SONY SPECTACLES?: Sony is venturing into Google Glass territory. It promises a hologram-like display that projects information and graphics directly into the user's field of vision.
The sudden withdrawal of Google Glass from the market doesn't seem to have deterred Sony, which officially opened the order books for its own augmented reality specs.
When the company's SmartEyeglass starts shipping in March it will do so as an US$840 (RM3,045) Developer Edition. And the first thing that early adopters will notice once the glasses have been unboxed is their heft. These are thick glasses, like goggles, and come with a tethered by wire controller.
However, what the device promises is a hologram-like display that projects information and graphics directly into the wearer's field of vision but without obscuring their line of sight. The experience is not unlike using a top-end car's head up display.
Keeping with the motoring analogies, in order to view the display while wearing Google Glass, users had to look up and to the right -- like using a car's rearview mirror. While this feature ensured that wearers didn't accidentally walk into a wall or in front of a car while using Glass, some developers complained of eye ache and headaches.
As well as a potentially revolutionary display, Sony's glasses sport an integrated camera and can connect wirelessly to a smartphone for web access and for running or responding to apps.
Sony says that the battery -- which is housed in the remote control unit -- is good for just 80 minutes when using the camera and for 150 minutes when not.
However, the new glasses aren't designed to win any fashion contests or battery stamina awards. The developer device is simply a way of getting the technology into the hands and on the faces of app developers so that they can get working.
As Microsoft is currently learning the hard way with its Windows Phone smartphones, a mobile device's popularity is based on how many apps are available. If Sony can't convince the developer community to build apps for the SmartEyeglass then it will remain nothing more than an expensive curiosity rather than a must-have piece of technology. — AFP/RelaxNews
