Sony’s new HMZ-T3 wearable display gets ‘wireless’ option, easy smartphone connectivity and HD audio (hands-on)

Sony's new HMZT3 headmounted display gets 'wireless' option, improved display and audio handson

Ahead of Sony's own IFA press event, it's already announced its latest head-mounted display. The HMZ-T3 is the third iteration and while there's no substitutional reality function (or camera), the company's made some important improvements that could tip the balance for anyone concerned with sinking a substantial amount of cash for a one-person display. It'll come in a new "wireless" iteration -- we'll explain why we used those quote marks a little later -- while Sony has also improved the clarity of its dual OLED displays through lens and software adjustments (although the 720p resolution stays the same). There's now a bigger viewing sweet spot and several new specialized screen options for gaming and movie-watching. Our favorite new feature, however, is the ability to plug in Android (presumably Xperia) devices with micro-HDMI / MHL connectivity. The device, via the battery pack, has ports for both full-size and micro-HMDI cables, and given the current influx of HD-capable smartphones (and content), it's a pretty pervasive way to use it.

The HMZ-T3 also arrives with high-definition audio, virtualized 7.1 channel sound and has shed 10 grams since the T2. That's despite improved padding and some more forgiving adjustment controls that made wearing the device noticeably less frustrating. Both wireless and wired options are set to go on sale in Japan this October and while a global roll-out isn't yet confirmed, Sony's told us that it's certainly "in discussions" about further availability. We managed to get some early access to the wearable ahead of its reveal in Germany, so naturally, we played some games and watched some video. Our initial impressions and more details are right after the break. %Gallery-slideshow46965%

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Sony unveils 3D head-mounted display for surgeons to peer inside you

Sony unveils 3D head-mounted display for surgeons to peer inside you

Sony's 3D head-mounted displays have been asking for a place in your film-watching and gaming routines since 2011, but now their latest HMD is volunteering to act as the viewing end of medical endoscopes. Hirai and Co. have just unveiled what amounts to a retooled HMZ-T2, dubbed the HMM-3000MT, which helps surgeons peek inside a patient's body in 2D or 3D -- the latter of which is said to improve precision. By eliminating the need to keep tabs on an external screen, the electronics giant thinks doctors won't have to restrict their posture and movement.

Though the hardware carries the same 720p 0.7-inch OLED panels as its sibling, it's been tweaked for use in a standing position with beefed up support for balance and comfort. The hardware also packs a picture-in-picture feature to catch different views of operations, and even the ability to rotate and flip video feeds. While the headgear has been approved for use in Japan, it hasn't been confirmed for a launch in other territories. In other words, don't expect to see it if you go under the knife relatively soon.

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Source: Sony

LG’s head-mounted display patent ensures you’re always watching

DNP LG patents headmounted display, acts as visiontriggered secondary viewer

While head-mounted displays are nothing new, LG has patented a novel method for utilizing them that might grab your attention. The patent states that when you're staring at content on a device like a tablet, the HMD is inactive. But turn your head or the device away and that same content will automatically fade into view right in front of your bespectacled eyes. According to the filing, the noggin-strapped contraption is set to buzz as it switches displays and there'll be a slight transitional pause when viewing video. While we're betting virtual reality goggles and Google-branded headgear might prove to be a touch more popular, this is at least a lot cooler than passive 3D clip-ons.

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Source: USPTO

Oculight LED hack gives the Oculus Rift a hint of peripheral vision (video)

Oculight hack gives the Oculus Rift a hint of peripheral vision video

Although the Oculus Rift is one of the more ambitious attempts at making virtual reality accessible, its lack of peripheral version is all too familiar -- it's much like staring into a pair of portholes. Rather than let the disorientation persist unaltered, though, Hack A Day has taken matters into its own hands. Its Oculight hack puts an RGB LED strip inside the headpiece, with the colored lighting set to match the edge of the screen through Adalight code. The result is much like Philips' Ambilight, but arguably more useful: the virtual world's light "leaks" into the wearer's real peripheral view, adding to the immersion. Oculight clearly isn't for sale and needs a refined installation to create the ideal effect, but the readily available resources will let anyone with an Oculus Rift development kit build their own solution.

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Source: Hack A Day

Epson’s video board pumps composite inputs to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video)

Epson's video board pumps composite inputs from *honk* to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video)

Bummed that your $700 Moverio BT-100 headset doesn't have video input? Well, Epson's here to tease you with a board that plugs into the trackpad and accepts any composite video source. Despite best attempts to hide the identity of hardware it's being tested with and give the lawyers a weekend off, it's shown to receive feeds from a PS3, an iPad and a 360 with Kinect. Check out the honk-filled video of all the fun you're not having, and contact Epson if you've got an interesting idea for using the board, because they might just give you one. How about -- "I want to play games on it?" That sounds like a pretty good reason to us.

[Thanks, Joe]

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Epson's video board pumps composite inputs to the Moverio BT-100 headset (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google nabs design patent for left-eyed Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny

Google nabs design patent for leftside Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny

No more shall lefties wanting Google Glass toil under the oppression of right-handed overlords. Not if Google's newly granted design patent is an indication, at any rate. The filing simply puts the eyepiece on the other side for those who are either naturally left-inclined or just that much opposed to the optical status quo. There's no guarantee Google will be so accommodating when Glass reaches the general public, although we're hopeful: when early adopters are already paying a small fortune to leap in, it wouldn't hurt to produce a batch for left eye use and give the more committed southpaws among us the freedom they've craved since Google I/O.

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Google nabs design patent for left-eyed Google Glass, frees southpaws from tyranny originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 10:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zeiss Cinemizer head-mounted OLED display wends its way into stores

Zeiss Cinemizer headmounted OLED display wends its way into retailers

Zeiss must be doing well in the lens business, as it hasn't exactly been in a rush to get its Cinemizer OLED on to shelves. Still, we're happy to say that the head-mounted display is at last slipping into retailers: Amazon partners are now carrying the regular 870 x 500 version for $749 in the US (German titling aside) and £578 in the UK. It doesn't look to be the version with head tracking that we tried earlier this year, but you'll still get a 3D image through HDMI 1.4 in addition to 2D through either the HDMI link or analog input. The price makes it a tempting alternative to the more advanced but costlier Sony HMZ-T2 -- and for those who'd like something slightly more discreet-looking while they zone out with a good movie.

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Zeiss Cinemizer head-mounted OLED display wends its way into stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony ‘Prototype-SR’ spotted at TGS 2012: the HMZ-T2 tacks on a camera, plays with user perception (video)

Sony 'PrototypeSR' spotted at TGS the HMZT2 tacks on a camera for enhanced 3D measures

Remember the Sony HMZ-T2 3D head-mounted display that we tried on back at IFA? Well, it's being prominently featured here at TGS, too. Tucked away at a smaller, much more modest booth around the corner, however, is something a smidge more interesting. Kept behind glass and a safe distance away from our grubby mitts and sweaty foreheads resides the "Prototype-SR" (Substitutional Reality) that was outed on YouTube last week. Essentially, the unit appears to be the HMZ-T2 with a front-mounted camera for head tracking and camera functionality -- the sort of thing that will provide what's being called a 360-degree immersive entertainment experience. From what we can tell from the booth monitors, the unit displays 3D video overlaid in real space for the person wearing the device. Details are scarce and extremely limited demos were available in an apparent lottery (no luck here). You can rest assured that if we're able to snag one, though, we'll be sure to offer up some impressions. For now, take a look at the camera-wielding set of hi-tech goggles in the gallery below and the aforementioned video awaits just past the break.

Continue reading Sony 'Prototype-SR' spotted at TGS 2012: the HMZ-T2 tacks on a camera, plays with user perception (video)

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Sony 'Prototype-SR' spotted at TGS 2012: the HMZ-T2 tacks on a camera, plays with user perception (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony quietly drops new HMZ-T2 Personal 3D viewer at IFA

Sony quietly drops new HMZT2 Personal 3D viewer at IFA

Sony almost sneaked this one by us at today's IFA press event. In fact, it was never mentioned on stage and practically buried in the day's flood of PR. The HMZ-T2 is the company's next generation wearable 3D display. Aesthetically it doesn't appear very different from last year's T1 and, spec-wise, things seem largely the same as well. Put the head-mounted unit on and you'll be presented with a pair of 0.7-inch OLED monitors that deliver 45 degrees of three-dimensional entertainment. There's also the same Virtualphones tech baked in, that create the illusion of a 360-degree 5.1 surround sound system. The T2 distinguishes itself primarily through a refined design that makes it lighter and more comfortable (without resorting to shape-shifting liquid metal, either). For more, check out the PR below.

Continue reading Sony quietly drops new HMZ-T2 Personal 3D viewer at IFA

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Sony quietly drops new HMZ-T2 Personal 3D viewer at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Engadget on EyeTap, Project Glass and the future of wearable cameras

Editorial Google may be ready for wearable cameras, but what about you

Summer in Paris -- you can't walk a block on Champs-Élysées without locking eyes with at least one camera-equipped tourist. But Steve Mann's shooter wasn't dangling from his shoulder and neck; it was mounted on his head, with a design strikingly similar to Google's Project Glass. Unlike that mainstream Mountain View product, however, Mann's version has reportedly been around in one form or another for 34 years, and was designed with the objective of aiding vision, rather than capturing stills and video or providing a bounty of database-aided readouts. It's also street-ready today. While on vacation with his family, the Ontario-based "father of wearable computing" was sporting his EyeTap as he walked down the aforementioned French avenue, eventually entering a McDonald's to refuel after a busy day of sightseeing. He left without his ranch wrap, but with seriously damaged hardware.

What allegedly occurred inside the restaurant is no doubt a result of the increasing presence and subsequent awareness of connected cameras, ranging from consumer gear to professional surveillance equipment. As Mann sat to eat, he writes that a stranger approached him then attempted to pull off his glasses, which, oddly, are permanently affixed to his skull. The man, at that point joined by one other patron and someone that appeared to be a McDonald's employee, then pushed Mann out of the store and onto the street. As a result of the attack, the eyewear malfunctioned, resulting in the three men being photographed. It wouldn't be terribly difficult for police to identify those involved, but this encounter may have greater implications. McDonalds has since launched an investigation into the matter and seems to be denying most of the claims, but it'll be some time yet before the full truth is uncovered. Still, the whole ordeal got us at Engadget thinking -- is the planet ready for humans to wear video recorders, and will it ever shake a general unease related to the threat of a world filled with omnipresent cameras? Join us past the break for our take.

Continue reading Editorial: Engadget on EyeTap, Project Glass and the future of wearable cameras

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Editorial: Engadget on EyeTap, Project Glass and the future of wearable cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSigns of the Times, Slashgear  | Email this | Comments