First there were an ordinary phone and desktop computers, than smartphone and tablet technologies replaced them. Today people have become too picky. Even new devices are too heavy, too slow, too outdated for them. They are very lazy to use hand control and have switched to a voice control. So, what technology is going to replace smartphones? One of the possible variants is Smart Glasses.
There are several prototypes that have been developed already. The most famous of them are made by Google, Apple, Sony and Olympus.
Google Project Glasses
These Glasses were introduced in April by Google. The company says that these glasses should perform about 80% of smartphone functions. Their design is laconic and simple, but stylish at the same time. New gadget is supposed to have functions of photo shooting, video calling, GPS navigation, internet browsing with all possible social media integration, calendar, voice control, music listening and many others. Today only some prototypes exist but Google is planning to let it into a sale at the beginning of 2013. The approximate price should be about 1,500$.
Apple Smart Glasses
It is the closest competitor to Google’s Glasses that is already branded as iGlass. Apple received a patent for this technology only this July but the development of glasses started several years ago. This patent regulates the use of LCD displays of the glasses to cover the user’s direct and peripheral vision. This is the main difference between Google’s and Apple’s Smart Glasses. Google’s gadget has only one display for one eye. Besides, iGlass should become a device for premium users, while Google positions its gadget as the one for everyday use.
Another question about Apple’s glasses is if it is going to be release at all, as the company doesn’t make any official statements.
Sony Smart Glasses
The glasses developed by Sony are completely different from those of Google or Apple. They are not supposed to replace any mobile gadgets. They are being developed for visually and hearing impaired people mostly. Sony Smart Glasses should be used in special cinemas only. They allow projecting subtitles at different languages. Let’s hope that the sphere of their usage will be expanded and Sony will add some new features to it.
Olympus MEG4.0 Smart Glasses
It is another worthy competitor of Google’s Glasses. It may sound surprisingly, but these glasses won’t have a camera. But it has a 320 x 240 QVGA display, an accelerometer and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity. The weight is about only 30g. The glasses are supposed to be connected to other smartphones and tablet via Bluetooth and to perform different phone functions. Also there is a possibility that Sony and Olympus will join their efforts to become a real competitor to Google.
So, here are 4 main smart glasses technologies that have been developed for some time already. As you see only Google is close to making it widespread. However, the tendency of smart glasses development is quite clear. So, what do you think? Will Smart Glasses become a new kind of mobile devices?