Google Makes Deal to Bring Glass to Ray-Ban

By now nearly everyone who is into technology in some way has heard of Google Glass. The general public on the other hand are still somewhat befuddled by the whole idea of wearable technology. But the latest move by Google may be the sign that things are starting to change, as Google has formed a new partnership with Luxottica, the manufacturing company behind high-end brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. Could this mean that Google Glass is coming close to a consumer release date?

The Luxottica Group is a leader in the design, manufacture, distribution and sales of premium, luxury and sports eyewear and Google Inc. have announced this week that they have agreed they will join forces to design, develop and distribute new types of eyewear for Glass. The deal for Glass ushers in a new market of smart eyewear for the more stylish of consumers. This deal will join high-tech developers with fashion designers and eyewear professionals. In particular, the two firms will set up a team of experts, which are devoted to working on the design, and development of Glass products that overlap highly fashionable eyewear and innovative technology.

Luxottica said the two major proprietary brands of the Group, Oakley and Ray-Ban would be a part of the collaboration with Glass. Andrea Guerra, Chief Executive Officer of Luxottica Group, said “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Google, and are proud to be once again setting the pace in the eyewear industry, as we have been, with more than 50 years of excellence.”

Google Vice President, Astro Teller said, “We live in a world where technological innovation has dramatically changed the way in which we communicate and interact in everything that we do. More importantly, we have come to a point where we now have both a technology push and a consumer pull for wearable technology products and applications. Seeing such a future, over the last years, Luxottica invested heavily in building-out our technology platforms and digital solutions to combine with our products excellence. We believe that a strategic partnership with a leading player like Google is the ideal platform for developing a new way forward in our industry and answering the evolving needs of consumers on a global scale. We believe it is high time to combine the unique expertise, deep knowledge and quality of our Group with the cutting edge technology expertise of Google and give birth to a new generation of revolutionary devices…Luxottica has built an impressive history over the last 50 years designing, manufacturing and distributing some of the most successful and well-known brands in eyewear today…We are thrilled to be partnering with them as we look to push Glass and the broader industry forward into the emerging smart eyewear market.”  The forward thinking and stylishness of this new generation of products will be a dramatic step forward in a relatively new and developing category of consumer goods.

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[Image via designtaxi]
SOURCE: http://www.talkandroid.com/201006-google-strikes-deal-with-luxottica-to-bring-glass-to-ray-ban-oakley-and-more/