New cable brings iPhone, 3D support to Vuzix eyewear

We know your pain, Vuzix users. You hop on the subway just trying to enjoy a little in-your-face action before the workday begins, and within minutes the accusations and stereotypes start flying. "Look, it's Geordi La Forge!" "LeVar Burton, what's good?!" "Can I try my Zune on that?" Depressing, really. Unfortunately for you, Vuzix's latest cable will not make any of that any more sufferable, though it will enable you to use your existing eyewear with Apple's iPhone and enjoy the spoils of side-by-side, interlaced and anaglyph 3D content. Said cable will be bundled in with the company's iWear AV230XL, though existing customers will definitely want to snag the standalone version for $39.95. The full release is after the break.

Vuzix announces 'Works with iPhone' Apple Certified Cable with 3-D Support for Complete Line of AV Video Eyewear

Rochester, NY – April 2nd, 2009 – Vuzix Corporation, the leader in video eyewear for the consumer, defense and low vision assist markets, is thrilled to announce Apple iPhone® compatibility. Every "Works with iPhone" product is designed for optimal connectivity with the iPhone® and is certified by Vuzix to meet Apple performance standards. Additionally, the cable is the first on the market that supports 3-D video in the following formats:

• Side by Side
• Interlaced
• All 3 Major Anaglyph Modes

The cable will be available bundled with the Vuzix iWear® AV230XL and available as an upgrade for all current Vuzix Video Eyewear customers for only $39.95. Vuzix' ability to allow the consumer to upgrade their video eyewear ensures users have the latest technology without having to repurchase a whole new product.

"The iPhone® compatibility combined with the recent announcements of the Wrap 920AV and the Augmented Reality Accessory Kit keep Vuzix at the forefront of the mobile video and 3-D revolutions," said Vuzix CEO, Paul Travers. "As our products become increasingly more affordable, extensively available and highly compatible with a broad range of content types and mobile devices, the widespread adoption of Vuzix Video Eyewear is inevitable. We are excited to officially extend this compatibility to iPhone® enthusiasts worldwide," added Travers.

Vuzix continues to set the standard for innovative and high-quality Video Eyewear products. The iWear® VR920 is the world's best-selling virtual reality system while the iWear AV310 Widescreen boasts the world's first 16:9 widescreen Video Eyewear. The AV230XL is designed for the everyday consumer and features the convenience of AA-battery power and a sub-$200 price point. The latest edition to the Video Eyewear family, the Wrap 920AV raises the bar once again with a true 'sunglass look'.

To make a purchase or for more specific company information, please visit www.vuzix.com.

For more information on Apple and the process involved with achieving the "Works with iPhone" certification, please visit developer.apple.com/iphone/.

[Hckngrtfakt Posted Apr 2nd 2009 7:45PM]

How about making one of these into the daily "recession antidote" giveaway ???

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:17PM]

hells yeah! giving away a cable for an expensive 3D display would almost be as sweet as giving away software for the G1!

[RioRyan Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:20PM]

On the topic of Engadget giveaways.. You know, there was a time when they were open worldwide. (Ex. http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/04/the-hundred-gadget-giveaway-round-2-37kl/22)
Now, well, you know.. http://www.engadget.com/official-giveaways-rules/
What happened?!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:27PM]

@RioRyan: Bet that it is the extra charges for shipping outside of the US.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 7:50PM]

Essential.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:14PM]

Iplop them on

[RioRyan Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:17PM]

"Can I try my Zune on that?"
wtf?
And yes, you can. You get the whole user interface too, not just a video.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:22PM]

"Can I try my Zune on that?"

Ouch. Rub some salt on it, will ya? :D

[Information Central Posted Apr 2nd 2009 8:55PM]

How about telling us WHAT THE RESOLUTION IS?

Thanks.

[JS Posted Apr 2nd 2009 10:56PM]

On one of their pages it says the resolution is "high resolution" .. come to find out they mean WQVGA .. 480 x 240 is considered "high resolution"?

Until they have these at WVGA and higher resolutions .. I am not interested.

[JS Posted Apr 2nd 2009 10:58PM]

Wait I retract this .. i was looking at the wrong spec page. Oops.

Anyway I hope it's WVGA or higher.

[Zhuzhu Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:28AM]

No need to retract your comment--these ARE low resolution (lower than the iPhone's 480x320 anyway). The specs aren't given for the AV230 XL (which means they're certain to be bad), but the AV310 Widescreen says "Twin high-resolution 428 x 240 widescreen (WQVGA) LCD displays". PASS!

The more-expensive AV920 has "Twin high-resolution 640x480 (920,000 pixels) LCD displays". But the reviews of the 920 series on Amazon are not very flattering.

[Brendan H Posted Apr 2nd 2009 11:32PM]

Wear these on the subway? Being mocked would be the least of your worries. Being beaten and mugged would be more of an issue!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 2nd 2009 11:51PM]

I love when "full release is after the break" LOL

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:34AM]

Are you sure AV 230 has 3D support? On their 3D games specks they say "except AV230 XL which is 2D only".

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:10PM]

cool