If you're going to be using a "smart" eyewear device for long periods of time, then it had better be light and unobtrusive. Well, ThirdEye's newly-announced X2 Glasses may fit the bill, as they're said to be the world's smallest mixed reality glasses.
The X2 Glasses provide augmented reality capabilities, where virtual objects or text overlaid on the user's view of the real world are "anchored" to specific points in the real world. This means, for instance, that users can actually walk around those virtual objects, viewing them from different angles as they do so.
The X2's weigh just 9.8 oz (278 g), but pack in a lot of features. Some of these include thermal and ambient light sensors; a spotlight; two gray-scale cameras; a 13-megapixel RGB camera; a 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer and compass; noise-cancelling microphones; and a proprietary SLAM (simultaneous location and mapping) system.
Users view the real and virtual worlds through a stereoscopic 720p/60fps see-through display offering a 42-degree field of view – it's said to be equivalent to viewing a 90-inch high-definition screen from a distance of 10 feet (3 m).
The glasses run on Android 8.1, and are powered by a Snapdragon xR1 Qualcomm processor. They can also wirelessly communicate with computers and other devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, running for a claimed two hours per charge of their 1,750-mAh lithium-ion battery.
According to the company, hundreds of apps are already available via the ThirdEye App Store, with others currently in the works from a number of development partners.
ThirdEye was promoting the X2 Glasses last weekend at the VR/AR Global Summit, held in Vancouver, and is now taking pre-orders via the link below. The glasses are priced at US$1,950.
Product page: ThirdEye X2 Glasses