Vuzix has introduced an augmented reality wearable in the form of smart glasses — with waveguide optics and color display — in a traditional eyewear form factor.
The Blade AR smart glasses include an HD camera to let users see, recognize, respond and record the outside world. The smart glasses allow users to see alerts and information in a visual overlay that pops into their field of vision.
The Android-based smart glasses support a cloud-based service platform to enable a number of apps and software to be ported to the device including Yelp and AccuWeather. Vuzix is also working with Amazon to finish integration of Alexa for voice-activated commands.
The company said the smart glasses allow users to make appointments, dinner reservations, get directions or find destinations all in the visual overlay. The Blade companion app for smartphones manages notifications and alerts that are sent to the smart glasses, including email, messages and navigation as well as media player control. The app also allows for photo and video sharing to social media platforms.
Vuzix is gearing up its proprietary app store in 2019 to include entertainment apps such as karaoke, language translation, sheet music scrolling and more. Games for the smart glasses are also coming, including augmented reality "Dino Hunter," golf, a racing game and space mining.
The Blade AR Smart Glasses are expected to begin shipping in the first week of February.
At CES 2019, Vuzix is showcasing the integration of the AccuWeather forecasts and Yelp AR apps in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at booth #15036. The Blade smart glasses were a CES 2019 Innovation Awards honoree.
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