A patent lodged with the USPTO has just been uncovered which reveals Google’s ideas and plans for a Google Glass style smartwatch. This could be the ideal wearable tech to those that don’t want to go around wearing those highly conspicuous spectacles. Due to the lack of imaging hardware apparent on this smartwatch you might even be allowed to wear it while you have a beer in the Seattle’s Cedar Point Cafe Bar.
The patent details a smartwatch with dual touchpad controls, located on the wristband, which will respond to the now familiar Google Glass style tapping, swiping and holding gestures. The patent also suggests pinching and zooming gestures will be supported while the touchpad component may be removable. It is thought that the watch glass display was probably designed and sized to be just right to display a Google Glass style app card. I think it’s clever of Google to use the watch strap as a touch control interface on a system with such a limited screen space as a wristwatch.
Google smartwatch front
The patent goes on to list various options which may be included in the smartwatch design such as what wireless and communications abilities may be employed “the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a satellite network, a telecommunications network, a private network, and combinations of these”. Also interestingly, a design feature could optionally sleep the watch when it is removed from a user’s wrist. For making a wired connection, parts of the clasp mechanism may be used and made in the form of a USB port or plug.
Google smartwatch strap with USB clasp
The brains behind the Google smartwatch plans are mainly supplied by Dr. Richard Gossweiler who VentureBeat describe as “an interaction design übernerd”. Gossweiler previously worked at Xerox PARC, HP Labs, NASA and IBM before settling into his current role at Google.
