GlassUp Augmented Reality Glasses are available for pre order on Indiegogo, a new entry into the smart glasses market scheduled to ship in September of 2013. Fortunately, it appears that the GlassUp smart glasses have hit their second revision as their website now contains a product image that is much improved over what was presumed to be the original concept shown in prior artwork. The GlassUp augmented reality glasses specs are still a bit of a mystery at this point. However, the company claims the smart glasses will have the ability to “report the incoming e-mails, text messages, tweets, Facebook updates, and other messages.” Presently, the glasses require an Android mobile phone with a bluetooth connection to function, but the company assures us that iOS compatibility will be achieved by the September launch date.
One noteworthy fact is that the GlassUp smart glasses will be read only. This is an interesting choice by the company for it significantly limits the eyeglasses function to that of display extension. Whereas, even a single button would elevate the device to the active role of user interface, bestowing upon it significantly increased functionality and, thereby, consumer demand. As the smart glasses market begins to find itself, implementation as a user interface will likely become standard issue. Look for it in generation 2.
GlassUp states that the battery will be rechargeable and claims the charge will last a full day. Given its restricted use as a read only device, this should be easily achievable given current battery technology. However, it will be interesting to see how they choose to implement battery replenishment, as the practical application of recharging smart glasses unobtrusively has been a bit of a problem for manufacturers to this point.
Coming hot on the heels of current market leader Google Glass, the GlassUp augmented reality glasses have sized up some pretty big competition. In fact, GlassUp’s own “Philosphy” claims inspiration from Google’s Singularity theorist Ray Kurtzwail. However, the disparity in offerings and company resources may not yet be an issue. At present, Google Glass cost $1,500 just to be a beta tester. GlassUp AR Glasses are pre order priced at $349 … which will also essentially make you a beta tester. Accordingly, these glasses are targeting significantly different markets. And, so early in the evolution of augmented reality glasses technology, early adopters are much more likely to be amenable to spending $349 to get their feet wet in tech still in its infancy.
Source
GlassUp Augmented Reality Glasses: [Company Website]
