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The Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses aim to set a new standard for augmented reality

By Ng Chong Seng - on 19 Sep 2016, 1:00pm

The Epson Moverio BT-300 smart glasses aim to set a new standard for augmented reality

In addition to printers and projectors, Epson also makes smart eyewear products. The BT-300 is the latest smart glasses in the company’s Moverio family (I reviewed the BT-100 more than three years ago), and it is also the lightest pair the company has made to date.

Designed to change the way you experience the world around you through augmented reality, a new key feature on the Moverio BT-300 is its use of self-illuminating 720p OLED panels. Compared to LCD on the older BT-200 and BT-100, this should result in a much wider color gamut, with higher color accuracy and contrast, as well as better blending between the projected image and the real world. And a smaller optical engine means that Epson is able to make the glasses lighter and more compact, which is always appreciated for something that you wear on your head.

Powered by a quad-core Intel Atom X5 processor, the BT-300 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop, has head-tracking sensors, and a built-in 5-megapixel front-facing camera for photo or video captures. It also needs to be connected to a wired controller.

Like Microsoft’s HoloLens, it's easy to imagine the enterprise use cases for the BT-300. In fact, it became an invaluable tool for the Mercedes AMG Pertronas Formula One team to form a special partnership as they were in need of an augmented reality (AR) experience based wearable:

But there are areas where consumers can benefit from it, too. For example, Epson has already partnered with DJI to create an app for flying the latter’s drones in first person view.

Priced at US$799.99, Epson intends to officially launch the Moverio BT-300 in this region sometime this 4Q 2016, with retail availability expected sometime in Q1 2017.

Source: Epson.

Update, Sep 19: Originally published on March 24, this article has been updated with the latest availability info.

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