Epson BT100: Wearable Glasses for Private Entertainment

Wearable glasses were first seen in science fiction movies and have always been a hit with viewers. The concept is finally showing up in the consumer market, with the announcement of Google Glasses. The likes of Sony, Olympus and Epson have already started selling their prototypes, based on similar designs. Epson BT100 also named Moverio is one such set of LCD-based wearable glasses that can create an interactive display of up to 80 mm for your eyes. It is basically an entertainment product which can be comfortably used for web browsing or watching Youtube videos. It uses backlighting and mirrors located in the front of the headset to project a virtual screen in front of the user's eyes.

Play 3D movies on an 80mm screen

It runs on Android 2.2 and can't be upgraded to newer versions, which is a drawback, but you probably won't be using i t for anything but entertainment. It has some 5-6 preinstalled apps and if you desire for more, you can download them through the Amazon store. The installed apps include gallery, where you can store and run HD video files, or 3D content. It is operable with a hand-held remote, which has no internal memory and relies on an external micro SD card. The slot is open and located on the right of the glasses. However, the concept of looking up and operating through the remote will be initially difficult. The remote is easy to operate and apart from the few buttons, uses the black touchpad for inputs, including typing or selecting. Typing is slow and will take time not because the device is slow or something, but because it is an entirely new experience.

Easy to set-up with great sound quality

The glasses feel very delicate and need careful handling. To run the device, connect the unit to the glasses and press the power button on top of the unit. When the unlock screen appears, use the touch panel on the unit to move the green cursor to the unlock icon, hold it and drag it upwards. Once unlocked, you will see the Android 2.2 UI. Volume keys and screen keys are available below the touchpad. The screen brightness can be adjusted for better viewing. The headphones provide stunning quality audio providing a complete theatre experience. Its battery back up is impressive with 4-5 hours of video playback. HD and 3D playback is as good as seen through a projector and it works fine even under bright lighting. Web browsing is easy and doable after you have adapted to it.

Personal computing is entirely private now

This would make an interesting category taking private movie watching to an entirely new level. It is inhibited by the lack of apps, as instead of Google Play it supports Amazon Store and is compatible with very few video formats. The black pair of shades is detachable with the option of using different nose pads. Moverio BT-100 is targeted at two segments of customers; the tech savvy group and the movie lovers. The price of Rs 43k is definitely higher but compared to Sony, whose glasses come for Rs 69k, this is fairly less.

Available through Epson's authorised partners

The product is available in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad through Epson's authorized partners. Also the product is available through selective eZone outlets in Bangalore and Mumbai. You may also call the Epson helpline for home delivery.