spatialcomputing.info

Maybe the success of Nreal will promote Apple to take their glasses dev more seriously; they hold the key to kickstarting the market, the social acceptance of smartglasses, and more competitive development.

The Vuzix Blade and North Focals are not even close to MR, but they aspire to be an everyday type of device that you could possibly wear in public, because they look close enough to real glasses, instead of something limited to the confinement of your home (HoloLens, Magic Leap One). AND they're stand alone devices, unlike the ML One and Light.

Hypothetical criteria for the perfect every-day smartglasses (IMO):

• Looks and feels like real glasses while also being lightweight(within reason, of course). Ergonomically designed for long-term use.

• Needs to have a FOV that most people would be comfortable driving a car while wearing.

• Has graphics and spacial environment adaptivity that is suitable for gaming standards(simultaneous localization and mapping, surface identification, orientation...).

• Has life-like interaction; hand tracking(grab, pinch-zoom, swipe...).

• Wireless tethering/stand-alone graphics computing. Seamless smartphone integration.

• Has a battery life that lasts at least a day of continuous use, similar to smartphones.

• Has internal mic(s), crisp speakers that bystanders won't be able to hear(bone conduction possibly), haptic feedback, and if you want to go so far, biometrics such as Smith Lowdown Focus/Muse's EEG brain-sensing technology.

• Lastly, a price that is realistic for the average consumer.

Nreal gets it. They know that looking like a real set of glasses while being true MR will make or break the market for smartglasses to become a thing. On top of that, the price seems quite reasonable. Right now with current development, it's impossible to produce a product that has every criteria I mentioned above, so they had to cherry pick the important stuff. They sacrificed wireless tethering for a slim design and cost, but honestly, I can't complain for what it is.

I'm hopeful that smartglasses will go somewhere soon. What do you guys think?