Click Image To Enlarge
RECON, WHICH BILLS ITSELF AS A GOOGLE GLASS FOR ATHLETES, HAS ALREADY SHIPPED THOUSANDS MORE DEVICES THAN GOOGLE AND SECURED INVESTMENT FROM INTEL CAPITAL TO BOOT.
Recon, maker of a $600 Google Glass-like wearable device marketed toward athletes, reports it has already shipped 50,000 of its "Snow" model, geared toward skiers. That's many thousands more than the number of Glass devices Google has shipped to date. Google has instead chosen to roll out its device very slowly, to only a few thousand people to start.
Recon has also secured an investment from Intel Capital to continue development on what Recon calls "the world's most advanced wearable computer." Although the debate over which wearable device can claim the title of "most advanced" is still up for discussion, Recon's current niche is high-performance athletes, which means it's more durable than the shatter-prone Google Glass.
Intel VP Mike Bell, who manages the corporation's new devices group, said.
"In Recon Instruments, we see compelling technology and a solid strategy to capitalize on the wearable revolution. This is an area of significant focus for Intel Capital, and our investment in Recon Instruments is a key part of our approach to innovation in this emerging space."
COMMENTARY: In terms of design, Recon glasses are reminiscent of the futuristic Oakley sports shades that are so popular with many top tier sports professionals. An interesting difference between the Recon Jet and Glass is that the former puts the display lens at the lower part of the wearer's vision rather than at the top.
According to a statement on the Recon Jet website,
"Research has shown that looking down is an easier eye movement than looking up. Jet is also designed for outdoor use, where looking up could result in looking directly at the sun, something we want to avoid."
Another important difference is that the Recon Jet is controlled only by a touch-pad on the side of the device, no voice control feature is included.
As for the technical specifications, the Recon Jet is equipped as follows:
- 720p HD video camera.
- 3D accelerometer.
- Built-in microphone and speakers.
- 8GB of flash memory.
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability
- Micro USB port.
And while you might think that Google wouldn't want to give exposure to a potential competitor, it appears that the company's reps were welcome at a Google recent conference. Recon Instruments CEO, Dan Eisenhardt, said,
"We introduced Recon Jet to the developer community at the Google I/O tech conference last month. To say the response exceeded our expectations would be a massive understatement."
Pricing for the early adopter Pilot Edition was $499, a deal that expired on July 21, to coincide with the end of this year's Tour De France event. Delivery of the device is expected to be December 2013 through early 2014.
RECON Jet Pilot Edition
The advantages of the Recon Jet over Google Glass are apparent:
- Cheaper price (for now).
- First to market.
- Open platform (no worries about Google controlling your personal data).
- Targeting athletes is smart.
Athletes have been looking for something like this for a while now, particularly now that wearable performance trackers are taking off. But the notion of a normal personal walking around wearing Glass in the same way that they might utilize a smartphone has struck some as impractical at best, and a capital offence against fashion at worst.
George Hincape wearing a pair of RECON Jet glasses (Click Image To Enlarge)
And, beyond all the other considerations, Recon Jet is simply the best alternative for anyone who wants most of the facility of something like Glass, but without having to lock yourself into Google's cloud apps that spread your data throughout the search company's software ecosystem.
Given those factors, the Recon Jet has a lot going for it. However, the major advantage Google has is that scores of people have been enthusiastically testing Glass in the public eye for months now. In fact, in July Google uploaded a video of Wimbledon tennis pro Bethanie Mattek-Sands training with Glass, a clear indication that the company is trying to get more sports pros to adopt the device.
RECON Jet Features (Click Image To Enlarge)
Tour de France veteran George Hincapie testing out the Recon Jet in the video below.
RECON Jet Technical Specifications
Recon Jet is a powerful standalone microcomputer with the onboard processing power, suite of sensors and networking capabilities you would expect from a tablet or smartphone. It's open platform and SDK allows developers to create apps for any activity where information, relayed direct-to-eye, changes the game.
| ONBOARD SENSOR FRAMEWORK |
9-Axis sensors • 3D accelerometer • 3D gyroscope • 3D magnetometer Pressure sensor • Altimeter & barometer application Ambient temperature sensor Optical touch sensor for UI control Works in all weather conditions, and with gloves on |
| PROCESSOR SUBSYSTEM | 1 GHz Dual-Core ARM Cortex-A9 On-board memory • 1GB DDR2 SDRAM • 8GB flash |
| ULTRA-COMPACT DISPLAY |
Wide screen 16:9 WQVGA display Virtual image appears as 30" HD display at 7' Power-saving sleep mode High contrast and brightness for readability in high ambient lighting |
| NETWORKING SUBSYSTEM |
Wi-Fi (IEEE802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Smart) • Apple MFi Bluetooth support GPS • MEMS GPS/INS Kalman filtering fusion algorithm ANT • Support for connectivity of up to 8 ANT+ peripherals Micro USB • Device charging/power • Data transfer |
| EMBEDDED AUDIO & VIDEO |
HD camera Integrated speaker and microphone |
Courtesy of an article dated September 27, 2013 appearing in Fast Company and an article dated June 27, 2013 appearing in DVICE
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