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Google has acquired North, the maker of Focals smart glasses
Google is officially the new owner of North.
North's next-generation smart glasses arrive in 2020
North only made its smart glasses widely available in September, but it's already thinking of the future. The Canadian wearable tech maker has revealed that it's releasing its next-gen eyewear, Focals 2.0, sometime in 2020. It's not saying much about what they'll entail besides showing a teaser image (which doesn't add more). However, it is promising that the new glasses will operate at a "completely different level" -- hyperbole aside, they're supposed to reflect a year of learning how to make and sell these devices.
North's smart glasses are now available across the US
One of the greatest obstacles to buying North's smart glasses has simply been to find them. They've only been available at the company's Brooklyn and Toronto flagship stores as well as its pop-ups, which isn't much help to, well, most people. You might have a much easier time shopping from now on. North has released a Focals Showroom app that makes the eyewear available to people across the US and Canada. The app takes you through a depth scanning-based sizing experience that previously required an in-person visit. If you're happy with the design and make a purchase, you'll get your glasses (plus instructions for final tweaks) in several weeks.
North Focals add tighter Android notification integration
Focals maker North has updated its smartglasses to add support for native Android notification actions. The new feature allows Focals owners to act on any notification shortcuts Android developers may have added to their apps. With Gmail, for example, you'll be able to delete and archive emails by using the Loop ring that comes with every pair of the wearable.
Focals smart glasses put Google Fit data on your face
North's Focals smart glasses can put important data in your eyeline from the gym to the board room. The glasses can sync with Google Fit and Google Slides as a part of recent software updates announced by the company.
Smart glasses maker North reportedly lays off 150
North, the makers of the Focals smart glasses, has laid off a portion of its workforce. The company confirmed the layoffs to Engadget but would not specify how many people lost their jobs. The Verge reported today that the cuts affected 150 employees, which would account for a significant chunk of the more than 400 people who were employed by North.
North chops $400 from the price of its Focals smart glasses
The jury is still out on just how useful the recently-released Focals "smart glasses" are, but if you're the kind of person who's wanted to give head-mounted AR a shot, they at least are now a lot cheaper. Focals creator North just announced a big price cut: the glasses now cost $599, down from the $999 the company was originally asking.
Custom-made smart glasses pick up where Google Glass left off
Earlier this month, Thalmic Labs announced it would be ending the production of Myo, a gesture-controlled armband that it's been developing for the past few years. The company has now changed its name to North and have decided to shift focus to an entirely different project. Today, it's finally ready to reveal what that project is. It's called Focals, a pair of smart glasses that uses holographic display technology.