Sony Is Ready to Rival Google Glass with a Clip-on Version


SonySmartEyeGlassesGoogle Glass, step aside! Sony has come up with its own alternative to your smart glasses, a new prototype for a device that slips on to any existing pair of glasses. Called SmartEyeglass Attach (kind of a weird name), the device consists of a detachable single-lens display module with a processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a .23-inch OLED display with a 640 x 400 resolution.

Sony hopes to see people using its product in a variety of instances, not just on glasses, but goggles, sunglasses, and other type of eye wear. The OLED display translates the computer images directly onto the user's lenses, giving them “access to visual information that adds a level of convenience to their everyday life”, says Sony. Sony also claims the module gives the experience of looking at a 16-inch display from two meters away, impeding the wearer's vision even less than its rival (Gigaom).

SonySmartEyeGlasses1It clips to the back of the user's head, attaching to the temple part of the glasses. The module itself is super light, weighing just 40 grams, and a 400mAh battery powers the whole thing. There is no camera, at least on the prototype shown, and Sony claims to leave out the camera for size, weight, and privacy reasons- a problem Google Glass knows all too well.

Sony hopes people will find the device useful for sports, photography, and work settings. If you're thinking “There's no camera, how could this be useful?”, consider using a Bluetooth-connected smartphone to display a fitness app while working out, the ability for photographers to pair the device with a smartphone's remote display on a camera to get a better shot, or providing employees with heads up display instructions on the job.

SonySmartEyeGlasses2Expect to see and hear more about the module during the upcoming CES 2015 in January. Then, Sony will allegedly start mass producing SmartEyeglass Attach “within the coming year” (and hopefully tweak that name). Because Sony is so behind the curve when it comes to smart glasses, hopefully it will push a reasonable price tag upon release.

Topics: Technology News CES - Consumer Electronics Show Display Screen Technology Gadgets & Peripherals Inventions & Innovations Smartphones & Mobile Devices

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