Gadgets

Category: Gadgets

Augmented reality glasses from Sony are attractive and coming soon

Dan Gendro | February 23, 2015

The wearable technology gadget will be sold for $840 and has been receiving high praise for its style.

Sony has been tossing various ideas for augmented reality headsets around for the last while, in order to provide competition for the Google Glass, but now that the competition has taken a step back, it appears to be a strong time to be able to launch its own device into the market.

For a while, Sony had been thinking about a type of clip-on headset but now it will be a full set of glasses.

The SmartEyeGlass SED-E1 Developer Edition is not yet a consumer product, but it was previewed a number of months ago and it will be arriving in ten different countries. As of March, it will be available in those nations for $840 (¥100,000 yen, or €670). Sony is calling its augmented reality glasses “holographic waveguide technology” that is built into 3mm AR lenses that are worn like typical eyeglasses and that display content directly in the eye line of the wearer.

These augmented reality glasses from Sony are not the first entrance of the brand into wearable technology.

That said, it is the first step into the market in the form of glasses. A demo video for the device was recently released to provide more details about the gadget. This device is moving forward at a time in which the industry is still waiting for the HoloLens from Microsoft, as well as the next version of Glass, the current version of which is no longer being manufactured.

The SmartEyeGlass SED-E1 looks notably more like HoloLens than Glass, as it has a basic green monochrome text display and an up to 15fps diagram display. It also has a3MP camera built into it, making it possible for video and pictures to be taken. This makes it possible for developers to use images taken through the wearable technology in the creation of their apps.

These augmented reality glasses are compatible with Android smartphones and feature a speaker, microphone, battery (providing 80 minutes of life when the camera is active, and 150 minutes without it), Bluetooth, touch controls, and NFC technology.

American mobile carriers volunteer to unlock cell phones

BWild | February 19, 2015

Companies across the U.S. have decided to comply with the deadline for unlocking smartphones.

For years, unlocking cell phones from American mobile carriers have caused nightmares and frustrations for consumers, but seven of these companies have now met an industry-created, voluntary deadline for unlocking those devices.

This will make it possible for consumers to take their smartphones from one service provider to another.

When mobile carriers had been stopping the unlocking of smartphones, it was making it extremely inconvenient for consumers to take their current devices from their current carriers over to another operator’s network. This required them to have to purchase a new device and re-load all of their contacts, apps, and other data if they changed carriers or even if they travelled to another country that was not within the reach of their home provider.

Now, with the voluntary compliance of seven U.S. mobile carriers, this will become much more pleasant for consumers.

Mobile Carriers - Unlock Phone That said, it is important to note that this still doesn’t necessarily mean that consumers will be able to hop from one carrier to the next without a second thought. It is important to note that even when a mobile device has been unlocked, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be compatible with the consumer’s new service provider of choice. Each carrier uses its own selection of wireless spectrum bands and technologies. Therefore, a consumer will need to first check to be sure that the device will actually be compatible with the desired company’s tech.

The deadline for the unlocking of the mobile devices was first set in December 2013. It was created by the wireless industry within a CTIA Consumer Code for Wireless Service provision. It states that the wireless service provider will unlock a consumer’s postpaid mobile device should the customer make that request, provided that the account is in good standing and the individual’s service contract terms have been met.

Mobile carriers will also wait no longer than one year after initial activation to unlock prepaid devices and if that device isn’t automatically unlocked, the companies will provide the owners of those devices with a notification when the time has come that their smartphone is eligible for unlocking.