Tag Archives: AR Glasses

Google Glass Bites the Dust – Support Officially Ending in September 2023, Sales Has Ceased

Google Glass made its debut in 2013. Back then, Google Glass made headlines everywhere and the idea that everyone in the world will eventually own one or some type of augmented reality (A.R.) headgear was not in any way ridiculous. That conversation died soon after though. The reality (no pun intended) was that an A.R. glasses from Google at the time will set you back US$ 1,500, or if you convert that to local currency at the time, about MYR 5,000 there or thereabouts. That kind of money for a pair of clunky glasses you need to keep charging every few hours is the kind of luxury most in the world cannot afford or does not need. Added to the fact that Google Assistant and A.R. functionalities at the time was in its infancy, crude at best; why would you pay that much money for  a pair of glasses?

The original Google Glass stayed on sale for about two years though, until 2015. No sales numbers were quoted within that time frame. In that time, Google also produced a new type of Google Glass. This time, they realized that the A.R. smart glasses market was not something they wanted to sell to end-users. Instead, they saw more potential use cases in the enterprise market. Hence, Google developed, supported, and sold Google Glass Enterprise edition from 2015 onward. Then in 2023, well today, they stopped selling the kit entirely and announce that they will stop supporting them in September 2023.

Through its life, the A.R. project by Google was adopted mostly in the construction and medical field. They updated the Google Glass Enterprise Edition once in 2019. From then on, Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2 replaced the first iteration.

Google has not announced any replacement for Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. It does not look like Google will be announcing any replacement for the A.R. goggles anytime soon though. That does not mean that Google has given up on the idea of A.R. completely.

In 2020 Google made an acquisition that still confirms Google’s commitment to their A.R. project. They acquired North, a smart glasses maker. Since then the Mountain View giant has been reported to be working on some kind of smart A.R. wearable that resembles ski goggles. The project was code named Project Iris. There has been little update on the project’s progress since then though.

It is also unlikely for Google to scrap the project since their competitors are also working on the same thing. Apple and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) have been working on their own versions of A.R. and Virtual Reality (V.R.) headsets for some time now. Reportedly, they are looking to bring their own versions of the headsets some time in the future. Microsoft is also known to have a mixed reality department of their own and has produced working prototypes for mixed reality, but those hardware has not been sold to end-consumers for good reason.

A.R. is still pretty much something you can look forward to as a normal in the future. For now though, with Google shelving their most promising mixed reality project temporarily, that future looks a little further than we might like to think. You can find out more about Google’s Glass project from their website.

[MWC 2023] Xiaomi Showcases Wireless AR Glasses at MWC 2023

Xiaomi is bringing back the age of smart glasses when they unveiled their new wireless, augmented reality (AR) Glasses. Announced at the MWC 2023 conference in Barcelona, the device is currently at the concept stage and is called the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition.

Meet Xiaomi Wireless AR Glass Discovery Edition

The start of a new smart glass generation, powered by Snapdragon

Xiaomi has revealed that this is their “…first wireless AR glasses to to utilize distributed computing, offering a retina-level adaptive display that adjusts to the lighting environment”. We can expect excellent connectivity with Snapdragon Spaces-ready smartphones and more importantly, is integrated with refined hand tracking. It is not a standalone device and needs to be paired with a Xiaomi 13 or other Snapdragon Spaces smartphones to fully function.

The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses Discovery Edition will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 platform, most recently seen with the Meta Quest Pro. It will also feature Xiaomi’s proprietary low-latency communication link. This allows low wireless latency of 3ms through Snapdragon Spaces compatible devices and full link latency as low as 50ms, which is comparable to wired latency.

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Xiaomi’s Wireless AR Glasses Discovery Edition is at the concept stage but packs a lot of promise.
Image source: GSMArena

Innovations in gesture control and retina-level display

Xiaomi has also featured their own self-developed micro gesture interaction that enables precise one-handed micro gestures based on the thumb, inner fingers and knuckles. The gestures allow functions such as selecting and opening apps, swiping through pages, and exiting apps without touching the paired smartphone. It also allows more advanced features such as text input with thumb tapping in the finger area, similar to the Chinese nine-key input method. Detecting these gestures is a low power-usage AON camera which also facilitates other features.

The centerpiece of the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses is retina-level near-eye display found in the lenses. The lenses leverage a free-form optical module that houses a pair of MicroOLED displays. This optical module has light-guiding prisms that minimizes light loss and produces clear, bright display with a peak of 1200 nits. The lenses are also electrochromic to adapt to different lighting modes and comes with special modes including a blackout mode to enhance content viewing on YouTube and TikTok as well as a transparent mode that will enhance AR immersion.

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An innovative free-form optical module with MicroOLED screens is the centerpiece.
Image source: GSMArena

Lightweight design without compromising toughness

Design-wise, the Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses incorporates robust lightweight material such as magnesium-lithium alloy, carbon fiber parts, and a self-developed silicon-oxygen anode battery. Thought it appears to be on the bulkier side, it only weighs 126g, which should make it comfortable to wear for long periods. They will be available in titanium-colored shade, supports three-sizes of nosepieces for a precise fit and has an attachable myopic clip for nearsighted users.

From the prototype devices that were unveiled, it seems that Xiaomi has really brought out some innovative ideas and cutting-edge self-developed technology to the fore. Currently there is no indication of a release date but Xiaomi is working with their partners to expedite the process. While the history of smart glasses has not been great, especially with the demise of Google Glass, perhaps a new generation will be upon us soon with Xiaomi leading the way.

Sources: Xiaomi, PhoneArena, GSMArena