I'm not sure whether it's similar enough, but the "Private Eye", a wearable, monocular heads-up display, had a bit of niche success when it was introduced in 1989. Here's a contemporary blurb from Popular Science: http://www.popsci.com/archive-viewer?id=dwEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=...
Google Glass = head-mounted display + camera + access to the cloud
The Private Eye was just the first. It's like comparing an exercise bike to an actual ride-around-outdoors bicycle.