DailyDirt: Do You See What I See?

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

The stereotype of a nerd wearing glasses is deeply set into many cultures. But it might not be too long before it's not just "nerds" wearing glasses. More people (nerds and jocks alike) are staring at screens and need corrective eyewear. Treatments like LASIK could become more popular -- or people could start wearing smartglasses for augmented reality and a clearer view of the world. Even if you have 20/20 vision now, almost everyone seems to get presbyopia, so count yourself lucky if you're not reading this with corrective lenses.

• By 2050, half the world's population could be myopic -- if current trends continue. About 40% of the US population is nearsighted, and about 28% of the world has myopia. There could be environmental conditions to avoid -- maybe going outdoors more will help -- and we could reduce myopia for future generations. [url]
• Smarter displays could adapt to a user's imperfect vision -- so a person wouldn't need to put on reading glasses to view a tablet screen. Vision correcting software under development can already correct for some myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and a few other vision problems. [url]
• Augmented reality eyewear could help farsighted people -- when the tech gets smaller, thinner, higher resolution... and less obtrusive to wear. Eyewear displays could also help with a bunch of different vision problems, but it might take a while before the reputation of "glassholes" have worn off. [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

Filed Under: ar, astigmatism, augmented reality, corrective lenses, eyewear, farsightedness, glassholes, hyperopia, lasik, myopia, nearsightedness, presbyopia, smart displays, smartglasses, vision

DailyDirt: Boys Don't Make Passes At Girls Who Wear Augmented Reality Displays On Their Heads...

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Smartphones and tablets are popular devices nowadays, but what's going to come next? Smartwatches or smartglasses or smartshoes? Besides Google Glass, there are a bunch of wearable computers on the market already. So far, the smartglasses haven't quite caught on, but maybe they just need a bit more time for people to get used to the interface. Here are just a few examples of smartglasses that you can buy if you want a glimpse into the "future" of electronic gadgets.

• The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset could be free someday (now $300), subsidized by a VR game subscription or with advertising (or both), perhaps. Oculus Rift CEO Brendan Iribe predicts that the hardware could become cheap enough that the device could be given away or bundled with software services. [url]
• The Recon Jet is a pair of sunglasses that's also a wearable computer. It's a bit bigger and heavier than Google Glass, and it puts its heads up display in the lower right corner of the user's field of vision -- so that it doesn't make the user look towards the sun and because research has shown that looking down is easier than looking up. [url]
• GlassUp is another wearable heads up display that costs about $400 and pairs up with a separate mobile device so that it doesn't use much power on its own. GlassUp puts its heads up display info near the center of a wearer's field of vision -- and early adopters can get a discount by supporting its Indiegogo campaign. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.

Filed Under: augmented reality, gadgets, glasses, heads up display, headsets, hud, smartglasses, vr, wearable computing
Companies: glassup, google, oculus rift, recon