Sony Wearable Makes Any Glasses Smart
Why buy a pair of smartglasses when you can add high-tech features to your regular old specs? Sony today (Dec. 17) announced its Single-Lens Display Module, which attaches to everyday glasses and sunglasses to deliver a Google Glass-esque augmented reality experience.
As detailed on Sony's corporate site, the attachable wearable places a thick white module near the right earpiece that houses the processor and sensor, as well as a 0.23-inch, 640 x 400-pixel OLED display that hovers over your glasses' right lens. The 1.4-ounce accessory shouldn't weigh your glasses down much, though they create somewhat bulky look that isn't as seamless as Google Glass.
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Sony's screenshots show off the display's ability to bring supplemental information to your field of view, such as distance traveled while biking or how much spin you've produced while playing tennis. The device's mini-display aims to deliver extra-rich images, supposedly covering 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut.
Aside from the sports and fitness applications outlined in the photos, Sony says that the Bluetooth-ready wearable could potentially pair with action cameras and smartphones to serve as a remote camera trigger. The company is working on an SDK for the module, which will allow developers to make apps that are either built into the wearable itself or designed for use in conjunction with a smartphone.
The Single-Lens Display Module seems to be separate from Sony's SmartEyeglass, a standalone pair of AR glasses that will release for developers in March 2015. SmartEyeglass is designed to sync with your Android phone to bring things like walking directions and cooking instructions directly to your eyeballs.
With Google Glass selling for a whopping $1,500, Sony's Single-Lens Display Module could serve as an affordable AR alternative that lets users hang on to their existing glasses. The accessory enters production next year and will be featured at CES 2015 in Las Vegas, so stay tuned for our eyes-on impressions.
Mike Andronico is an Associate Editor at Tom's Guide. He's ready for the AR takeover. Follow Mike @MikeAndronico. Follow us @TomsGuide, on Facebook.
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