14 DAY TRIAL // Google May have kicked off the whole augmented reality eyewear trend, but it's already getting challenged and, in some areas, even surpassed. Vuzix M2000AR HMD achieves the latter.
Sure, the Vuzix M2000AR HMD isn't as small, light and, why not, stylish as the Google Glass, but it's only because of a tradeoff.
The lens had to be large, because it's required by the Waveguide technology built by Vuzix in partnership with Nokia.
It involves a 720p display (integrated into its monocular lens), a 1080p camera, integrated head tracking and either a monochrome or full-color screen.
The result is a hologram-based system. That's right, actual 3D forms will appear in your line of sight and point out relevant facts about whatever you're looking at.
In absence of an actual technology capable of drawing 3D people in the air, this actually should work pretty well in most situations, especially in engineering or construction work. The graphics quality should also be better than in Glass, which only shows info pop-ups on the edge of your vision.
To make all this work, Vuzix combined Nokia's holograph system with its waveguide technology in a 1.4-mm thick “window” that works on the same principle as fiber optic cables.
Which is to say, the light is pushed to a hologram to expand in the eyepiece. Check out the little helper in the picture on the left for a sample of what you can expect if you buy the Vuzix M2000AR.
An HDMI cable is used for input, and the overall perspective is like looking at a 13-inch laptop from two feet away, with a brightness of 1,200 nits (full color at 400 nits), 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, six-level tint adjustment, simulating sunglasses, integrated compass, optional USB audio (headphones and noise-cancelling mic) and full HD video recording via 5 MP camera.
The battery life is the only drawback here, limited to 2-3 hours on a standard power pack. It’s a good thing that an auxiliary battery can be added. Sadly, the price of $6,000 / €4,361 won't win it any points.
