Google Glass News: Device May Face Competition From China's "Baidu Eye"

Google Glass could be getting some international competition, as Baidu, the largest search engine in China, is developing their own digital eyewear device. A spokesman for the company, Kaiser Kuo, stated that their are no plans currently to develop the so-called "Baidu Eye" for commercial release yet, and that the device is currently being used for experimental purposes only.

"We haven't decided whether it is going to be released in any commercial form right now, but we experiment with every kind of technology that is related to search..." the spokesperson said.

Kuo also denied to comment on any other functions that the Baidu Eye would have, other than facial recognition as well as image and voice searches.

"What you are doing with your camera, for example, taking a picture of a celebrity and then checking on our database to see if we have a facial image match, you could do the same thing with a wearable visual device..."

The Baidu Eye would be tailored made for Baidu's strengths in search technology and facial recognition, so if this device is truly just for experimental purposes than it would make sense that the device would not have any other functions. Like the Google Glass, the Baidu Eye is comprised of a LCD Screen that has been mounted onto a headset. Apple is also rumored to be making a similar forays into wearable computing.

While Kuo stated that the Baidu Eye is only in experimental stages, this could be the foundation of a  new headset device if the Google Glass takes off in popularity. Google Glass has received lots of attention, both positive and negative, so Baidu may want to test the waters themselves for glasses-like devices in the future. Google recently completed the contest for early access to the Explorers version of the Google Glass, allowing 8,000 winners to purchase the device months before anyone else.

Thanks to: Huffington Post