 "Google Glasses in the shape of a Ray Ban")
Google is partnering with Luxottica Group, which owns eyewear brands Ray-Ban and Oakley, to help the Web company's Glass eyewear go mainstream.
Luxottica is setting up teams focused on design, development, tooling and engineering of products, the world's largest maker of eyeglasses says.
Google's Glass technology combines a stamp-sized screen, camera and audio on a small device that's worn at eye level in a pair of eyeglass frame. It can record video, access email, and retrieve information from the Web by connecting wirelessly to a user's cell phone.
The Mountain View, California-based company says it plans to release mainstream versions "down the road."
Milan-based Luxottica says the two groups would work together to create innovative wearable devices for the iconic Glass brand. No financial terms were disclosed.
"Luxottica has built an impressive history over the last 50 years designing, manufacturing and distributing some of the most successful and well-known brands in eyewear today," Astro Teller, the head of Google X, the lab where Glass was first developed, says. "We are thrilled to be partnering with them as we look to push Glass and the broader industry forward into the emerging smart eyewear market."
The Ray-Ban and Oakley brands will be included in the collaboration with Google Glass, the companies say. Luxottica says its two major brands, Ray-Ban and Oakley, would be part of the deal with Glass but it has given no further details.
"We believe that a strategic partnership with a leading player like Google is the ideal platform for developing a new way forward in our industry and answering the evolving needs of consumers on a global scale," Luxottica Chief Executive Officer Andrea Guerra says.
Google has also partnered with insurer Vision Service Plan to train eye-care professionals on Glass frames with prescription lenses.
"We live in a world where technological innovation has dramatically changed the way in which we communicate and interact in everything that we do," Guerra says.While the the Glass has received a lot of media attention, it has also faced challenges, including criticism for its ability to record images or distract users. Many believe wearable computers such as Google Glass represent the next big shift in technology, just as smartphones evolved from personal computers, others worry about possible privacy intrusion issues.
Luxottica is setting up teams focused on design, development, tooling and engineering of products, the world's largest maker of eyeglasses says.
Google's Glass technology combines a stamp-sized screen, camera and audio on a small device that's worn at eye level in a pair of eyeglass frame. It can record video, access email, and retrieve information from the Web by connecting wirelessly to a user's cell phone.
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Google, seeking new ways to get consumers to use their services on mobile devices, has been stepping up efforts to show how Glass can appeal to a wide audience.
The Mountain View, California-based company says it plans to release mainstream versions "down the road."
Milan-based Luxottica says the two groups would work together to create innovative wearable devices for the iconic Glass brand. No financial terms were disclosed.
"Luxottica has built an impressive history over the last 50 years designing, manufacturing and distributing some of the most successful and well-known brands in eyewear today," Astro Teller, the head of Google X, the lab where Glass was first developed, says. "We are thrilled to be partnering with them as we look to push Glass and the broader industry forward into the emerging smart eyewear market."
The Ray-Ban and Oakley brands will be included in the collaboration with Google Glass, the companies say. Luxottica says its two major brands, Ray-Ban and Oakley, would be part of the deal with Glass but it has given no further details.
"We believe that a strategic partnership with a leading player like Google is the ideal platform for developing a new way forward in our industry and answering the evolving needs of consumers on a global scale," Luxottica Chief Executive Officer Andrea Guerra says.
Google has also partnered with insurer Vision Service Plan to train eye-care professionals on Glass frames with prescription lenses.
"We live in a world where technological innovation has dramatically changed the way in which we communicate and interact in everything that we do," Guerra says.While the the Glass has received a lot of media attention, it has also faced challenges, including criticism for its ability to record images or distract users. Many believe wearable computers such as Google Glass represent the next big shift in technology, just as smartphones evolved from personal computers, others worry about possible privacy intrusion issues.