Samsung Patent Points To Google Glass Competitive Headset With Heads-Up Display

Hot on the heels of Google rolling-out a limited batch of Google Glass to the public, Samsung has applied for a patent involving a competing product that it's calling "Earphone". That name highlights the biggest difference between Glass and this, however; rather than act as pair of glasses, Earphone's HUD extends out from an earpiece. Given this, it would seem that the HUD would be a bit lower than it is on Glass, but if I'm looking at the diagrams correctly, it looks like everything would be adjustable.

One thing to set Earphone apart is that it has a built-in earbud to transmit sound to the user. This could allow Samsung the ability to provide clearer audio to the user versus Google's bone conduction method.

At this point, it's hard to tell what Samsung is going to do with Earphone, and whether or not it's actually going to become a reality. If I were at Samsung, I think my first order of business would be choosing a better name. Nonetheless, I'd be interested to see this come to fruition, because I could see me personally opting for something like this over Google Glass. The biggest thing I'd question is its stability. Glass works well because it's worn like a pair of glasses - this would merely sit in your ear. Either way, the potential is there.

What do you think?