Every time we cover something like this (which is a lot. An awful lot) we issue frequent reminders, as much to ourselves as to you the reader, that patents are not concrete products. They are ethereal catch-alls filed by megacorporations with little discrepancy, in a ‘better safe than sorry’ mindset. But with that said… it’s hard not to get a little excited, or at least intrigued, by this latest discovery.
Samsung has patented what fairly unambiguously appears to be an augmented-reality headset – its own take on Google Glass. The depicted device certainly looks familiar – designed to be worn on the side of the head, it features a small, clear heads-up-display which protrudes to around the front of the wearer’s right eye. Rather than sit over the wearer’s ears like a pair of glasses, this design resembles a bluetooth headset as it sits around and inside the ear. This opens up a world of possibilities for audio feedback, such as prompts, notifications, or even music playback.
Sadly there’s not a lot else we can discern from the device at this point. We translated the Korean text which accompanies the patent’s images, but they don’t reveal any sort of technical specifications. If the rumours of a late 2014 release are true though, we’re sure to hear more about it soon.
