Dec. 29--Remember Google Glass, the optical head-mounted display prototype that Google stopped selling in January?
It looks like the wearable, which never really took off, is getting a second chance.
Photos of a new version of Google Glass appeared in a filing on the Federal Communications Commission website on Monday, showing new features such as foldable arms, a larger glass prism (which acts as a screen) and a new charging port.
The filing also included a manual with user instructions, not too different from the original Google Glass.
Google announced in January that Google Glass was "graduating" from the tech giant's secretive lab for developing new technologies and would be spun off as its own entity within the company. As part of the transition, it stopped selling the wearable.
The company did not reveal at the time what plans it had for Google Glass, but reports emerged months later that the technology was now being developed for business use.
Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and it is unclear whether the model that appeared on the FCC's website is a consumer or enterprise product.
Unlike other electronic wearables such as fitness trackers and smart watches, Google Glass received a lackluster response when it launched to the public in 2014. In addition to the head-mounted display's camera stoking privacy concerns, the wearable wasn't discreet because people wore it on the bridge of their nose like a pair of glasses.
