Samsung has finally gained approval for a design patent to work on sports glasses that is reported to rival Google Glass, according to The Australian. The South Korean tech company has registered for the patent on March 8.

The eyewear, according to the news site, can be connected to smartphones and can show information from the handset on its lenses. A report from CNET also said the connected glasses allow users to listen to songs and call people from their phonebook.

The Wallstreet Journal, which first reported of the patent update, revealed that it's yet to be known whether the glasses' lenses will be transparent or not. Either way, the lens design will be based on user needs.

The Journal also said that the early sketch of the Samsung eyewear "doesn't look much different from what Google has potentially offered." The business paper notes, however, Samsung's design seems be geared more towards the athletic crowd.  

A Samsung spokeswoman revealed the Korean tech giant will not comment on reports surrounding upcoming products

CNET said that it's not yet clear whether the new eyewear will ever be released on the market, notting that Samsung is no different from other companies that apply for patents on a wide selection of technologies, although those products never hit the shelves.

Google is currently testing its Google Glass prototype with 10,000 participants across the United States.

So much has changed in mobile computing since the advent of wearable technology. Recently, leading electronics companies like Samsung and Sony have released their own versions of a smartphone-connected timepiece.

This wearable technology market segment is growing annually at a 50.6 percent growth rate, E-Week reports based on a research released by Berg Insight. The research also said that sales from the market segment have reached 8.3 million units globally in 2012 alone, and estimates shipments to reach 64 million units by 2017.