NTT docomo Shows Off A Range Of Working Smart Glass Concepts

NTT docomo Shows Off A Range Of Working Smart Glass Concepts[CEATEC 2013] To say that smart glasses might not end up as the next big thing would be an understatement. After all, there has been plenty of interest surrounding Google Glass in the past, and the folks over at NTT docomo certainly has no intention of missing out on the boat. We managed to get hold of a few smart glasses at the NTT docomo booth today, where the first one of the lot is what Hubert is wearing in the image above. Basically, this pair of smart glasses allows you to watch videos that are being played on your smartphone without having to hold your handset. All that is being played on the smartphone is sent to the smart glasses, and while there were no hard and fast specifications available, it was divulged that it is in all probability, the equivalent of watching an 80” display from 5 feet away. Sweet!

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    Smart Glass Blocks Out Heat And Light Via Switch

    Smart Glass Blocks Out Heat And Light Via SwitchWe have seen many devices as well as things in life roll out with the “smart” prefix, ranging from smart cars to smartphones, and of course, smart windows. Well, this is yet another invention that can be labelled under the smart window department – it happens to be a smart glass that has a spray-on coating which can block heat as well as light with but a single flick of a switch, resulting in a step towards more energy-efficient windows. What you see above is an example of this smart glass, where the segment on the left has some film sprayed onto it, while the area on the right remains pretty much an ordinary glass.

    This engineered window coating can be adjusted so that it will be able to respond to changing weather conditions accordingly. As to how much heat and light it lets in or blocks out, the same principle applies – a small surge of voltage will be sent to the material, kicking it into action. It is hoped that the ability to perform well in hot as well as cold climates might translate to huge energy savings at the end of the day – not only for individual homes, but as a nation on the whole.

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    Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, arriving in ‘the coming weeks’

    Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, set to arrive in 'the coming weeks'

    Microsoft’s SmartGlass and Microsoft’s Halo 4 apparently aren’t quite getting along on Windows Phone 8 devices. Using SmartGlass, Halo 4 players can normally access their stats and other info about their android supersoldier using the long-established Waypoint service — except for Windows Phone 8 users, apparently. A forum thread dating back to Halo 4‘s November launch highlights the issue — as Xbox.com forum user “Scion Eon” puts it: “Whenever I try to log into SmartGlass on my phone while playing Halo 4, I am immediately greeted with a message that says ‘Your device is missing certain required features.'” As it turns out, Mr. Eon isn’t the only one experiencing said connectivity issues — specific to Windows Phone 8 devices — and Microsoft’s aware of the situation.

    “We are aware that there is an issue with the Xbox SmartGlass experience for ‘Halo Waypoint’ on Windows Phone 8 devices, which may prevent users from accessing Halo 4 player stats,” a Microsoft rep told us this afternoon. Thankfully, Redmond’s also taking care of a solution. “We are actively working on a fix and expect to have a solution within the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as this gets resolved and apologize for any inconvenience this causes,” the statement reads. Of course, should you want to access Halo 4‘s Waypoint functionality on SmartGlass before that fix, you can always use Microsoft’s competitor’s devices. But then who’d do that?

    [Thanks Colin!]

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    Source: Xbox.com

    Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn’t what you’d think

    The most exciting SmartGlass application isn't what you'd think

    In Microsoft’s ongoing battle to alter your association between “Xbox” and “Video Games,” SmartGlass is its latest volley. Employing your favorite mobile device — Windows Phone 7.5/8, Android, and iOS devices are all supported — SmartGlass enables you to control your Dashboard experience, explore the web, input text, and much more. But what Microsoft’s really banking on is its “second screen” functionality, essentially enabling another layer of interactivity with video, music, games, and the Xbox 360’s other, less ballyhooed service: sports.

    It’s this final layer that I found most enticing during a recent hands-on meeting with Microsoft. Could sports be the “killer app” that MS needs to get SmartGlass out of its tiny niche and into the hands of the masses? I think so.

    Continue reading Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn’t what you’d think

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    Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn’t what you’d think originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Xbox SmartGlass goes live alongside first Windows 8 tablets on October 26 with several supported apps

    SmartGlass goes live alongside first Windows 8 tablets on October 26 with several supported apps

    SmartGlass functionality may already sort of exist on Xbox 360 per the console’s latest Dashboard update, but Microsoft’s making it a full-on reality on October 26. As it stands, the Xbox 360 allows for SmartGlass support, but without an update to Microsoft’s 360 companion app, there’s no way to use it — when Microsoft’s Surface RT and other Windows 8 tablets launch on the 26, that functionality will come built in to the “Games” section of the new OS. That of course begs the question: “When will I be able to use SmartGlass with my iOS/Android/Windows Phone 7.5 devices? And how?”

    The date isn’t certain, but functionality will arrive on other platforms “soon” after the October 26 launch of Surface, Microsoft reps tell us. When it does, it’ll come in the form of an update to your existing, “My Xbox Live” mobile app (which also renames the app to, “Xbox SmartGlass”) or Games tab (per WP7.5), and it’ll be more or less identical with the Windows Phone version. The only missing functionality, we’re told, are two somewhat basic bulletpoints. “We have deeper integration in the Windows Phone,” Microsoft tells us. “That’s something we don’t have on iOS or Android, it’s just within our application. Same on Windows — the integration in Windows is ‘last playing’ or ‘now playing,’ being able to present that information.” The other, more interesting item, is the lacking ability to “send” whatever website you’re using up to the Xbox 360’s Internet Explorer browser. Regardless of which mobile device you’re on, SmartGlass can “send” websites from the 360 to said device — it won’t work the other way around, however, if you’re using a non-Windows 8 device. Not what we’d call a huge deal, exactly, but a bummer no less. Regardless, you’ll soon have the opportunity to put SmartGlass through its paces from the comfort of home when support devices launch on October 26. For a full list of applications available at launch and partners beyond that plus a quick walkthrough video, head past the break.

    Continue reading Xbox SmartGlass goes live alongside first Windows 8 tablets on October 26 with several supported apps

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    Xbox SmartGlass goes live alongside first Windows 8 tablets on October 26 with several supported apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Hands-on with the first SmartGlass app, Dance Central 3’s Party Time DJ

    Smartglass functionality arrives on Xbox 360 with Dance Central 3 tomorrow, we go handson

    Since getting outed just head of Microsoft’s big reveal, Xbox 360’s SmartGlass has been under wraps. When Xbox Live VP Marc Whitten officially introduced SmartGlass soon after at E3 2012, we learned a teensy bit more — tablets and smartphones (Android, Windows Phone 8, and iOS, even) would get second-screen functionality via an upcoming free application — and got some hands-on time with it. That application has yet to launch, but Dance Central 3‘s SmartGlass functionality is already here. Well, almost here — the game becomes publicly available tomorrow, and the app won’t launch for a few weeks still — but we got our hands on Dance Central 3‘s SmartGlass companion app a bit early at a New York City review event last week.

    Being the first SmartGlass application to launch has its advantages, such as setting the bar. By no means is Dance Central 3‘s SmartGlass application a thorough, necessary accompaniment (for a game that already requires Kinect, that’s probably a good choice), but it does add some neat side fun for friends waiting in the wings to get their respective grooves on. “Party Time DJ” allows friends — employing their iOS, Droid, or WP8 tablet/smartphone, via the Xbox SmartGlass app — to queue up the next song in the game’s neverending “Party Time” mode, or create a playlist. They can also queue downloadable tracks to the Xbox 360 (which thankfully requires approval on the 360 prior to purchase), or swap difficulty settings. Sadly, though the opportunity for real-time griefing presents itself rather clearly here, developer Harmonix chose not to allow song-swapping or difficulty changes mid-song. “Because it would kill them,” Harmonix rep Nick Chester told us.

    Continue reading Hands-on with the first SmartGlass app, Dance Central 3’s Party Time DJ

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    Hands-on with the first SmartGlass app, Dance Central 3’s Party Time DJ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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