Google to introduce 'reality' glasses

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Google will introduce glasses with augmented reality software to stream information to the wearer's eyeballs in real time, The New York Times is reporting.

The glasses will go on sale to the public by the end of the year and are expected "to cost around the price of current smartphones," or $250 to $600, sources told the Times.

The glasses will use Google's Android operating system and will include a small screen a few inches from the wearer's eye, with a 3G or 4G data connection and a number of sensors including motion and GPS.

A built-in low-resolution camera will monitor the environment in real time and overlay information about locations, surrounding buildings and friends who might be nearby, Google employees familiar with the system told the Times.

The glasses are not intended to be worn constantly, they said, but will be more like smartphones, utilized when needed.

The glasses will use things like Google Latitude to share location, Google Goggles to search images and figure out what is being looked at, and Google Maps to show other things nearby, they said.