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Vuzix M100 Smartglasses Now Available for Pre-Order

By - Source: Vuzix | B 10 comments

Here is the first pair of smart glasses.

Image: VuzixImage: VuzixLooks like Vuzix beat Google to the smart glasses party, as the company is now taking pre-purchase payments for the M100 Smart Glasses for $1000. The first models rolling off the production line are for the registered developers and existing backorders. Units that are ordered now should ship sometime during December.

"We are excited to begin shipping the M100 Smart Glasses. The time for wearable computing devices is upon us and we believe what Vuzix offers is the most complete and innovative in the enterprise based smart glasses wearable technology category,” said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix.

The last we heard, the M100 Smart Glasses feature a built-in WQVGA color display backed by a dual-core TI OMAP4430 SoC (clocked at 1 GHz) and Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich." The screen's field of view (diagonal) is 15 degrees, equivalent to a 4 inch mobile device screen seen from 14 inches away. Other features include 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot for an additional 32 GB of storage, and a 5MP camera capable of 1080p video.

"Due to strong demand, last spring Vuzix sold out of our gold developer kits, so after many months of working with our first developers and initial hardware, we have incorporated numerous enhancements to the M100," Travers added. "We are truly excited about the possibilities from this product and look forward to working with our growing developer community and enterprise customers who will be leveraging the M100's capabilities to boost productivity and streamline communications."

The smart glasses comes packed with a 600 mAh rechargeable internal battery that promises up to six hours of hands-free communication with the display off, and two hours with the display on. The battery will only last an hour with hands-free communication, the display turned on and high CPU loading. There's an optional 3800 mAh battery pack that increases the run time up to 6.5 times over the base M100 battery.

The new specs also include four physical control buttons, Bluetooth connectivity for communicating with a phone or other device, Wi-Fi, GPS, a noise-cancelling microphone, a speaker for the wearer's ear, and a built-in head tracker. The headset comes with Android apps pre-installed for updating the user's calendar, to snap videos and still photos, and to link to the phone. The device is also compatible with a number of Android apps offered on Google Play.

Currently, Google is still selling the Explorer Edition for $1500, making it more expensive than Vuzix's solution. However, Google said that the commercial version will be less expensive, but hasn't stated what price range the company is shooting for.

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  • 1 Hide
    outlw6669 , December 3, 2013 11:23 PM
    That thing looks horrendous.
    I am sure it will look even worse once you attach the external battery that is surely necessary to make this even halfway viable.
  • 0 Hide
    shine8210 , December 4, 2013 12:37 AM
    No thx i'll just wait for google to implant a chip in my brain.
  • 0 Hide
    Pummel , December 4, 2013 3:32 AM
    Universal Soldiers.
  • Display all 10 comments.
  • 0 Hide
    bunz_of_steel , December 4, 2013 6:06 AM
    Talk about looking stupid in public.... no thanks I don't need the extra oomph there! This might work for some kinda industry or work thing but sooo lacks in the fashion or stylish to be marketed for retail.
  • 0 Hide
    SirGCal , December 4, 2013 7:11 AM
    Ya... wow... that's bad... I've seen Google's idea. Honestly I'm not a fan. But these are just horrible. WTH?!?
  • 0 Hide
    ninong , December 4, 2013 7:22 AM
    i will buy smart glasses when we can shoot lasers with it
  • 0 Hide
    FFH , December 4, 2013 10:50 AM
    Those are too bulky.
  • 0 Hide
    COLGeek , December 4, 2013 11:45 AM
    Hardly noticeable....(dripping with sarcasm). Looks like something from a bad '80s sci-fi costume.
  • 0 Hide
    professor0fate , December 4, 2013 1:24 PM
    I wonder if the camera on these could be used in conjunction with a frame of some sort, to track finger gestures in a graphical data manipulation app.
  • 0 Hide
    bladze420 , December 5, 2013 2:12 PM
    This seems like it would be very cool when they make it smaller and more discreet, can't wait until then!!!