[CES 2005] 3G Video Eyewear

IcuitiI’ve been waiting for something like this to come out. What is the problem with videophones? People aren’t used to holding the handset in front of them while making a call, and what is worse is that the procedure actively annoys them. The answer is to have a screen appear in front of your eyes using a device you wear like glasses, just like in the sci-fi movies. Over at CES 2005 Icuiti Corporation has announced the Icuiti V920 Video Eyewear is available in North America for $499. While that’s a huge chunk of cash we’ll no doubt see the price fall steadily over the next few years.
“The V920 is small enough to fit in your pocket and lightweight at just 3.5 oz (99 g). Designed for semi-immersive viewing, Video Eyewear is the world’s first binocular display that does not have to be strapped or mounted on the users head…The V920 Video Eyewear contains two EDTV resolution (920,000 pixel) LCD screens, one in front of each eye. They enable private viewing of video content on a virtual theater sized screen. Both high quality traditional (2D) video as well as flicker-free 3D stereoscopic video can be viewed in complete privacy – opening up an entirely new form of video viewing. Stereo audio is provided through adjustable headphones built into the temples of the eyewear that can be removed to accommodate the use of alternative personal headphones.”
If “semi-immersive” means what I think it means users of this device will be able to interact reasonably normally with the physical world while watching the screen, although it may take a bit of practice. What’s more exciting is that with two screens it should be possible to create real 3D images, and while it will take a while for content developers to incorporate that into their products we’re on our way to seeing mobile games and movies in spectacular 3D. For that matter, the Virtual Girlfriend program could be designed to walk beside you like a real person – although that’s moving from the realm of “cool” to that of “disturbing”.

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