“We believe technology should work for you — to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t” according to Google.

So Google has unveiled a prototype of their eyeglasses that can stream data to the wearer’s eyes as part of the latest trend in wearable computing, defined as mobile computing where both computer-generated graphics and the real world are seamlessly overlaid in your view; there is no separate display that you hold in your hands”. Furthermore

the underlying trend as we go from desktop computers through laptops and notebooks to tablets is one of having computing available in more places, more of the time. The logical endpoint is computing everywhere, all the time – that is, “wearable computing” .

A video of this augmented-reality experiment was posted by Google on YouTube showing someone wearing the glasses as he made his way around variety of Manhattan venues, receiving up-to-the-minute updates as information streamed into his glasses. Here it is:

Let’s not be too cynical about an idea that, at first blush, seems delightful, but not very relevant. Also, given that the authorities take a dim view of driving while texting, you can image how they’ll react to someone behind the wheel of a car with yet another distraction.

But this is fun stuff, and if it works as advertised could prove useful to a lot of people. There are also at least two other Companies working on glasses or contact lenses with similar ability, probably aimed at gaming, but don’t expect to see these products for sale for a good number of years.