Android By Russell Holly Aug. 21, 2014 1:23 pm
Most of the time when someone talks about “wearable technology” there’s this assumption that you will be wearing it all the time. When it comes to things like pedometers and other small bio-monitors, it’s not hard to assume most folks would be ok having these things attached to them most of the time. When it comes to things like smart glasses, our current technology level means that you either have something that no one in their right mind would wear all the time or aren’t quite as capable as they could be. Epson’s second generation of smart glasses was intentionally made not to be worn around everywhere, and in doing so the kit became a fun accessory for geeks as well as a handy tool for professionals.
Epson’s awkward headgear puts an Android UI right in the middle of your field of vision. If you wear the included shades, you can make this UI as clear as a TV screen a few feet away. With the shades off, you can turn the brightness down low enough that what you basically have is a head-up display (HUD).
The hardware isn’t Google Play approved, so you have none of the official Google Apps that you would normally have with Android. I’m not even sure I would use the word useless to describe the out of the box experience. Even with the special suite of apps Epson included to show off all of the features contained within this device, it’s still not great. You can side-load just about anything, so if the apps you want are on the Amazon App Store there’s still plenty to do there.
Where Epson’s latest Moverio becomes actually useful is with entertainment. As long as you don’t wear glasses, you can put these on and comfortably wear them for several hours. There’s an attachment included that allows you to embed lenses, but that can get expensive. If you want to use the glasses to stream a movie, for example, you can kick back and enjoy an HD film in either 2D or 3D. You can supply your own headphones, which means if you’re the type to enjoy a private cinema it’s a cool experience. The games that are included with the Moverio are a lot of fun as well. Some of these use the sensors in the glasses to give you head tracking, while others rely on the touchpad to swipe as you would on a display.
Basically, as a standalone entertainment device, the Moverio does exactly what is is supposed to do and can be a lot of fun as long as you enjoy long hours of solo entertainment.
The Moverio BT-200 as a standalone device is only partially as impressive as what you can do when paired with other toys. Epson has included a Miracast receiver in the BT-200, which means you can wirelessly transmit video from a separate source. This means that most Android phones and several of the higher end Windows 8.1 devices will be able to beam video to the headset. You won’t be gaming in any comfortably way, because neither the Miracast protocol nor the Moverio BT-200 are powerful enough to handle that, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had.
Outside of Miracast, you can side-load video streaming apps for third party hardware. Quadcopter, for example, often have apps that allow you to see through the camera mounted on them. Loading that app onto the Moverio means you have a transparent display that lets you see from your perspective and the quadcopter’s perspective at the same time.
There’s potential here for the Moverio BT-200 to be a lot more than what it is today. As a headset that is half the price of Google Glass and easily twice as capable with the right software, it’s frustrating to say the least. There are some unfortunate limitations found in being a standalone Android 4.0.4 device that lacks both Google Apps and any way to receive notifications from your phone. The Android Wear/Google Glass platform would be a welcomed addition to the Moverio setup, as well as any sort of UI that lent itself to the limitations found within an experience that separates the touchpad and the display.
It’s an awkward experience to say the least, and that has a lot to do with why this platform is stuck as a geek toy when not being used in workplace environments with the help of APX Labs. If you’re looking for something interesting to play with, something new to explore, or you are really into VR headsets, The Moverio BT-200 is worth checking out. For the rest of us, it’s unlikely that this is something that belongs in your arsenal.
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Epson’s awkward headgear puts an Android UI right in the middle of your field of vision. If you wear the included shades, you can make this UI as clear as a TV screen a few feet away. With the shades off, you can turn the brightness down low enough that what you basically have is a head-up display (HUD).
The hardware isn’t Google Play approved, so you have none of the official Google Apps that you would normally have with Android. I’m not even sure I would use the word useless to describe the out of the box experience. Even with the special suite of apps Epson included to show off all of the features contained within this device, it’s still not great. You can side-load just about anything, so if the apps you want are on the Amazon App Store there’s still plenty to do there.
Where Epson’s latest Moverio becomes actually useful is with entertainment. As long as you don’t wear glasses, you can put these on and comfortably wear them for several hours. There’s an attachment included that allows you to embed lenses, but that can get expensive. If you want to use the glasses to stream a movie, for example, you can kick back and enjoy an HD film in either 2D or 3D. You can supply your own headphones, which means if you’re the type to enjoy a private cinema it’s a cool experience. The games that are included with the Moverio are a lot of fun as well. Some of these use the sensors in the glasses to give you head tracking, while others rely on the touchpad to swipe as you would on a display.
Basically, as a standalone entertainment device, the Moverio does exactly what is is supposed to do and can be a lot of fun as long as you enjoy long hours of solo entertainment.
The Moverio BT-200 as a standalone device is only partially as impressive as what you can do when paired with other toys. Epson has included a Miracast receiver in the BT-200, which means you can wirelessly transmit video from a separate source. This means that most Android phones and several of the higher end Windows 8.1 devices will be able to beam video to the headset. You won’t be gaming in any comfortably way, because neither the Miracast protocol nor the Moverio BT-200 are powerful enough to handle that, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had.
Outside of Miracast, you can side-load video streaming apps for third party hardware. Quadcopter, for example, often have apps that allow you to see through the camera mounted on them. Loading that app onto the Moverio means you have a transparent display that lets you see from your perspective and the quadcopter’s perspective at the same time.
There’s potential here for the Moverio BT-200 to be a lot more than what it is today. As a headset that is half the price of Google Glass and easily twice as capable with the right software, it’s frustrating to say the least. There are some unfortunate limitations found in being a standalone Android 4.0.4 device that lacks both Google Apps and any way to receive notifications from your phone. The Android Wear/Google Glass platform would be a welcomed addition to the Moverio setup, as well as any sort of UI that lent itself to the limitations found within an experience that separates the touchpad and the display.
It’s an awkward experience to say the least, and that has a lot to do with why this platform is stuck as a geek toy when not being used in workplace environments with the help of APX Labs. If you’re looking for something interesting to play with, something new to explore, or you are really into VR headsets, The Moverio BT-200 is worth checking out. For the rest of us, it’s unlikely that this is something that belongs in your arsenal.
More...
