Google Smart Glasses

After a few years in the press as 'next gen' prototype technology, 2013 will see the unleashing of the first products from Google's 'Project Glass' research into wearable computing.

The secretive Google X Lab's glasses will bring augmented reality to everyone's attention by selling an initially hugely expensive head-mounted display during 2013 that enables wearers to navigate around a city by overlaying Google Maps.

It will record video, share streams of live video to others, and show video to the wearer's right eye via a tiny screen, as well as allowing emailing, texting or phoning, 'smart' (i.e. personalised) web surfing, and more besides. You've heard of meta-data? Welcome to the meta-day -- and it won't just be Google running the future. Expect Microsoft, Apple and others to start thinking about the 'wearable web', too.