Back before we had even heard the words “Project Glass“, there had been rumors that Google was working on some sort of glasses-based smartphone accessory. Then in early February, we learned of an FCC request the company had made in order to get permission to let it test some sort of “next generation personal communication device” out in the real world. While we haven’t seen anything definitively linking this to Project Glass, the nature of the device in question – using Bluetooth and WiFi for communication but lacking its own cellular radio – seems to fit with our expectations for the glasses. Now Google has amended its request to the FCC, suggesting that it’s about to step things up a notch with its testing.

Whereas Google only initially wanted clearance for testing about a hundred of these mysterious devices, it’s now looking to increase that figure to over 700, with the vast majority of testing to still be done in and around Google’s Mountain View campus. It also mentions to the FCC that it expects to have a model ready for formal certification submission in August.

While that last bit might make it seem as if Project Glass could become a commercial product even sooner than we hoped, it’s also cause for concern that this communication device might be something else entirely. After all, based on what Google’s said about Project Glass so far, a 2013 release sounded optimistic, so having final hardware ready for certification in just two more months might be an untenable goal.

Source: FCC 1, 2 (FCC)
Via: phoneArena