One or both of these products may launch before the end of the year.
Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses that come without any internal display, or camera for that matter. The glasses instead integrate Amazon’s Alexa smart assistant via bone-conducting headphones, according to a Financial Times report. The company may also be developing a security camera that’s connected to Alexa, according to the same report.
Amazon’s smart glasses would need a wireless connection to a smart phone to work, according to the report. This would mean that they essentially work much like a set of Bluetooth headphones, albeit with a slightly different form factor.
How Google Could Save Glass: Ditch the Camera
The project is apparently being led by Babak Parviz, a former Google X director who was instrumental to Google Glass. Google’s wearble product launched with much fanfare in 2013, but quickly attracted criticism for its privacy implications due to the integrated camera. This could have been one reason why Amazon decided to forego any camera for its smart glasses.
However, the company is reportedly exploring a camera product as well. The company is building a security camera that connects to its Echo Show device for video monitoring, according to the Financial Times. One or both of these products could launch before the end of the year, the paper reported Wednesday.
