The Moverio BT-30C will only cost you $499. These glasses may be smart, but the design isn’t so pretty. (Image credit: Epson)
My dream is to have smart glasses showing me AR info as I work on a project. But first, I suppose we need the basics.
Though smart glasses have been around for a while, they still haven’t caught on with the masses. Google hoped their Google Glass would be a hit, but it quickly fell out of favor. Epson is hoping to break into the consumer market with their latest arrival, Moverio BT-30C. These glasses offer high resolution and a “big screen experience.” And thanks to its ability to connect with an Android smartphone via USB, it has a plug and play function.
The Moverio BT-30C boasts a unique heads up display that lets you use a range of different apps hands-free. The glasses can display up to three apps on three different screens against a transparent background. It also comes with an OLED display for a sharp, bright picture. Because of the plug and play design, there’s no extensive setup or additional software, and the user interface easily works with existing devices. If you’re looking to enhance your video watching experience, the glasses come with a dark lens shade for a movie theater feel.
The Moverio BT-30C also works with custom B2B applications such as captioning, subtitling, language translations, and more. The Moverio also includes the Moverio SDK that allows developers to access features like headset orientation data, side by side 3D display mode and more. And while the design is lightweight and easy to wear over long periods of time, the chunky black frames may not be appealing to everyone.
So what’s the price? For smart glasses, it’s surprisingly reasonable. While Epson’s previous models of the Moverio came in at $699, their latest iteration will cost you $499. It’s not a bad price for anyone who’s interested in owning a pair of smart glasses. They’re currently available for pre-order via Longitude Development and will ship in June.
But Epson has some competition in the field. Recently, Canadian company North released their own smart glasses called Focals. These glasses are equipped with a tiny projector in one of the arms. The projector then beams an image onto a circular film on the right lens, which bounces back into your eye, allowing you to see an image even though there’s no screen. With this feature, Focal can show you alerts, like incoming messages, the time, and weather, but there isn’t much they can do beyond that. Plus, you control the glasses with a small joystick on a ring worn on your finger.
As more companies show interest in the field, it won’t be long until we see more options for smart glasses. Let’s just hope they’re not as ugly looking.
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