News
News Categories

Sony's working on a device similar to Google Glass

By Salehuddin Bin Husin - on 18 Dec 2014, 10:16am

Sony's working on a device similar to Google Glass

 Sony's vision of a wearable doesn't force you to wear custom frames, which is good news to people with glasses.

If there's one thing that stopped a lot of people from adopting Google Glass, it's the fact that it looks ridiculous (and the pricing). Of course, the privacy issues may also have something to do with lack of interest. There's also the fact that Google Glass isn't really friendly to people who wear glasses. If you're forced to wear spectacles and want to use Google Glass, you either get the custom made frames by Google, wear contacts or go get your vision fixed. 

Sony thinks the answer to that is simple. Don't make the unit integrated into a pair of glasses. Instead, make it something you can attach to glasses so everybody can use them. It still doesn't solve the question of whether people will want it, but by lowering the entry barrier, at the very least, everybody can take a look at it now.

A mock-up of how it'll look like to your eyes when you're using the device.

Sony's still not sure what to name their gadget yet but aim to start mass production of it by next year. In the meantime, the company aims to woo as many parties as they can to develop apps and custom frames (it should be noted that you can use any regular spectacle frames) that are specifically made for the device. Currently, the unit weighs a measly 40 grams but since this is just a prototype, the mass production version will probably be lighter still. Prototype it may be, but Sony's already released the expected specs for the device.

The vertical resolution of Sony's device is higher than Google Glass'. Sony's is 640 x 400, while Google's 640 x 360.

Notice something missing that Google Glass has (other than the touchpad)? Yup, the Sony device apparently doesn't have a camera. This is both a blessing and a curse. Without a camera, the whole mess of privacy issues that plague Google Glass is gone. Then again, in the age of selfies and Instagram, people might complain that the lack of a camera is detrimental, requiring them to have their phones out to snap pictures. Whether this is a good move or not remains to be seen, but the fact that a camera doesn't seem to factor into Sony's plans should put privacy issues to rest at the very least.

Sony won't commit to a concrete release date or even a price but will show off the device at CES 2015 next month, where it'll be temporarily called the 'SmartEyeglass Attach!' so expect to hear more about it then.

Source: Sony

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.