CONSUMERS can expect to wait a while before they're able to lay their hands on Google's much-hyped Internet-connected eyewear, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said Friday.

Google recently began shipping Google Glass to software developers who signed on to experiment with the device -- which integrates a tiny camera and voice recognition technology -- at a cost of $1,500 a pair.

"You should assume that it will take us a while" to take stock of their feedback, said Schmidt when asked, at a seminar in Washington on the Internet and freedom of expression, when Google Glass might reach consumers.

"It's extremely early," he said. "Think of this as beta testing, and Google beta-tests for a while and hopefully we get it right."

As for another ambitious Google project, self-driving vehicles, he said: "The timeline is years, not decades -- but not months. Again, it's in the R and D (research and development) stage."

Google Glass, which is powered by Android software, and cars synched to the Internet could potentially enhance the search-engine conglomerate's money-making services, such as online maps.