If you haven't kept tabs on the advancements in smart glasses since the Google Glass project folded in 2015, we have some news — they're getting closer.
Well, maybe not Google…but other manufacturers have continued to push forward the smart glasses concept. MAD Gaze has become one of the pioneers in smart glasses technology, producing several models of the past few years that have inched step by step closer to a product normal people would actually use.
Their latest offering, the Glow Mixed Reality Smart Glasses are their most well-received entry yet, generating over $900,000 in backing from fans on Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
While the Glow isn't a completely autonomous piece of tech, they can be easily plugged into an iPhone or an Android phone via USB-C to serve as a virtual movie theater-sized viewing screen and workspace right in front of your eyes.
Once attached, the Glow essentially becomes your interface with your phone. Using an extensive and sophisticated tracking system, your hand gestures control the glasses, offering you 2D and even 3D content in 720p resolution at an up to a 45-degree field of view. If you watch a movie or TV show, it's the equivalent of watching on a 90-inch screen from about 10 feet away. Users can also take calls or select playlists with its built-in speaker, all without ever touching your phone.
It also allows users to play games hands-free, to attach a Bluetooth keyboard and do some work, or surf the web, all while quietly sitting in a coffee shop or on a bus. The Glow can also be attached via HDMI to a video game console or personal computer, extending the Glow's usability to virtually anything. It's even capable of syncing with a drone so you can fly without having to look down at a screen.
And unlike other bulky smart glasses out there, the Glow are lightweight, weighing about 2.5 ounces, and actually look like cool, fun sunglasses… so you won't look like a complete dork when you're using them.
Right now, you can score a pair of Glow Mixed Reality Smart Glasses in black or white models for $50 off, just $489.
Prices are subject to change.
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