Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 to battle Google Glass for Android eyewear supremacy
Interactive eyewear maker Vuzix revealed its potential challenger today for Google Glass in the Android-powered world of augmented reality: the company will showcase its Smart Glasses M100 at CES 2013, in hopes of bringing over-the-eye display support to everyday mobile applications. Set for a mid-2013 release, the Ice Cream Sandwich-based eyepatch, features a WQVGA display with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 1GHz OMAP4430 processor, 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory. This modernized monocle is also capable of capturing still photos and 720p HD video, with playback and picture viewing available through its mounted display. While the M100s run Android 4.0, Vuzix has included support for iOS devices and plans to release an SDK for developers sometime in December to the tune of $999. As more tech companies begin focusing their efforts on HUD glasses, hopefully some jerk will come along and create a next-gen Opti-Grab to hold these things steady.
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Vuzix Smart Glasses Win CES "BEST OF
INNOVATIONS" 2013 Design and Engineering Award
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK -- (November 13, 2012) - Vuzix Corporation (TSX-V: VZX, OTC:BB: VUZI, FMB: V7X)
announced today that its new Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 was selected as an Innovations 2013 Design and
Engineering BEST OF INNOVATIONS honoree and picked as the best new technology in the Wireless Handset
Accessories product category. In addition, Vuzix Smart Glasses also received the honoree distinction in the
Personal Electronics category as well, making it two awards for this amazing new product.
Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 is the world's first enhanced "Hands Free" display and communications system for
on-the-go data access from your smartphone and the Internet. The Vuzix M100 contains a virtual display with
integrated camera and powerful processing engine, running an Android OS, to wirelessly connect via Bluetooth
or Wi-Fi to your smartphone (iOS or Android) or other compatible device. Powerful enough to connect to the
Internet, run applications and games on its own, the M100 works in harmony with your smartphone to open up
a plethora of existing and future applications such as texts, video, email, mapping, and audio.
As a Hands Free accessory with AR camera/display functionality, Vuzix Smart Glasses not only let you answer the
phone with a visual address book, they enable applications from reading text messages and email to visual
navigation along with more advanced features like basic augmented reality applications. Vuzix Smart Glasses,
M100 include an integrated head tracker and GPS for spacial and positional awareness and an integrated
camera enables video recording and still image capture. The interactive tracking and integrated camera
combined with applications on the M100 and a smartphone linked to the Cloud, allow for the merging of virtual
information with the real world.
Paul J. Travers, Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are honored to win this Innovation Award, our first BEST OF
INNOVATIONS among a competitive field of great inventions. While we have consistently delivered new
technology each year to our customers, the Vuzix M100 represents our most significant break through yet in
design and capability. We believe Vuzix Smart Glasses will have wide reaching impact on the way we use mobile
devices."
Mr. Travers continued, "Running the Android OS enables application downloads directly into Vuzix Smart
Glasses M100. This flexibility is going to open up many amazing new solutions for our users from advanced HUD
navigation applications to gaming. Not only are Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 a great hands free solution, but
finally there is a platform that is designed specifically for the growing augmented reality markets. Enabling
hands-free access to applications from visual search to derivatives of mapping street views – all will finally be
available in a pair of Vuzix Smart Glasses."
Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 will be showcased at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show, January 8th
to 11t.h Vuzix will be demonstrating a number of advanced hands-free applications with them. Visit Vuzix at the
Las Vegas Convention Center's Central Hall, Booth #14046.
Follow Vuzix on Twitter @Vuzix and facebook.com/Vuzix for the latest news on Vuzix Smart Glasses and the
company's entire line of award winning video eyewear. If you're a developer, please sign up to join Vuzix
Vuzix Corporation
growing team of application developers at www.vuzix.com/developer. Be one of the first to support this
amazing new step in the evolution of mobile information technology.
