Microsoft you crafty old devil you. The house that Bill Gates built has never been one to let innovation slip them by. Let us not forget that the Windows OS is 28 years old and the company has been on cutting edge of gesture technology, touchscreen technology and just about anything else you can throw a techy stick at. So it should come as no surprise, then, that they are not about to take Google’s forthcoming dominance in the smartglasses industry sitting down. Unless, of course, if “by sitting down” you mean at an engineering desk tinkering with a design for their own.
Yes, it’s true. According to recently unearthed patents, Microsoft is trying to get into the Smartglasses game that Google invented with their upcoming Google Glass mega-device. The patent application in question (20120293548) was submitted by Microsoft for a wearable gadget designed to overlay information onto a live event. Sounds familiar right? However, there is one key difference. Google Glass is intended for all-day use while Microsoft’s foray seems to be event-based. What kind of events? Imagine being at a baseball game and using the specs to get stats and other useful information overlaid on your field of vision. Could have some really cool applications.
The patent was actually filed way back in the halcyon days of 2011, so one would think the company has been knocking around ideas on this one for a awhile. Who knows? Maybe they’ll surprise us, and Google, by dropping these sweet shades on the public even faster than the competition. We’ll let you know when they drop more information. In the meantime, enjoy this video someone made making fun of Microsoft. Be nice guys!
