Hasta La Gadget!

A few months ago we checked out an iPhone case that had several add-ons with different functions. The Pivothead SMART glasses have a very similar feature. The glasses have two microUSB ports – one at the end of each temple – from which you can attach small accessories called Smart Mods.

Unlike Google Glass, which has a heads up display to present detailed visual information, Pivothead SMART uses LED guides to display notifications and other basic data. That’s because the glasses are not really designed to be wearable personal computers like Glass. Instead, they’re taking on wearable cameras like the GoPro (though to some extent Google Glass falls into that bucket as well). For starters, it has a camera with an 8mp Sony CMOS sensor that can record 1080p video at 30fps. It has still, burst and time-lapse modes and auto, fixed and macro focus presets.

By default, the Pivothead SMART has 16GB storage and a battery good for an hour of continuous video recording. Here’s where the Smart Mods come in.

The Fuel Mod is a battery pack that adds more power to the glasses, equivalent to two more hours of continuous video recording. The Live Mod adds a MicroSD slot, but that’s actually just a bonus feature of the add-on. The main feature of Live Mod is that it allows the glasses to stream full HD video via Wi-Fi to a desktop computer, mobile device or to the web.

Even though Pivothead wants to be the next GoPro, its Air Mod has the potential to make it more versatile. The Air Mod add-on has the same features as the Live Mod add-on – i.e. streaming and a MicroSD slot – but it’s also much more than that. It’s actually a tiny, display-less Android device, with a dual-core 1.3GHz ARM A7 CPU, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and a host of sensors.

The idea is for developers to make apps that will run on the Air Mod, which will in turn enhance the functionality of the glasses. The video above showed a couple of concept apps for the Air Mod, such as a boarding pass scanner and an app that can analyze street signs.

Pledge at least $229 (USD) on Indiegogo to get a pair of Pivothead SMART glasses without any Smart Mods. You’ll need to pledge at least $409 to get the glasses and all three Smart Mods. The Smart Mods are also available as separate rewards. The Air Mod will – like any mobile device – live and die by its app ecosystem, but at least it’s an optional purchase. The glasses are still quite useful on their own.

Overall this seems to be a really promising device, but its makers need to find a way to explain its features to everyday consumers if they really want it to take off like GoPro cameras.

[Pivothead via The Droid Guy]

People love to recycle old vinyl records into new things. Vinylize makes hipster eyewear out of old records. So how do they make glasses from old records?

Well, before the records are cut, they are bonded with cellulose acetate to frame them and give them strength. It makes for a really unique look, that’s for sure. Very hipster. Definitely groovy. Here’s a short video that shows Vinylize’s production process:

Vinylize is based in Budapest, Hungary, and they have been making vinyl glasses for over a decade, so they do know what they are doing. The sunglasses can be purchased online from their website, where each pair retails for about €330 (~$440 USD). If you are a hipster looking for something new for your wardrobe, here it is.

[via Inhabitat via Gizmag via OhGizmo!]

There are plenty of different reasons why these eyeglasses are a great idea. For one, plenty of people don’t need to wear their glasses all of the time. So flipping them like this keeps them pretty handy. Also, there are people who already wear their glasses on their heads, despite not always holding in place very well.

Lookie Lous Headbands were developed by Kelly Coty. They can easily rest on users’ heads while not in use because they are flexible, smooth, and lightweight. When they flip down, they have a small notch cut into them so that they can rest comfortably on your nose.

They were principally designed to provide magnification for small print and UV protection, and  are available in a  magnification of 0, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0. I wonder when you’ll be able to put in your normal prescription inside of these – that would really be very handy.

[via designboom]

In the past, we’ve talked about the interesting and odd project from Google called Project Glass. The technology is basically a small wearable augmented reality system with a display embedded into a pair of glasses. A patent application has surfaced from Microsoft that shows the company is at least considering a competing product.

Artwork included with the patent application shows one example application as view of a baseball game offering factoids about players, including stats, hovering above them while you watch the game. They also showed another example where subtitles are displayed over an opera performance. Here’s the abstract from the patent application:

A system and method to present a user wearing a head mounted display with supplemental information when viewing a live event. A user wearing an at least partially see-through, head mounted display views the live event while simultaneously receiving information on objects, including people, within the user’s field of view, while wearing the head mounted display. The information is presented in a position in the head mounted display which does not interfere with the user’s enjoyment of the live event.

Microsoft’s offerings are also not meant to be worn at all times, while Google is hoping we’ll be wearing their glasses everywhere we go. It appears that Microsoft is tying their device to live events like sports and concerts. The Microsoft product would be able to the project text and audio overlays onto whatever the wearer is viewing.

The patent app was originally filed in May of 2011, but was updated this week. There is no indication of what the status of this project is at Microsoft right now; it could be significantly further along considering it’s been over a year since the application was filed, or it could just be a concept. Whereas Google already has usable prototypes of their system, it appears Microsoft’s is in the planning stages.

You can view Microsoft’s complete patent application here.

[via UnwiredView]

If you’ve been thinking about picking up a new pair of eyeglasses, I think I might just have the thing that’ll get you up off your butt to order a pair. Yep, for the first time that I know of, you can now order Star Wars eyeglasses. Woot!

This awesome new line of Star Wars eyewear comes from Japan’s Aigan, and includes five cool designer frames inspired by some of your favorite characters. You can choose from Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, or Stormtrooper frames, each with subtle (and not-so-subtle) design touches which remind you of the characters without being so ridiculous that you’d never wear them in public.

Each pair also comes with a nifty zipper case, complete with Star Wars graphics on front. Each design comes with a unique style, but this is what the Darth Vader one looks like:

Best of all, the guys over at Gizmine will be importing these from Japan starting at the end of October, and you can pre-order them now. At $499.99(USD) a pair, they’re not exactly cheap, but what designer eyeglasses are these days? I just paid about $700 for a pair with lenses and they were nowhere nearly as cool as the Boba Fetts.

[via Akibalive]