Sony's SmartEyeglass to launch next year, SDK kit released

Smartglasses are still in their early stages. While most of the brands focussed on the smartwatches this year, the smartglass segment is likely to see a lot more buzz next year when more companies foray into smartglasses. One of the major brands to enter the segment is Sony, which is expected to launch its smartglass – called the SmartEyeglass – by March 2015.

It may be recalled Sony had recently showcased a prototype smartglass, though seemed nearly final. And now, Sony has also announced availability of software development kit for its SmartEyeglass.

Sony's SmartEyeglass is equipped with transparent lens, a CMOS image sensor, accelerometer, Gyroscope, electronic compass, brightness sensor, and microphone. The company says the SmartEyeglass “utilizes these features, together with GPS location information from the connected smartphone, to provide information optimized to the user's current circumstances.”

Sony will be using its hologram optics technology to develop a lens that delivers transparency of 85% and thickness of just 3.0mm. The device has monochrome display. The SmartEyeglass has a camera mounted in the left-hand lens, and supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connectivity.

Sony has also demonstrated some preloaded apps on the SmartEyeglass. A Cookpad app displays recipes and responds to voice commands whereas a Localive app gives social feeds aggregation and distribution for surrounding local area.

Check out the SmartEyeglass prototype specifications:

Item	Specifications
HMD type	Binocular see-through with a separate controller
Resolution	419(H) X 138(V) pixel
Image color	Monochrome green with 8bit color depth
Brightness (Max.)	1,000 cd/m2
See-through transmittance	More than 85%
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Electronic compass, Brightness sensor, Microphones
Camera	Still: 3M pixel, Movie: VGA (640 X 480 pixel)
Sound	Speaker in controller
Connectivity with Smartphone	Bluetooth v3.0, IEEE802.11b/g/n
Smartphone OS version	Android 4.1 or above Android 4.3 or above (in case of movie function use)
Weight	Approximately 77g (glasses excluding cable), approximately 44g (controller)

You can learn more about the SmartEyeglass here. Sony's smartglass will be competing against Google Glass and Lenovo's C1, which was announced earlier this year.