Although companies keep trying to make the metaverse happen, most people would probably be happy with our own reality given a little augmentation. Lenovo has now announced a new wearable display called the Lenovo Glasses T1, which can connect to phones and computers to watch video, play games or work on a larger virtual screen.
They may conjure images of the long-defunct Google Glass, but the Lenovo Glasses T1 are quite different. The former was a pioneer in the augmented reality (AR) field, projecting a kind of head-up display (HUD) of context-specific information over the real world. The latter, meanwhile, is part of a growing class of devices that gives users the impression that they’re looking at a big screen, when in fact they’re just wearing some goofy glasses.
The idea is that you get a portable big screen experience for movies, TV shows, games, or work. You don’t have to squint at your phone to watch a movie on the train, or you can project a big second screen above your laptop while working in a cafe.
To that end, the Lenovo Glasses T1 pack a pair of Micro OLED displays with a Full HD resolution per eye, and a frame rate of 60 Hz. They can display content from phones, laptops, PCs or other Windows, Android or MacOS devices that output through a USB Type-C cable. As is often the case, iPhone users will have an extra hoop to jump through, requiring not one but two separate adapters to convert the signal from Lightning to HDMI then to USB-C.
Strangely enough, there’s no mention of whether the glasses have a headphone jack or Bluetooth audio connectivity. It seems like a no-brainer to include at least one of those, but the only audio output Lenovo mentions is the built-in speakers, meaning you’d end up being that annoying person on the train blasting sound for all to hear.
Lenovo also says the Lenovo Glasses T1 have a low overall power consumption, but doesn’t go into specifics. The glasses have their own built-in battery but can also leech power off whatever device they’re plugged into, with the battery life described as “up to hours,” which doesn’t bode well.
Still, these are among the most stylish of virtual screen wearables we’ve seen so far, looking closer to regular sunglasses and less like a VISOR from Star Trek. For comfort’s sake, they’ve even got swappable nose clips, adjustable arms and a frame that can hold prescription lenses.
Lenovo hasn’t announced pricing for the Lenovo Glasses T1 just yet, but for comparison’s sake the company’s existing, work-focused ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses currently go for US$1,500. And they have a lot more AR tech crammed in there.
The Lenovo Glasses T1 will be released in China in late 2022, with the rest of the world following next year.
Source: Lenovo
As for the audio output, why would the headset need to output audio to another device? The source device (phone, tablet, laptop) can simulcast audio directly to Bluetooth headphones. The only reason this uses USB-C for the video is because Bluetooth doesn't have enough bandwidth for HD video.
Audio is great to have when done right. All need at least built in stereo earbuds, but also the 3.5mm jack and latest Bluetooth and RF. Usability, performance, and portability and in that order please.
I just don’t want any display that’s less than a 3D faked picture provided by HDMI 2.1 4K 120Hz Dolby Vision and HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound.
HDMI is a standard and so is 4K HDR that a 1080P is basically below standard for anything but a smartwatch sized display meant to be viewed from further away than an HMD. DisplayPort is great, too, but an adapter can basically patch that to HDMI since more devices use HDMI.
I like smart features like augmented reality, mixed reality, and apps and the like, but with the ports I think that would be excessive.
Streaming is not enough from cloud or over local WiFi, too much latency and not then Xbox loses 4K gaming.
Sorry for the long post. I’m just frustrated because I’d quickly buy a $400-2K HMD with the features I just mentioned. That’s just for viewing passively, without VR/AR features. The Glyph for instance read great on paper except for the lacking display, the latency, and for cans that big, lacking sound quality.
I want the picture quality of at least my Hisense U6G x2 for each eye to get that fake 3D going and to play or watch laying down or with my head leaned way back in my chair. Basically to be able to fake a zero gravity workstation with all the bulk.