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Google Glass could come in designer form, shoot lasers into your eyes

21st Feb 2013 | 22:11

Google is offering quite a combination

Like the idea of Google Glass, but don't fancy wearing a lopsided metal strip on your face?

You may be in luck, as a pair of reports on Wednesday and Thursday hinted that Google could be looking to sell the Google Glass headgear computer in a variety of styles to fit any need.

First came the rumor that Google is looking to fashionable eyewear start-up Warby Parker to design hip Google Glasses frames.

Then, on Thursday, the US Patent and Trademark Office published a Google patent detailing Glass' design, including diagrams of possible alternate styles - and a plan to shoot lasers directly into users' eyes.

Making a statement

In an article titled "Google Searches for Style," The New York Times on Wednesday dropped the news that Google is "negotiating" with the trendy web start-up Warby Parker as they struggle to make Google Glass into the next big "fashion statement."

You know, like Apple's products, The Times suggested.

The report came from "two people briefed on the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly because the partnership has not been made official."

Google began accepting applications to pre-order Google Glass on Wednesday, and The Times reported that the device has seen some improvements - not least of which is the integration of Google Maps in "the latest version" of the glasses.

It's all in the patent

The patent published by the USPTO on Thursday is another story, one that details every aspect of Google Glass, from its ability to capture images to the wireless connection types it supports.

It mentions cameras and a "finger-operable touch pad," as well as ways to keep the image consistent despite wearers' head movements and how real-world objects can be overlaid with digital information.

It shows that though Glass isn't even out on the market yet, Google had this all nailed down years ago - the patent was filed in August 2011.

Those aspects are subject to change, but more importantly, the patent features diagrams showing alternate styles for Google Glass that don't look like they're from a cheesy 70s sci-fi movie.

The patent mentions the possibility of both plastic and metal frames, and shows designs that include square-ish hipster glasses and more.

The laser eye surgery you never knew you wanted

Google's Glass patent also gets into more theoretical areas, describing a version of the wearable computer that features lasers instead of a mounted display.

This version of Google Glass would use "a laser or LED source and scanning system [that] could be used to draw a raster display directly onto the retina of one or more of the user's eyes."

Keep in mind that most things that are patented never come to be. Hopefully, this is one of them.

Via The New York Times, TechCrunch

Sentiment: Strong Buy

ASK ON STOCK is bidding out of control

I have two stocks which I own and am considering buying more. First is Ming Yang (MY at $1.65) which is a non-state owned Chinese wind energy company. When I first purchased it at $1.70, it appeared cheap, but then it proceeded to drop to $1.20, before rebounding to $1.65 now. One problem with investing in Chinese companies is the overall lack of information (they do not seem to have Investor Relations Departments), and news is not generally readily available from China.

My second "Best Bet" is FuelCell Energy (FCEL at $1.05). I had been reading about Bloom Energy, and I saw its 20 Minutes Segment, but Bloom Energy is privately held (backed by about $1 Billion in venture capital funds). Bloom Energy did recently release some financial indicators (just Google it) at about $100 million revenue in its pro forma Q3 revenue, with cost of goods sold of $106 million, along with operating expenses of $26 million. The resulting loss for the quarter on a GAAP basis was listed at $42 million. In a like manner, FuelCell Energy is loosing money as well, but not on the same scale. If I read their recent Q4 results, they had revenue of $35.4 million, with a net loss of $8.1 million. They lost $.21/share for the year. Although FuelCell Energy is about 25-30% the size of Bloom Energy, FuelCell does have a number of large projects with big-name customers. I think it looks promising from an investor's point-of-view. Needless to say, everything I write here should be subject to your own research and opinions.

BOE Governor Mervyn King and his PBOC counterpart, Zhou Xiaochuan, met in Beijing yesterday, and their central banks will “facilitate” discussions on the yuan-sterling swap, the BOE in London said in an e-mailed statement.

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Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
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“The arrangement would be used to finance trade and direct investment between the two countries and to support domestic financial stability should market conditions warrant,

A witches brew of Tea for sure, yeah a Spoonfull of Sugar Makes the Poison Go Down.
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