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Oct 01

Optinvent Ora AR glasses boasts ‘Flip-Vu’ dual position display, aims to take on Google (hands-on)

While Google Glass might be the darling of the augmented reality wearable market, other companies like Vuzix and Epson have had skin in the game for much longer than the folks in Mountain View. One such firm to have caught the AR bug early is Optinvent, which debuted an early version of its ClearVu head-mounted display way back in 2009. Fast forward to 2013, and Optinvent is ready to move on to the final production stage of what it’s now calling the Ora, which it hopes will give Google Glass a run for its money, not just with superior optics but a softer blow to the wallet as well. We had a chance to sit down with CEO Kayvan Mirza at the Glazed conference in San Francisco, where we learned more about the Ora and had a chance to try it on ourselves.

One of the first things Mirza told us was that the Ora offers “true AR,” which overlays the entire display in front of your eyes much like a heads-up display unit. This is unlike Glass, which he says offers more of a “companion display” where you have to look up to view it. Don’t be concerned about the Ora completely blocking your sight however, as it has a very unique feature we’ve yet to see in wearable optics. It’s called Flip-Vu, and it lets you pivot the display downward into what’s called dashboard or glance mode so that it’s now more of a companion display rather than one that dominates your entire field of vision (You can see a demo video of this after the break). Mirza says glancing downward is a much more natural position than looking up, as we tend to look down at our phones and other devices anyway.%Gallery-slideshow99628%

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: Optinvent

Nov 19

ORA Ultimate Sound: For The iPad Owner Who Can’t Live Without 8 Speakers Built Into Their Case

Posted in: Today's Chili

We’ve seen designers and casemakers attempt to bring better sound quality to the iPad — the Zooka wireless speaker bar comes to mind, as does the Sound Cover case. But we have yet to hear about a company adding eight speakers to the iPad in the form of an extending case.

Until now. Meet the ORA Ultimate Sound System for iPad.

The ORA speaker case is said to deliver more than five times the volume of the iPad, without distorting the sound or clarity, according to the founders. It even comes packed with a digital signal processor, dynamic range control, and a parametric equalizer that adjusts the speakers for optimized volume depending on the circumstances.

It’ll stay juiced just as long as your iPad, with an integrated rechargeable battery, though the ORA is only compatible with the iPad 2 and new iPad, with standard 30-pin connector support. In terms of improving sound on the iPad, this should do the trick.

On the other hand, the ORA seems to add quite a bit of bulk to the tablet. The speaker case wraps around the edge of the iPad and adds another inch or so, making it about the size of an extra-wide Surface tablet.

Click to view slideshow.

Being a slightly rugged iPad case, the ORA also doesn’t do much in the way of aesthetics. And getting the iPad in and out of the case doesn’t seem all that simple, with screws or locks on the back that secure the tablet in place.

In other words, you better love the ORA case as much as you love your iPad, because taking it on and off will get old really quickly.

ORA has just launched on Kickstarter with a starting pledge of $99, so if you’re looking to add real sound to the iPad, head on over to the Kickstarter page and check it out.

Nov 19

ORA: Ultimate Speaker Case and Stand for iPad

Posted in: Today's Chili

Delivering great audio in ultra-thin bodies is one of the main challenges that tablets and smartphones manufacturers are facing, and, although the iPad provides a relatively good sound quality, it is not sufficient when it comes to listening to music or watching a video without using headphones.

ORA is solving this problem beautifully by integrating eight front-facing speakers in a well crafted case that features a thin cover which can be folded into a stand. The cleverly-designed rugged enclosure includes its own battery, so the iPad is not drained when using the additional speakers for up to 10 hours. The brilliant idea about the ORA speaker case is that it does not need a separate power adapter. It charges simultaneously with the iPad using the regular Apple charger.