The rumored Google glasses that can stream information directly to the glasses could soon be in consumers' hands by the end of the year.

According to a New York Times report, the heads- up display (HUD) glasses will be hitting the market this year and could retail for the same price as many smartphones in the market meaning it could cost around $250 to $600. The Times report quoted several unnamed Google employees who are familiar with the project and reiterated that Google is looking at the glasses as more of an experiment than an actual moneymaker device.

Tech blogs have reported on the glasses before as a project under development in Google's research lab, Google X Labs along with other Google projects like the autonomous car. The HUD glasses will supposedly run on Android and will support both 3G and 4G networks.

The glasses offer users an augmented reality view of the world and will likely include integration with such Google services like Google Maps, Latitude and Goggles. Users will get to see the world with an overlay of pertinent information about the object you're looking at. For example you could be looking at a building and get its indoor map via Google Maps. A Google employee added that you will be able to look into locations with your friends through the glasses. If that's true then Google's problems with its privacy policy will only the be the tip of the iceberg compared to the problems the company will attract if they release glasses that can track people's locations and even record videos using the built-in cameras.

Previous reports have pegged the glasses to look like Oakley Thumps and will have a built-in low-resolution camera for object and location identification. According to 9to5 Google, the glasses will have a few buttons on the arms of the glasses and will communicate directly with the Cloud over the Internet. The navigation system is based on the head's movements. Tilting your head will allow the glasses to scroll and click through various commands and data. The glasses are apparently not designed for constant wear but given the chance to see the world like the Terminator, wouldn't you want to keep them on every time you go out?