Vuzix M100 augmented reality smart glasses have seen one final redesign and are just about ready to be unleashed upon the public. As the wearable computing craze continues to explode, the veteran smart glasses company is hoping to expand its influence in this burgeoning consumer niche with the Vuzix M100 by the end of summer 2013.
We have been anxiously awaiting the release of the Vuzix M100 augmented reality smart glasses. With their impressive feature set and affordable price point, these smart glasses are poised to fly off the shelves. Although the wildly popular Google Glass has provided proof of concept for the smart glasses market, their current $1,500 price of entry is sure to quell the desires of all but the most serious wearable computing tech aficionados. Conversely, Vuzix’s sub $500 price to play is sure to entice a large following of early-adopters not eager to drop three times as much for Google’s fledgling technology.
The Vuzix M100 specs are quite generous considering its diminutive stature.
The Vuzix M100 are augmented reality glasses, which means that the user’s live view of the real world is augmented by an overlay of computer-generated graphics. Specifically, the smart glasses will provide visual access to your smartphone display, basic web content and other data fed to the device by your connected smartphone. In addition, Android based apps can be downloaded via Google Play or the Vuzix App Store to further enhance functionality.
Another interesting feature on the Vuzix M100 is its spatial awareness function. Integrated GPS and head tracking capabilities allow for both global positioning and user view orientation. An integrated head tracker is able to determine not only your current direction of view but also movement. Combined with its on-board 720p camera system, the smart glasses can determine what you are looking at and where you are looking at it. This enables seamless actions and data overlay relevant to your location and environment. This is the technology that we have all been waiting for and we can’t wait to see the Vuzix implementation.
The Vuzix M100 specs are quite generous considering its diminutive stature. The smart glasses are driven by an OMAP4430 processor operating at 1GHz. It has 1GB RAM and 4GB Flash storage. The display provides WQVGA 24-bit color at more than 2000 nits. The head tracking units incorporates a 3 axis Gyro, a 3 axis Accelerometer, and a 3 axis Mag/Integrated compass. Here is where it gets challenging … the battery provides up to 8 hours of hands free operation, but only 2 hours of hands free with the display on. That number drops down to one hour if you turn on both the display and the camera. Accordingly, usage time will be extremely limited with all features active … a problem that commonly plagues cutting edge technology.
We are very excited to see the Vuzix M100 smart glasses come to market and hope that we are able to secure an early production model so that we can produce an in depth video review. In the mean time, we will have to be content to continue our Borg assimilation process with smartwatches and smartphones. Subscribe to our feed and we will let you know the moment that the M100 becomes available.
Source
Vuzix M100 Smart Glasses: [Company Website]
