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Tag: video-glasses

  • Can Vuzix Transform Video Glasses From Geek To Chic?


    Ever fancied a pair of those video glasses but felt you’d look a bit silly? Well Vuzix has come up with a set that would easily pass for wrap-around sunglasses.

    The US company claims its Wrap 920AV is the most advanced video eyewear yet produced – offering the viewing equivalent of a 62-inch screen seen from 3m away.

    David Lock, director of Vuzix’s European operations, spoke to smartphone.biz-news at the Showstoppers event on the eve of Mobile World Congress 2009 in Barcelona.

    Click below to see a video interview with David Lock:


    He said unlike its competitors, Vuzix has concentrated on providing the best consumer viewing experience with its existing four models – rather than focusing on look and style.

    But he said the new Wrap glasses transformed the whole video eyewear from "geek to chic".

    Certainly consumer interest in this type of product seems to be hotting up – helped no doubt by the growing demand for mobile video.

    Since its launch in Europe last March, Lock said Vuzix has sold USD $500,000 worth of video glasses.

    Typical buyers range from commuters to parents buying them for teenage children to watch video on their iPods during car journeys.

    Aside from the new Wrap, it offers fours models ranging from 44" to 62" in 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats.

    The iWear VR1440 is aimed specifically at gamers.

    With removable earphones and HD 2D and 3D viewing, the glasses run off a single AA alkaline battery that provides between 5-11 hours of viewing depending on the model and use.

    The eyewear can be used with a growing list of smartphones and mobile devices.

    But if the Wrap’s more fashionable look sounds appealing, Lock said the spec’s ability to allow viewers to experience augmented reality would be just as big a selling point when they are launched in the Fall.

    Essentialy that means the glasses’ "see-thru" lens design allows users to see what is around them while watching a video display or experiencing augmented or mixed reality on mobile devices such as the iPhone.

    He is enthusiastic about the possibilities that offers – such as being able to walk around a city wearing the glasses while following directions from a GPS map on the widescreen lenses.

    We tried out the glasses at Showstoppers and the quality is impressive – what might still put some people off are the prices, which begin at USD $199 for the most basic model.

  • Millions will wear video glasses for mobile viewing

    Screen size limitations on smartphones and UMPCs hamper users’ ability to fully enjoy mobile video, TV or the internet, according to Kip Kokinakis, president and CEO of Myvu.


    smartphone.biz-news.com spoke to him about Myvu’s Crystal video glasses and his prediction that millions of people will soon be wearing them for mobile viewing.

    Why watch a movie, play a video game or browse the internet on a tiny screen when you could be doing so on a 40” one?

    The answer would invariably be because there isn’t any real alternative for anyone on the move with a smartphone, UMPC or MID.

    Kip Kokinakis begs to differ. But since he is president and CEO of a company that designs and manufactures video eyewear for mobile entertainment, you would expect him to.

    The Westwood, Massachusetts-based firm’s latest offering is the Myvu Crystal, video glasses that connect to any media device with video out functionality – including the iPhone, Nokia N Series and most Samsung models.

    The premium model gives users something akin to a DVD-quality experience on a 40” screen, with built in ear-buds and the ability to “see around” the floating image when on the go.

    Spotting someone in an airport departure lounge watching a movie on a pair of Crystals may still seem a mite outlandish – but Kokinakis doesn’t believe it will be for long.

    “Within three years millions of people will be using these things,” he said. “All sorts of information and data can be translated to the glasses. It’s becoming natural to be out and about with them on.”

    What will influence uptake?

    Two factors that will undoubtedly emphasis the need for improved screen quality and size are the take-up of mobile TV and web browsing.

    This is already expanding rapidly in many markets around the world – just recently T-Mobile in the UK announced it was upgrading the download capability of its HSDPA 3G network to 7.2Mbps – and the pace of growth is set to continue.

    So too will the smartphone market, with research from ABI Research indicating that handset manufacturers will continue to push many high-end features further down their product lines, so increasing usage of mobile video, TV and the internet.

    And while Kokinakis admits that “wonderful things” are being done with smartphones and UMPCs in terms of computing power, there is only so much you can do with a small screen.

    “One thing you can’t do with a 4” screen is replicate a 50” screen,” he said. “You can’t keep evolving the screen on a hand-held device.
    “Video glasses are really the most cost effective way of getting a big screen on a small device.”

    Viewing technology will keep pace with content developments

    While the Crystal is described as providing the highest pixel density and sharpest resolution for any videowear of its size, Kokinakis insists the product is “a long way from being done”.

    He believes the technology is at a “tipping point” and over the coming year we can expect to see developments offering more pixels, near HD quality and a larger screen size.

    “By the end of next year we will have products so far beyond anything we thought of when we first demonstrated video glasses,” he said. “Everyone will be excited.”

    Kokinakis said that as optical quality improves and the number of pixels rises, the eyewear would become thinner and lighter while being able to display images as if on a 70” screen.

    While competing technologies, such as flexible displays, which can be folded or rolled, hold great potential, he doesn’t believe they will usurp video glasses.

    Speaking from Singapore, a center of excellence for material science and where he spends around 70 per cent of his time, he said: “The need for an optical system is there. Others are coming….but nothing replaces plastic at a price.”

    Another viable opportunity for video glasses is augmented reality, which Kokinakis believes will be feasible within three or four years.

    Who will be buying video glasses?

    While video eyegear might appear to only have appeal for those enduring lengthy commutes or frequent long-haul flights – especially in the US, Kokinakis believes the market and appeal is much broader.

    He points especially to the European and Asian markets, which have demographics more suited to video glasses because of wider use of mass transit and the fact people generally live in smaller living spaces.

    “We see a day when it’s not just about watching a movie, but people are watching TV while others are web browsing – all on a 50” screen,” he said

    Not so long ago people wearing headphones in public were scoffed at – imagine!
    Do you see video eyewear such as Crystal glasses becoming the norm for mobile viewing? We would be interested to hear your comments.