, this was applied for a year before Google Glass
was shown at all.

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meaty
However, patents versus material commitment are very different. The latter
requires some effort.

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daeken
So MS is copying Google on this, despite that they put in this patent
application over a year ago, and despite that these types of devices have been
discussed for decades and only now practical? This is very obviously not a "me
too" effort, but even if it was... who cares? Competition is a good thing.

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Peroni
Not sure if they plan on 'competing' with statements like this: _The device
described by Microsoft is a little less ambitious_

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diminish
I believe Google Lense would have a more bright future, than Google Glass.
Google Lense may be a wireless lens screen which communicates with the smart
device in your hand or pocket to show you app windows in multiple screens.

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cyphersanctus
And the lenses would be installed into any glasses or how do you envision it?

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nchlswu
I love the spin. This is a non story.

This is how invention and innovation works; multiple parties come up with the
same idea. Not to mention that the idea of augmented reality glasses has
probably been a childhood dream for many.

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upthedale
Seems related to the big Xbox roadmap leak from earlier this year. 'Fortaleza'
was the codename I think if anyone wants to do some digging.

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vyrotek
I was really hoping they would call it Microsoft Monocle.

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puzza007
Knowing Microsoft they'll come with a keyboard

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benliong1
of course they are </sarcasm>

