Sony Announces Their Anti-Google Glass Wearable

Sony is pretty bullish about putting a display in front of your eyes. Phones and smartwatches are already pretty well-heeled in their lineup, but incoming projects like Morpheus take you into the world of virtual reality. Now, Sony is introducing "an attachable Single-Lens Display Module", which amounts to Google Glass you can remove. It's also quite a bit bulkier than Glass, but offers just about the same functionality. Sony's aim is true, though; rather than a daily wear consumer product, this is (currently) geared toward sports.

Provided specs read a lot like a beefy smartwatch: 400mAh battery, 640 x 400 OLED display, ARM A7 processor, Bluetooth, WiFi, and an accelerometer. There's also a touch sensor, just like Glass.

Sony doesn't have much to offer in the way of the device actually working and being demoed, but they have some sample images you'd see via their wearable. The only thing we're getting right now is info on casual sports activities, like golf or running. Both things we liked about Google Glass on launch, but ultimately fell victim to Glass polarizing image.

That's where Sony's wearable detours from Glass: it's detachable. You can wear it with any pair of glasses or sunglasses you might have, then remove it when you want to go on with your day. Again, not quite as svelte and cool as Glass, but it's not meant to be.

Sony's heads-up wearable also doesn't have a camera. there is a hub that sits on the right side of your face, which has a display and microphone along with the rest of the specs. In that hub is something called a "sensor hub", but no camera is listed on the specs.

We also don't know when these are coming out. Sony promises to have them at CES, but offers no hint at when you might be able to buy a set for yourself.

If you didn't like Google Glass, but secretly liked the possibilities heads-up wearables offer, Sony's offering might be what you've been looking for.

Source: Sony