Google's (News - Alert) new reality-augmenting glasses may not pack quite the punch that we first thought, at least when looking at the sci-fi frames in their current prototype phase.

During an in-person chat with Google execs, CNET's Rafe Needleman learned that, in their current form, Google Glasses aren't capable of displaying the "full-on, in-your-face type of augmented reality" showcased in Google's wildly popular demo video introduced last month.

In the video, the glasses appear to offer Terminator-like functionality with a user interface that displays content across a full field of vision. However, the prototype frames currently being tested and teased by Google reps only provide data "above the wearer's usual line of sight, about where the edge of an umbrella might be," says Needleman.

Whether this is a change in strategy – as these types of glasses could conceivably be more usable in a real world situation – or a simple act of embellishment on behalf of the video's producers is not clear. Who knows, the glasses advertised in the video could represent the expected evolution of the prototypes over the coming months and years.

Either way, it seems as if Google Glasses are still in the early development stages, although the company has yet to move back their expectation launch date of Q4 of this year.

"It's still too early to know what the functions and UI will be; it's the simple interactions that are making people the most excited," a Google spokesperson told Needleman, who wasn't given the opportunity to personally demo the prototype glasses.

Initial reports indicate that the Web-enabled frames will provide 3G/4G data connectivity, sensors for motion and GPS, and a low resolution built-in camera. In fact, the Google team responsible for the project has started posting photos that were taken using the prototype glasses, including one shot taken live during a recent interview with Charlie Rose.

The glasses are expected to retail for between $250 and $600.