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Thursday, January 9, 2014
Sony Unveiled Wearable Smart Glasses at CES
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Sony's SmartEyeglass prototype and the SmartBand appeared at the
company's booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014.
Sony said the SmartEyeglass was used mainly to
display information about sports events, such as player
information at a soccer match - who the player currently having the ball is, how much time is left until the match is over, and more.
The Sony eyewear prototype houses two small LED projectors, which register data onto a holographic strip in both lenses of the glasses. It features a transparent, 1mm thick lenses with a 90% see-through transmittance and an LCD with a brightness of more than 1,000cd/m2 and a resolution of 400 x 240 pixels. Its weight is 40g.
Sony is expected to put the product to commercial use by the
end of 2014.
The company is already testing a second version, which will feature a camera, as well as a player-tracking function to map specific data onto athletes.
Sony is also touting five days of battery life for the SmartBand and has also said that it's waterproof and safe to wear in the shower.
During the CES presentaion, Sony described Google Glass as " one-dimensional," adding its new Smart Eyeglasses were "much more advanced."
At CES, Startup XOEye Technologies also showcased their
high-tech eyewear. The company built cameras into safety
glasses. They can stream live video for 45 minutes over Wi-Fi
before they need a recharge and the wearer can talk to and hear
whoever's watching the video. In effect, the glasses provide a
way for an expert or supervisor to look over the shoulder of a
remote worker to walk them through repairs.
The gadget's battery life is too short for all-day video
streaming, but the glasses can be set to snap photos every 30
seconds instead.
Wearable computing industry is encouraged by the attention
Google's Glass is getting. The device is worn like a pair of
glasses and projects a small video screen into the wearer's
field of vision.
Smartwatches everywhere
Wearable computing devices also include the so-called
smartwatches. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich unveiled a smart watch
during his keynote speech at the CES on Monday, bringing his
company level with Samsung and Qualcomm, both of which sell
watches with sizeable color touch screens that are capable of
running apps (Galaxy Gear, Toq).
Hong Kong company CONNECTEDEVICE at CES showcased its
company's smart watch, called Cogito, which is designed like a conventional
analog watch and has a digital screen behind the arms, in the
center of its face. The Cogito connects to a smartphone and
notifies a person of e-mails, text messages, calls, and
impending calendar events, and displays enough text for a
person to decide whether or not to pull out his phone and act
on the alert.
LG also launched a simplified smart watch
at CES. The LG Lifeband can track a person's activity and
workouts using motion sensors but can also show notifications
from a connected phone on its touch screen, which can be used
to send simple commands to a phone.
Razer launched a similar product at CES called the Nabu. A
screen on the outside of the wristband passes on notifications
from a person's phone, for example that someone is calling. A
second display, on the inside of the wrist, displays more
private information, such as who is calling, so it can be
accessed without the whole world seeing it.
Pebble showcased the Pebble Steel, a computer-like watch, which has
a plain, plastic, and rubber look. The model is styled in
polished steel and comes with a leather or metal strap. It
costs $249 and will start shipping this month.
A watch called the Wellograph, which also launched in Vegas, has
a similar style, as well as a novel heart-rate sensor built
into the underside of the device. The Wellograph will cost $320
and is scheduled to become available in the first half of 2014.
Misfit Wearables
makes a small fitness sensor called the Shine that can be worn
like a watch or clipped to clothing.
French company Netatmo is also set to launch a wearable
computing device the June this week. Resembling a large jewel,
the button-free device is mounted on a leather bracelet that
wraps around the wearer?s wrist multiple times. The June tracks
a person's exposure to sunlight so that a companion phone app
can offer advice and warnings about covering up or sunscreen
use. The device will be available in the second quarter of this
year for $99.
Freescale launched a small circuit board called the Wearable
Reference Platform, or WaRP, at CES. The $149 board is
intended to speed the process of prototyping wearable devices
and readying them for production. The WaRP has a CPU, memory,
motion sensors, connections for displays and further sensors,
and runs a version of the Android operating system.
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