feEyewear Maker Luxottica Says The New Version Of Google Glass Is On Its Way

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Out with the old, in with the new.

For those who didn’t get a chance/didn’t want to jump on the Google Glass bandwagon the first time it rolled around, with its oft-maligned design that allows people to record everything they’re seeing (including people who might not want to be filmed), you’ll soon have the opportunity to get/make fun of/criticize a new version soon.

Luxottica, the Italian eyewear company behind brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley that teamed up with Google in an effort to make Glass something people will actually want to wear, says we should expect the newest offering soon, with CEO Massimo Vian telling shareholders at the company’s general meeting in Milan, Italy that preparations for the new Glass design are underway, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Though Vian didn’t share any details about exactly when it’ll launch or what capabilities it will have — for example, will wearers still be able to snap photos or record video of unsuspecting parties without tipping them off? — but reportedly said it will be out soon.

“In Google, there are some second thoughts on how to interpret version 3 [of the eyewear],” Vian told shareholders. “What you saw was version 1. We’re now working on version 2, which is in preparation.”

Google stopped selling Glass earlier this year and shuttered its Explorer program amid low sales, which made some tongues wag over what some saw as the demise of the project. Despite that, Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt insisted it wasn’t done yet, telling the WSJ it had been moved into the same division as Google Nest, “to make it ready for users.”

Google declined to comment on specifics of the new version, saying only in a statement: “The team is heads down building the future of the product and we’re not commenting on rumor or speculation.”

Italian Eyewear Maker Luxottica Working on New Version of Google Glass, CEO Says [Wall Street Journal]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist