【Writer's Bullpen (2009)】

Your face could Writer's Bullpen (2009)be the next place for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant to invade.

Amazon's is reportedly working on a pair of Alexa-powered smart glasses that could be announced at an upcoming product launch event, the Financial Timesreports. The glasses would be strictly operated with voice controls and wouldn't have a built-in camera like Google Glass or Snapchat Spectacles.

SEE ALSO: Amazon's new $150 Fire HD 10 tablet is basically a portable Echo Show

The report also claims the smart glasses resemble regular frames, connect wirelessly to phones (presumably via Bluetooth), and use bone-conduction technology to vibrate sound off your skull and into your ears.

Interestingly, Amazon's smart glasses might not even have a display. "Amazon’s glasses are likely to do away with the camera and screen that made Glass so controversial among privacy campaigners," the report says.

Amazon's smart glasses might not even have a display.

Besides alleviating privacy concerns, the FT posits battery life could also get a big boost if Amazon's wearable really doesn't have a camera or screen.

If true, it would put Amazon's smart glasses in a weird position. If they're just regular-looking glasses with Alexa voice controls, they wouldn't compete with with the myriad augmented reality glasses, such as Microsoft's HoloLens, that are gaining popularity. Facebook has also made it no secret that it's building inconspicuous AR glassesand that they could be only five years away.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Amazon first showed interest in building a pair of smart glasses when it was granted a patent for a pair back in 2015, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The patent describes a pair of smart glasses that connects to tablet and has a screen on its lenses that can transition from transparent to opaque.

Per the patent:

Single-touch immersion control of head-mounted display (HMD) systems is described. One method outputs video from an electronic device to a HMD system that includes a display layer and a variable-transparency layer. The electronic device controls the variable-transparency layer to operate in a first state in which the variable-transparency layer is transparent and to operate in a second state in which the variable-transparency layer is opaque. The electronic device switches between the second state and the first state in response to a single-touch event detected by the electronic device.

It's still unclear if any of the methods or technology described in this specific patent will be used in Amazon's rumored Alexa glasses.

In addition to all of this, the FT report says Amazon could announce a new home security camera that connects to its Echo devices. The company is also expected to refresh its Echo smart speakers at an upcoming event. A leak a few weeks ago might have revealed at least one of the new products: a cube-shaped Fire TV with the Echo's Alexa and far-field microphone technology built right in.

Amazon has yet to publicly announce a product launch event, but we'll keep our eyes peeled for when it finally does.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Samsung and Apple should be worried about Xiaomi's luxurious Mi Mix 2

---

Topics Alexa Amazon

• Games
• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture
• Life
• Tech
• Science
• Shopping

• A new Pope has been chosen. Here's what his X posts say about him.
• Goats on the lam were rescued after getting stranded on the side of a bridge
• A BBC presenter fell in a swimming pool on live TV and took it like a champ
• Sparkles are all you need to make a good meme
• Best work from home deal: Save 33% on the FlexiSpot H7 desk at Amazon
• Spotify has acquired audiobook platform Findaway
• Microsoft has sent out free $100 gift cards
• Kia EV9 concept packs a lot into an electric SUV
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for January 28: Tips to solve Connections #127
• Disney Channel's 'Spin' starring Avantika is a delight

• Judge halts grizzly hunting because Yellowstone bears need to find more diverse sex partners
• Shein takes 1/3 stake in Forever 21 operator Sparc Group · TechNode
• Tesla cars are getting a massive software update. Here's everything we know.
• How to take a screenshot on iPhone
• Xiaomi reportedly secures green light for EV manufacturing from Chinese regulator · TechNode
• Saturday's Fat Bear Week voting pits a bully against a chunky favorite
• Best iMac deals: Save on M1 iMacs today at Best Buy
• People are worried about this lost beluga whale that was spotted in London's River Thames
• Meizu 20 Pro customized version launched, features smart car key · TechNode
• Alibaba Cloud launches open source Large Vision Language Model Qwen

• TikTok star Khaby Lame was detained by ICE. Here's what happened.
• Where the infrastructure bill's $7.5 billion for EV charging is needed most
• Janelle Monae's new "pussypants" video is the stuff of feminist dreams
• A guide to floral foam videos, the slime videos of 2018
• Swole Jeff Bezos joins Instagram to tease his new ROCKET FACTORY
• Goats on the lam were rescued after getting stranded on the side of a bridge
• Everything coming to Hulu in December
• 'The Great British Baking Show' co
• GPU Availability and Pricing Update: April 2022
• Discord walks back teased NFT integration after user outcry

• Man City vs. Real Madrid 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
• Cardi B probably knows a lot more about President Franklin D. Roosevelt than you do
• Everything coming to Hulu in December
• Samsung's One UI 4 brings new customization options for your Galaxy S21 phone
• Best Xbox Elite Series 2 deal: Save $32 on this pro
• Inmate tweeting from jail calls himself an 'eGod' and threatens to swat again
• Timothée Chalamet brilliantly responds to John Mulaney's standup comedy bit about him
• 7 essential apps that will help you redecorate or redesign your house
• NYT mini crossword answers for December 20
• TikTok doctors take on viral COVID myths