Samsung eyes smartphone-connected glasses, patent filing shows

Will Google Glass have Samsung to contend with?

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Samsung has its sights set on new wearable technology, according to a recent patent filing in Korea.

Samsung has registered a design patent for eyewear that connects to a smartphone, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The eyewear includes earphones that allow people to listen to phone calls or music. According to the Journal, the eyewear shows information on the lenses from the phone. The lenses can be transparent or not, depending on the usage needs.

Samsung's proposed eyewear is somewhat similar to Google Glass, though it appears to be an accessory for a smartphone, rather than a standalone device, like Google Glass. According to the Journal, the Samsung eyewear also tries to appeal to "sporty" users who can't be handling a phone during exercise.

It's not clear whether Samsung has any plans to launch the eyewear. Like most companies, Samsung files for patents on a wide array of technologies. Many of those products never launch.