We can already compute on the go thanks to our tablet computers and smartphones. However, Google isn’t satisfied. The online search giant is in the middle of testing its Project Glass initiative, what you probably think of as the Google glasses.

Maybe you’ve seen coverage of Project Glass in the New York Times. You might even have seen the many photos of smiling folks wearing what look like futuristic wrap-around Star Trek glasses.

A computer above your eyes?

These are the famed Google augmented reality glasses that, theoretically, will allow users to read email messages, pull up online maps, take pictures, record video, and video chat with friends and family members — all without the use of their hands.

A stream of useful information

Google glasses are designed to work with voice commands. If you’re wearing the glasses, you can call for your city’s public transportation schedule. Your Google glasses would then call up your local bus or train schedule. Or maybe you’re looking for the new French restaurant in town. You can tell your Google glasses to find it, and when you do, the glasses will provide you with maps and detailed directions.

According to a video produced by Google, the company’s augmented reality glasses would also allow you to check your day’s schedule and revamp your plans if things change. For instance, in the video a Google glasses-wearing consumer is heading to the subway. As he hits the entrance, though, his glasses tell him that subway service is suspended. The glasses also calculate a walking route to his destination.

An unobtrusive technology?

According to a recent story in the New York Times, Project Glass isn’t designed to bombard users with an unending stream of technology. It’s actually supposed to make it easier for them to access the technology they want when they want it. For instance, a user might want to take a picture of his girlfriend standing on a bridge over the Chicago River. Instead of fumbling around for his camera or smart phone, he just presses a button on his Google glasses to snap the shot.

It’s not clear yet just how close Google is to achieving its view of augmented reality. What is undeniable, though, is that for the right kind of tech-savvy consumer, Google’s latest initiative holds endless potential.