Were movies really good at predicting the future? Or is the future what it is now, because of movies? In any case, smart glasses are here. But they still need a lot of work. 

So what are they? 

Google was of course the first company to launch the first real prototype. But they pulled it, knowing it still needed a lot of work. But we can look at some basics for “smart” connectivity. 

For sound, the speaker for wireless audio inputs is at the end of the ear rest portion of the glasses. The audio is transferred to the ear via bone conduction. 

The tiny CPU that controls all the brain power of the glasses is also located in one arm of the ear rest. 

The microphone is perched under one hinge so you can have cellphone conversations, hands-free voice searches, and listen to music and podcasts. 

There is also a projector in the lenses. The upper part has a curved mirror which offers transparent digital displays without obscuring your regular line of sight. You can view any image or text on this part of the lens. 

Who’s making them? 

Qualcomm is making phone-connected glasses. The features will probably allow you to read text messages and make phone calls, or view your calendar. But I can’t imagine there will be extensive internet surfing capabilities on that yet. 

Nreal Light glasses are a good example of what to expect. The bottom parts of the lenses are clear but the upper halves are filled with tech and camera to track your location. 

Motorola is expected to announce its own pair pretty soon as well but there’s not too many details there.

What are the issues? 

It seems that they have a hard type syncing with any prescription glasses you might need at the moment. So don’t expect custom fits, or being able to use them the way glasses are supposed to be used. Yet.