Tag Archives: smart glasses

Amazon unveils 3rd Gen of its Echo Frames with hidden headphones and Alexa built-in

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Just last November Amazon admitted that ‘Alexa’ wasn’t all they tried to build it to be. Dubbing it as a $10 billion loss for the company seemed like quite a reputation hit, but Amazon isn’t done surrendering the voice assistant. The ‘everything company’ has now launched a set of smart glasses with the beloved voice AI built into it. Now in its third-gen, the Echo Frames come in 5 different styles sporting a cool acetate look that’s 15% slimmer and lighter than previous versions (with support for prescription lenses, obviously). Redesigned audio drivers within the temple stems deliver much richer audio too, entirely eliminating the need to wear TWS earbuds with your spectacles. Just slip the Echo Frames on and you can listen to music, answer calls, and summon Alexa right through your specs. The Echo Frames, which start at $269, also boast an all-day battery life, a find-my feature, and an incredibly cool nightstand that lets you charge your eyewear overnight.

Designer: Amazon

Click Here to Pre-Order

The primary goal of the Echo Frames is to blend right into your sense of style. Quite like Facebook and Ray-Ban’s ill-fated “Stories” glasses, the Echo Frames are styled to look exactly like the kind of eyewear you’d normally wear every day. However, while Facebook’s gadget helps you spy on others with covertly hidden cameras, the Echo Frames doesn’t… or at least it doesn’t have cameras. It still has an always-active microphone, although the mic can be muted and Amazon specifies that it does not ‘sell your data’ to third parties. You have full control of all the recordings and can listen to them at any time or even choose to delete them.

Hidden within those slick temple stems is the Echo Frame’s redesigned audio architecture that provides 3x higher bass than previous models, making listening to music, podcasts, and calls much more comfortable and balanced. The spectacles’ open-ear framework lets it beam-form audio directly into your ears so that nobody around you can hear what you’re hearing. The personalized audio experience also eliminates the need to wear TWS earbuds, freeing up your ears so you can hear the world around you… like Transparency Mode, but in real life.

The Echo Frames’ highlight has to be the fact that it’s powered by Amazon’s voice AI. With Alexa available just a tap away, you can summon the assistant to ask it questions, play music, or even control your smart home like checking to see if your door’s locked, or turning on/off the thermostat remotely. Moreover, app compatibility also lets you locate your spectacles remotely, a feature that should really help people with terrible vision like me!

The Echo Frames are rated IPx4, making them perfect to wear in the outdoors, even if there’s a light drizzle going on. The frames offer 6 full hours of continuous use on a full charge, or 14 hours with moderate usage. The frames are also accompanied by a smart charging stand that lets you juice your smart glasses’ battery simply by docking them in place. The Echo Frames 3rd Gen starts at $269.99 and comes in a selection of 5 different frame styles and colors. You can even directly add prescription lenses to your order on Amazon during checkout.

Click Here to Pre-Order

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Titan EyeX Smart Eyewear Has A Built-In Fitness Tracker, Open-Ear Audio Drivers, And A Find-My Feature

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While most companies are trying to turn spectacles into mixed reality headsets, the folks at Titan are taking another approach by turning the spectacles into less of a computer on your face and more of an enhanced wearable. Ditching the notion that smart glasses need to have cutting-edge transparent displays in order to be incredibly useful, the Titan EyeX chooses to replace your earphones and fitness tracker instead. Housed within the spectacle’s sleek form are a pair of micro-acoustic Knowles speakers, a fitness tracker that calculates your activity through the day, and a GPS chip that helps you use your phone to locate your spectacles if you accidentally lose them or leave them somewhere.

Designer: Sanil Dhadwal (Titan Design Excellence Center) for Titan Company Limited

Poised to be the kind of spectacles you wouldn’t want to leave home without (or ever take off, to be honest), the EyeX are a stylish pair of glasses modeled to look like classic wayfarers. However, hidden within the temple stems is cutting-edge technology that makes the EyeX the perfect fashion accessory and smart wearable. The frames are built with TR90, a high-performance polymer used to make sportswear, and come with the ability to add prescription lenses into them. An integrated spring hinge allows the EyeX to fit as many as 32 different face shapes, and at just 28 grams, it’s just about as lightweight as your average pair of spectacles. The spectacles are also designed to be impact and sweat-resistant, further bolstering everyday use.

On the inside, the Titan EyeX runs on a Qualcomm chip, tethering with your smartphone via Bluetooth 5.0 for a strong, reliable connection. The eyewear, once paired, transforms into open-ear headphones for letting you listen to music as well as answer calls. Running on audio drivers from Knowles, the EyeX provides high-fidelity discreet audio that only the wearer can hear, while being entirely open ear, so you’ve always got situational awareness and know what’s happening around you. A touch-based interface built into the temple stems lets you control audio playback as well as answer/reject calls and summon your smartphone’s voice assistant.

A built-in fitness tracker also tracks your health and movement throughout the day, calculating your steps, distance covered, and calories burnt and sending the stats to the Titan EyeX app. The EyeX app also lets you access other features like the smart eyewear’s “Find My” feature along with the ability to use the tap interface on your spectacles as a shutter button to click hands-free selfies.

The Titan EyeX comes with an impressive 8-hour battery life, and charges via proprietary contact-based chargers. They’re built to be durable, with an impact-resistant construction, and also boast IP54 water resistance, making them impervious to sweat or a couple of drops of rain. With multiple awards under their belt, including the 2023 German Design Award and the 2023 Red Dot Award: Product Design, the Titan EyeX are available in India for Rs. 9,999 ($120.9 USD) and ship with a 1-year warranty.

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INMO Air2 smart AR wireless glasses are posed as the Apple Vision Pro’s affordable option

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Augmented reality is the future of how we interact with our gadgets, and the surprise launch of Apple Vision Pro is a testament to this fact. While VR headsets come with a grave disadvantage of being bulky and ridden with wired connections, smart glasses seem to nullify this ergonomic disadvantage with their sleek design and aesthetics.

The BMW ConnectedRide glasses for safe motoring; or the mainstream AR glasses like Razer Anzu, Rokid Air and Ray-Ban Stories are good references of where we are headed to. Now Air2 AR wireless glasses by Shenzen-based company INMO wants to change the dynamics of what smart glasses should be, and how users interact with them. All this at an affordable price tag that should interest you!

Designer: INMO

Click Here to Buy Now: $599 $799 (25% off). Only 31 of 300 left. Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

The frames of these smart glasses are a bit thick for a retro appeal and the overall build quality is nice. Weighting less than 100 grams courtesy of the plastic and aluminum material, these smart glasses do look well built. This is a very important attribute since we are talking about a long duration of use without compromising comfort in practical circumstances.

Under those seemingly normal pair of glasses is a micro-OLED display (640×400 pixels) that feels like a floating projector screen to the user. This makes them good for watching video content but they aren’t preferred for text content like reading blog articles. That said, the content can be navigated with touch gestures on the arms and for other controls there are two buttons below them. There are two speakers that beam audio downwards for crisp audio delivery but can be a tad loud to disturb others in your vicinity. INMO has also fitted a low-resolution camera that isn’t great, so we’ll take a skip.

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Movies

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Screen Mirroring: Watch Anything

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ChatGPT Intelligent Assistant

Talking of the specifications the Air2 wireless glasses have a four-core 1.8GHz ZiGuang ZhanRui AI chip, mated to 2GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM. The glasses also get cellular connectivity, GPS and Bluetooth 5.0 for more options. On a single full charge of around two hours (pretty long duration), the smart glasses last about 70-120 minutes and if you keep the media consumption down to normal you can extract some more time from the 500mAh battery.

Click Here to Buy Now: $599 $799 (25% off). Only 31 of 300 left. Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!

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BMW ConnectedRide Smartglasses make bike riding safer with integrated HUD display

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Smart head-up display to beam vital information in the peripheral view makes complete sense for motorists, ever more so for two-wheeler riders who are more at risk. With Apple indicating the smart glasses niche to be the future of how we all interact with our applications, the $3,500 Vision Pro headset is still beyond the reach of the general masses.

BMW Motorrad looks to have taken a leaf out of the Cupertino giant’s handbook as they’ve announced a pair of smart glasses for bike riders. Christened the ConnectedRide Smartglasses, the accessory displays all the real-time information in the field of view, ensuring the rider doesn’t take his/her eyes off the road.

Pros:

  • Safer riding for motorcyclists
  • Projected HUD does not obstruct the view
  • Display elements can be adjusted
  • Look like normal sunglasses
  • Can be paired with prescription lenses
  • Operating temperature from 0° to 50° C

Cons:

  • High price tag
  • Battery life could be better

Designer: BMW Motorrad

The augmented reality glasses pair with any smartphone to project the current speed, engaged gear, speed limit and navigation details in the integrated display. Everything right from the positioning of visual data to the detail of navigation elements can be toggled by the rider either on the app or if you have a modern BMW bike, this can be done with the multi-controller on the handlebar. According to BMW, the glasses are designed to fit several helmets and face shapes, making them highly practical and stylish accessories to own.

These smart glasses in Anthracite color come with two separate sets of certified UVA/UVB lenses – tinted and 1x 85 percent transparent ones. Those on prescription glasses can order the RX adapter too. The users get to choose from medium and large frame size option for the glasses.

On a single charge, the goggles provide HUD for ten hours before needing another recharge. In real-world settings, you would need the smart glasses only in unfamiliar territory for navigation and other aids. Otherwise, the battery should be good to get you through a day’s driving. Everything set aside, having a battery in smart glasses that look like any normal goggles is a feat on its own.

All the tech that is stuffed into these cool pair of glasses is bound to carry a premium value. Thus, the price tag of €690 for the European market isn’t startling. According to BMW Motorrad, the smart glasses will arrive in the US in the latter half of 2023. So, are you still rooting for the Apple Vision Pro or willing to get started on your AR journey with the BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide Smartglasses?

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We would like Apple’s rumored augmented reality glasses as natural looking as these cool round one

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Apple’s long-rumored augmented reality smart glasses are nowhere on the horizon yet. Seemingly the launch is distant, but that doesn’t change the fact that the glasses aren’t the most-awaited Apple accessory. This means, designers have a good reason to toil with the expectations and present us with ideas to induce excitement. Case in point, the Apple Smart Glasses concept which has a very modern, sunglasses look (slightly oversized) to it with a range of nuances Apple could steel.

To begin with, AR glasses from Apple will carry the baggage of expectations on its frame, and the Cupertino giant will have to squeeze in a lot of tech within those frames to meet the expectations. The concept pair here seems an exciting idea of a pair of glasses from Apple to do that, but to our dismay, Apple insiders have ruled out – on numerous occasions – the possibility of Apple using sunglasses pattern for the AR eyewear.

Designer: Eunho Kim

Of course, Apple intends to keep the AR glasses as lightweight as your pair of sunglasses but it will not be able to use colored glasses. Arguably, Apple wouldn’t find it easy to display information on tinted glasses. Over time, it may happen in the second or third iteration of the wearable, but you can rule it out as a feature in the first model.

Apple Glass prototype that we have seen fluttering on the internet is currently believed to feature a plastic frame. Apple could though consider something that Eunho Kim has conceived in his concept: A detachable metal frame that clips to the temple of the round glasses. As we learn, Apple will be placing a LiDAR scanner on the right temple, the clip-on arm may take some tinkering, but since Apple is reportedly refraining from using any other camera on the glasses, it could be an option to consider.

Apple’s first-generation glasses are likely to pair with the iPhone, which will do almost all the data processing. This will definitely allow Apple to shed the weight off the AR glasses so they can be close to a pair of natural-looking glasses, like this cool round one in the concept. Although there is no timeframe for the launch of the Apple Glass, reports do hint at the possibility of Apple’s AR/VR headset arriving early 2023.

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Lenovo Glasses T1 bring a private big screen into your pocket

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Apple’s mixed reality headset is slated for a 2023 release, and the race for a winning pair of smart glasses is getting enticing. Lenovo has just announced a very practical set of glasses that act as a secondary display for your Windows PC, Mac, or even a phone.

A very unique product in its own rights, the Lenovo Glasses T1 is a personal mobile display solution that works when connected to another device. The primary motivation behind the design of the glasses is to bring a private viewing display when you want to work on sensitive data from prying eyes, especially out in public spaces.

Designer: Lenovo

Revealed at the IFA 2022 and the brand’s virtual showcase, this is Lenovo’s progression from the ThinkReality A3 glasses, which are majorly targeted for custom enterprise solutions. The Glasses T1 are a toned-down version of the expensive A3 glasses and are meant for everyday, practical usage. There are full HD micro-OLED screens in each lens which creates a second virtual display only you can view.

Unlike the ThinkReality A3, these glasses don’t have any sensors or other hardware which makes them ergonomically comfortable to wear. The Type-C cable powers the thing when plugged into a PC or phone. Lenovo has even given the option to use them with prescription glasses courtesy of the in-box attached frame. Everything from the nose clips and bridges to the temple arms are customizable to the user’s liking.

The glasses should not be confused with the more advanced AR versions, as they only overlay the view of the display in front of the eyes. The only similarity is that they maintain the view of the world without disrupting anything, just like AR glasses. Talking of the specifications, the Glasses T1 has a high contrast ratio of 10,000:1, 1920×1080 resolution per eye, and 60Hz refresh rate. To enhance the viewing experience and reduce eye fatigue, they also have the TUV Low Blue Light and Flicker Reduced certifications.

Lenovo has fitted the glasses with speakers, too, so you won’t need a pair of headphones unless you want to completely shut out disturbing ambient noises. Overall, the glasses make complete sense for the current tech-infused world without being too gimmicky. Lenovo has not let out any word about the pricing, but they’ve hinted at a late 2022 launch in China and then later in other markets in 2023.

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This AR glasses concept tries to make smart glasses more practical and less geeky

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Our current civilization lives and thrives on information. Although there’s no escaping physical reality, much of this information is now stored and transmitted digitally. And it’s not just the usual culprits like emails, messages, videos, and photos. Even locations and physical objects can sometimes have digital information attached to them, information that we can’t see with just our naked eyes. Augmented or mixed reality is one of the technologies that try to bridge the worlds of physical and digital, but experiencing it in real life isn’t as magical as it may sound or look. Headgear and eyewear designed for XR use have yet to become practical for everyday use, and this concept design tries to find a compromise between form and function for smart glasses that won’t make you look like a Borg.

Designer: Philipp Pisarevskiy

There have been various attempts at designing AR glasses that can be worn by normal people, and Google Glass may have been the most popular attempt. Its popularity, however, comes not just from the brand but also from how it failed. While the second-gen Glass still exists for some enterprise customers, the consumer version’s chances for success have pretty much died by now. And it’s probably for the best, considering the first Google Glass’ design was rather uninspiring and its functionality severely limited.

There have been many attempts since then to come up with the perfect design for AR-powered smart glasses. Some look like overgrown shades, while others were more promising as traditional-looking eyewear, albeit with thick frames and arms. The latter, however, is still limited because comfort and aesthetic might become compromised as you try to cram more electronics into its body.

The One-Week AR glasses try to solve that problem by moving all electronics, lenses, and projectors to modules on each side of the glasses close to a wearer’s temples. Yes, they do look like big plastic clips hanging off your glasses’ arms or temples, but their shape also follows what would have been the form of regular eyewear with thick frames. Despite the unconventional appearance, this design actually brings some advantages over designs like the Focals North, especially in terms of flexibility.

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For one, you can have two displays, one on each side, if you can sync the displays to work together. Alternatively, you can split the electronics between the two sides, leaving the left or the right as the sole projector and controller. The top edge of the module has a long strip that can be used for touch gestures like tapping, sliding, or even pinching. The modules can have a wireless charging coil so that the glasses themselves can be charged without a cable.

Although it’s not explicitly stated in the design, it seems that it’s possible for the One-Week AR Glasses to be modular, mixing and matching parts and designs to taste. It might need to have extensive use of wireless technologies or at least have conduits inside the frame of the glasses, but it would definitely be doable from a technology standpoint. Such a design could open the market of smart eyewear to more people, particularly those who view glasses both as functional tools as well as fashion accessories.

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LAYER Design’s lifestyle-focused Viture One smart glasses have form, function and ergonomic comfort in perfect sync

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The Viture One smart glasses carry minimalism at their core, keeping in mind the latest trends and not sacrificing technology inclusion for a great user experience without all the discomfort or bulkiness that’s akin to VR headsets.

As we look forward to roaming in the metaverse (and who knows spending our complete life in VR) in the near future, the tools are going to be as important as the whole experience. Take VR headsets and smart glasses for example. While the former has a big issue with long-term use fatigue and lack of overall practical usage, the latter is the only hope if the masses have to be lured in. Layer Design wants to strike gold with its Viture smart glasses to make you ditch smart TVs, laptops, and even the smartphone for good.

Designer: Layer Design

This fashionable set of sunglasses is as good as any other high-tech pair of shades on the market. The frames by the design house weigh just 78 grams, shedding most of the extra fluff and managing to achieve an ultra-slim form factor. Something that you would want to wear every day, just like your normal glasses. These ones, however, give you the freedom to jump right into your favorite movies, games (even from consoles like PlayStation 5), or action series anywhere, anytime.

The lenses in front of the eyes display a cinematic 120-inch virtual screen (at 60fps and 55 pixels per degree) even on the brightest of days. The virtual screen gets 400 pixels per inch on a retina display which is very impressive considering we are talking about thin glass lenses here. The glasses are paired to a collar-like neckband housing the powerful CPU, GPU, battery pack, and intuitive controls. So, we are talking about fully immersive gaming and media streaming capabilities here. And yes, if you thought, what about the audio experience? Well, the smart glasses have ear-facing speakers located around the temple area.

Keeping ergonomics in mind, the lightweight eyewear comes with an interchangeable nose bridge to fit any facial structure like a charm. Even better, the display can be toggled to adjust the position for people with short-sighted vision. Viture One manages to achieve a very good balance between style and tech which will ultimately translate into an increased userbase. As per Layer Design founder Benjamin Hubert, “In creating Viture One, we wanted to deliver the antithesis of this trend. The result is a product that is more lifestyle led, akin to the traditional eyewear you would wear proudly as part of your fashion expression.”

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These mixed reality glasses give a different peek into the Metaverse future

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Not all AR glasses need to be stylish or classy. Some actually need to be rugged enough to survive the real world.

Talk around the Metaverse has many of us dreading how the future will have screens literally in our faces even more than ever before. Of course, the ideal future also involves stylish glasses and less conspicuous headsets, perhaps even contact lenses that will let us experience a different reality in the midst of real reality. That might be fine for most people, but the Metaverse is unlikely to make certain industries disappear, especially the ones that work on the infrastructures that will make the Metaverse even possible. For many in those industries, normal smart glasses just won’t do, which is why this mixed reality and AR smart glasses put a more rugged spin on the narrative, even if it does end up looking a bit more like a cyberpunk prop.

Designer: Hatch Duo

In order to make augmented and mixed realities more accessible and more mainstream, the industry first needs to make headsets and glasses for these less cumbersome to use, not to mention less expensive. We haven’t reached a point yet where one can conveniently wear AR gear as easily as a regular pair of specs, but that is the goal of many device makers and platform developers. That said, not all potential users of AR services need fancy glasses, especially those that are often exposed to less favorable working conditions.

Just like industrial workers often need more rugged phones, they also need more rugged AR equipment. Even Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap, two of the very few headsets catering to these users, might actually be less sturdy for comfort. The ThirdEye Gen MR X2, in contrast, is designed exactly for rough environments. It’s thick, rugged, and almost menacing, but it’s also meant to be more comfortable and easier to use.

The visor, for example, has two layers, one providing the actual HUD (heads-up display) while the other acts as a protective shield for both the eyes and the display. The rather bulky frame includes all the hardware necessary to run MR and AR experiences, so you won’t have a cable precariously dangling from your body. And instead of joysticks or even gloves that tie up the wearer’s hands, the glasses has buttons on its frame for some important actions while also relying on gestures to control the software running on the device.

The ThirdEye X2 looks like a mix of the bulkiness of current-gen headsets and the sleek, smart glasses of the future. Its form, however, is designed not just for comfort but also for safety, with possible expansions for attaching safety helmets. At the same time, there’s almost a geeky appeal to the black and orange smart eyewear, like a mix of retro design and futuristic cyberpunk. It’s an interesting design hybrid, one that might actually become more common as we trek the road towards that AR future everyone loves to talk about.

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Xiaomi just announced its Augmented Reality Smart Glasses… and the timing couldn’t be more interesting!

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Doesn’t it strike you as odd that Xiaomi would randomly drop such a massive product teaser just a day before Apple’s September event? And hold their own even a day AFTER Apple announced the new iPhone? I’m not an expert analyst, but it seems like they’re trying to beat Apple to the punch, given that a lot of people are expecting Apple to launch their own smart glasses soon. The announcement a day before and the event a day after Apple’s California Streaming event is just Xiaomi’s way of rolling its sleeves up and trying to grab the news cycle by its horns before Apple floods the internet. Moreover, the Smart Glasses also end up firing shots at Facebook, who just announced their own camera-enabled wayfarers with RayBan. Gossip and speculation aside, here’s what the Xiaomi Smart Glasses are all about.

Designed to look like a regular pair of eyewear, Xiaomi’s Smart Glasses actually come with a holographic display built into them. The tiny MicroLED display (which Xiaomi says is smaller than a grain of rice) is built into the temple stem, and reflects a simple UI onto the right eyepiece of the glasses. The specially crafted eyepiece uses a series of microscopic “optical waveguides” to project the display into your eye, allowing only you to see the augmented reality elements when you wear the glasses.

The Smart Glasses come with a rather bare-basics interface, although it’s still incredibly advanced for its time (not to mention the fact that Xiaomi managed to fit all this technology into a ridiculously slim piece of eyewear). The holographic display can display messages, alerts, notifications, and time, although Xiaomi’s most impressive flex was showcasing a live translate feature, that took an English food menu and overlaid the Chinese translations on top of it. Aside from the MicroLED holographic display, the Smart Glasses also come with a camera lens that captures the world around you, allowing you to not just take pictures, but also analyze images and text. Whether all that live translation and processing power happens within the spectacles themselves is yet to be determined, although we can expect much more information on the 15th, when Xiaomi holds its product event.

For now, the Smart Glasses are just a concept teaser with no price, no tech specs, and no foreseeable launch date.