14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung is avidly concentrating on its wearable business. At IFA 2014, the tech giant took the opportunity to present its latest smartwatch, the Gear S (which comes with a curved display) and its first VR headset.
But that doesn’t mean good old Sammy isn’t developing other stuff in the category. You might remember that a bunch of rumors showed up at some point saying that the Korean tech giant was prepping a Google Glass rival.
The Glass is one controversial product that currently doesn’t see a lot of competition in the market. However, things might change in the near future, as more and more device makers seem to have developed an interest for this distinct category.
Samsung Gear Blink might arrive in spring next year
Now, industry sources familiar with the matter, reported by Tizen Experts, would have us believe that the so-called Samsung Gear Blink is going to be launched in the wild in March 2015, alongside the company’s flagship device, the Galaxy S6.
And apparently one of its most futuristic features is going to involve the ability to project a virtual keyboard on the hands of the users, in order to allow them to virtually type in the air.
Sammy actually filed for a patent outlining such a mechanism a while ago. The documents described how virtual keys could be assigned to different parts of the user’s hands including fingers and palms.
The headset will be bundled with a camera which will probably be tasked with the projection duties. On top of that, it will be capable of tracking thumb movements and translate them into worlds based on the sections of the fingers one “presses.”
The overall idea is that the thumbs will be used as buttons, so you’ll actually be pushing your own fingers when writing a text to a friend.
Some of us were expecting the Google Glass clone to make an appearance at IFA 2014, but that didn’t happen as Samsung choose to focus on its smartwatch and virtual reality headset.
Specifications for Samsung's Glass rival are unknown
Apart from what the patents revealed, there is not much info regarding the specifications of the headset, nor are we exactly clear about what kind of functions it will take advantage of.
Word on the street would have us believe that the intelligent headset has Samsung’s own operating system, Tizen OS, running things on board, but this remains to be seen.
As more as more and more device makers seem interested in the whole Google Glass affair, Samsung wants to lead the way.
Note that at some point we told you, Lenovo showed a pair of smart glasses too. On top of that, photo gear maker Olympus has filed a patent detailing a similar device. Things are getting hot!
