Sergey Brin tests high-tech Google Glass on subway

THE photograph looks unremarkable at first glance. But to geeks across the globe it is astounding evidence that Google co-founder Sergey Brin – a man estimated to be worth $20.5 billion – not only travels on the New York subway dressed like an "assassin", but that he does so wearing his company's top secret "spy glasses".

Brin was spotted on the downtown 3 Train last night by New York blogger Noah Zerkin, who "happens to be an enthusiast about augmented reality and wearable computing", reports The Guardian. Naturally, Zerkin was thrilled to see Brin – who owns a Boeing 767-200 jet – riding the train wearing a black beanie, matching zip-up top and clutching a plastic bag.

Far more interesting to Zerkin (and millions of tech-heads with an interest in the future of computing) was the fact that Brin was wearing a top-secret prototype called Google Glass.

The high-tech spectacles "include a screen showing computer data just at the edge of the field of vision of the right eye," explains the Guardian. If they are connected to a wireless network they can provide information about the user's surroundings using the Google search engine.

It is unlikely Brin was accessing data when the picture was taken, because "even Mr Brin has to deal with being offline on the NYC subway," Zerkin tweeted.

However, TechCrunch speculates that Brin may have been testing Google Glass's "offline features", which include transit maps projected into the "heads-up display".

The New York Times suggests Brin looks like an "assassin" in the photograph, but points out that while his Google co-founder Larry Page is "aloof, cerebral and intensely private", Brin is "more gregarious".

That certainly proved true in this instance: Zerkin says he chatted to Brin about Google Glass for several minutes and calls him a "nice guy". ·