Sony announced on Feb. 17, Tuesday, that it would be releasing its eyewear called SmartEyeglass soon. But the headgear, however, will be available for software developers in select countries only when it hits shelves in March.
The SmartEyeglass Developer Edition is available for pre-order now in the United Kingdom and Germany. It will also be sold to enterprise customers in the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, the Netherlands and Japan on March 10.
In its home turf, the Sony headgear will be sold at 100,000 yen, in the U.S. at $840, £520 in the UK and €670 in European countries. All prices do not include tax.
It is sold through a Sony Developer World's dedicated page.
Sony SmartEyeglass Potential Uses
Sony SmartEyeglass connects to a smartphone and displays information like text or image by superimposing it on whatever scene is in view. Other than that, Sony sees the device could be used for augmented reality (AR).
Sony believes the eyewear's use in AR has potential in professional use. For instance, it could be used to give instructions to workers at a manufacturing site or to transmit visual information to security officers about a potential breach.
Sony also aims to promote development of apps for industrial use. The Japanese company would also like developers to create other applications that would entice consumers to buy when the device releases commercially in 2016.
Google's Loss, Sony's Gain?
The announcement comes at the heels of the demise of Google Glass, which went from an "exciting technological curiosity to completely dead in the water" in just a couple of years, according to Gizmodo. As Google re-evaluates what went wrong with its eyewear, Sony seems to be stepping in to fill the void.
But according to a review by the same site, it is a "dorky" device that, dorkier even than the Google Glass with its "incredibly huge frames." In addition, users can expect the battery to last for only 80 minutes when using the camera and for 150 minutes if not using the feature.