Sony has just announced its competitor to Google Glass. At the moment it lacks a catchy name, instead being referred to as the Single-Lens Display Module.
Despite its rather unexciting title, the Single-Lens Display Module is an incredibly interesting twist on Google's Glass technology. Sony's module can be attached to almost any pair of glasses and turn them into a smart device.
The module uses a high-resolution colour OLED Microdisplay and a Micro Optical Unit to beam images onto glasses, goggles, sunglasses and other types of eyeware. It will achieve a resolution of 640 x 400 pixels and with a contrast ratio of 10,000:1.
Sony has worked hard on technology that will make its Module easy to use in bright sunlight.
What, no monocle support?
A built-in control board in the attachable module will have similar number crunching power as a smartphone, says Sony, and comes with an ARM Cortex-A7 processor, sensor hub, wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity. The battery capacity will be 400 mAh.
The unit will weigh around 40g, and Sony will be unveiling a concept model of its module at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which kicks off in a few weeks. The company is aiming to begin mass producing the module within the coming year.
By creating a module that can be attached to almost any eyewear, it looks like Sony is taking a more flexible approach to wearables than Google Glass. Could this sway people who haven't been impressed with smartglasses so far? It looks like we won't have long to find out.
- Check out our Google Glass review
