Category: Wearables

The 2″ Android Watch at the Canton Electronics Fair

Posted by – April 21, 2012

At the Canton Electronics Fair, I found perhaps the supplier or the partner of DVIP Phaeton that I filmed last CES that was showing this 2″ MT6516 based Android wrist watch.

I’m on the BBC (on YouTube)

Posted by – March 13, 2012

Rory Cellan-Jones from the BBC interviewed me at Mobile World Congress last week about my Motorola Kopin Golden-i Augmented Video-blogging system. By the end of the year, thanks to the fast moving world of Technology, we’ll all be walking around with compact wearable computers, augmenting our reality, it’s going to be awesome!

Appear, Kopin Golden-i Software provider, won 2nd price at CeBIT


Based at the Kista Science City, Mobile City in Stockholm Sweden, Appear talks about integrating their industrial systems software into the Motorola Kopin Golden-i headmounted computer. Here at CeBIT they talk about how people working in the railway, airports etc industries can use the Golden-i in the next level of their augmented reality system.

Zeiss Cinemizer OLED Heads-up Display

Posted by – March 7, 2012

Zeiss shows this OLED based heads-up display using their Zeiss optics and showing some difference use cases for this device. The price is about 650 Euro for the device.

Jig.jp Augmented Reality Glasses at Mobile World Congress 2012

Posted by – March 6, 2012

The guys of http://jig.jp are showing off their vision of augmented reality, overlaying video screens using prisms on sunglasses, the heads-up display is made by Epson. Jig.jp works on smartphone web browsers, they are suggesting to create software and user interfaces for augmented reality.

I’m interviewed on DRadio Wissen, German National Radio

Posted by – March 1, 2012

In this Interview conducted by Moritz Metz broadcast on the German National Radio Network DRadio Wissen, I talk about Augmented Reality, Head-mounted wearable computing, the new user interfaces that provides. You can listen to the 5-minute audio Interview in English at: http://wissen.dradio.de/datenbrille-golden-i-internet-im-gesicht.36.de.html?dram%3Aarticle_id=15321

You can also listen the Interview Moritz Metz did with me last year at CeBIT for the same Radio station where I talk about my job as a video-blogger here: http://wissen.dradio.de/cebit-blogger-reist-gadgets-hinterher.36.de.html?dram:article_id=8810&dram:audio_id=11295&dram:play=1

Recon Head-up Android Display for Ski and Snowboard Goggles

Posted by – February 28, 2012

The Recond HUD Ski and Snowboarding Goggles, shows speed, altitude, vertical distance travelled, synchronized with your phone showing SMS, caller-ID, music playlist, all in the head-up display while the user is skiing or snowboarding. The price is just 360 Euro (+ the price of the Goggles)!

Mute Watch at Lift 2012

Posted by – February 25, 2012

The Mute Watch is made by Mai-Li Hammargren, it provides an interesting design, display and user interface. You can order it for 199 Euros at: http://mutewatch.com

The Libri by BlueLibris, wearable connected health sensor

Posted by – February 1, 2012

The Libri by BlueLibris uses the Freescale Xtrensic MMA9550 solution, the Freescale Xtrinsic MAG3110 Magnetometer and the Xtrinsic MPL3115A2 Pressure Sensor, fusing together all the sensor data for Activity Monitoring, Voice Monitoring, TeleHealth Gateway, Location, Fall Detection and more. They say it’s the worlds smallest, simplest 3G speaker phone.

ViewLink MyVu VizCom Headmounted Android video-streaming system

Posted by – January 19, 2012

The targetted price is $199, mass manufacturing to start in March. It’s an LCOS based headmounted 800×600 display connected with an Android box that you can put in your pocket. That Android powered box runs apps, such as the Biggifi remote controlling app, it can also output Android to your HDTV using the MHL connector. It can tether through your smartphone for internet connectivity and stream the video from the headset to any Android supported live video streaming services, be it ustream, google+ hangouts, justin.tv and more.

Phaeton DVIP $200 Android Watch uses MTK6516 with dual-SIM

Posted by – January 17, 2012

Shenzhen Phaeton Nice Electronic High-Tech Manufacturing Co Ltd is showing this Android Watch shown at CES 2012. It supports 2 SIM GPRS/voice cards on the MTK6516 processor, soon they’ll use the faster 3G-enabled MTK6573 processor. For now it’s Froyo, the MTK6573 may support Ice Cream Sandwich soon, to be confirmed. So this is not just an Android watch, thanks to the Mediatek processor, it can replace your smartphone. It has a built-in camera, MicroSD card slot, speaker, microphone and more. It uses a 2″ 320×240 QVGA capacitive touch screen, standby battery can be about 1 week, 36 hours active use, to be confirmed. The price is just $200 for bulk orders, minimum order quantity of 500. They also show a $70 1.5″ feature phone watch and a

Augmented Video-blogging Hangout featuring the Kopin Golden-i at CES 2012

Posted by – January 16, 2012

Here’s a Google+ Hangout recorded while at the Kopin Golden-i reception held at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas during CES 2012. Demonstrating and talking about my Augmented Video-blogging using their device, and other uses of this headmounted display device and other news from the CES. You can fast forward to about 34 minutes 40 seconds in for the demo by Motorola Solutions’s Product Lead on the Golden-i, Nicole Tricoukes, explaining how the Golden-i headmounted computer works and what Motorola Solutions plans to target it for when they plan to mass produce it and release it in the second half of the year (you can watch her TEDx presentation)

Motorola Kopin Golden-i at the Verizon booth at CES 2012


The Motorola Kopin Golden-i is being showcased at the Verizon booth at CES 2012, demonstrating hands-free wearable computing user interfaces for Industrial uses such as Construction, Medical, Public safety, Utilities and more. I’ve been using this for the past 2 months to attempt to have a wearable computing augmented video-blogging system, using Google+ Hangouts On Air with the headmounted display showing a live chat and live status updates from Google+, Twitter, Email alerts and more.

Casio GB-6900 G-Shock, Bluetooth 4.0 watch

Posted by – January 12, 2012

Communicates with your Android smartphone that has an ultra low power Bluetooth 4.0 support. Battery life is about 2 years with Bluetooth synchronized to your phone 12 hours per day. It synchronizes with incoming calls, incoming SMS, with time zone changes, it can sound an alarm on your phone if you can’t find it. They are expanding the functionality to support other apps in Android.

Charbax on Twit

Posted by – December 12, 2011

Here again, now Twit posted the video on the official http://youtube.com/twit channel, so here it is, when you click the play button below, it should start at the right time-code 35 minutes 17 seconds when I first appear on the show, where I get to talk to Leo Laporte and Sarah Lane on the Twit show at LeWeb 2011!

On Twit, I get to talk with Leo Laporte and Sarah Lane about the legalization of piracy in Switzerland, in France, about the latest Archos G9 and Arnova G2 devices and I get to show off my headmounted Motorola Kopin Golden-i system for augmented video-blogging.

List of my ARM Powered devices used for video-blogging:


Andy Frame is interviewing me on ARM’s official YouTube Channel about my ARM Powered devices used for video-blogging and live video streaming from consumer electronics trade-shows.

List of devices featured in this video:

– Headmounted Display: Kopin Golden-i, OMAP3530 based, provides SVGA screen at eye-level for real-time monitoring of an IRC chat for asking better questions
– Headmounted Logitech c910 Webcam connected to the ARM Powered One Laptop Per Child XO-1.75, Marvell Armada 618 based, live-streaming the webcam video feed to http://ustream.tv (an optimal Headmounted computer, maybe Motorola’s next version, can include the webcam and Android based software to live-stream the video to any live video streaming service built-in)
Archos 101 G9, OMAP4430/OMAP4460 1Ghz to 1.5Ghz tablet, similar specs as in the Galaxy Nexus but in a 10.1″ tablet form factor. Starts $269 unlocked no contract for 8″. This is probably my favorite high-end tablet at the moment. I’ll post my full video-review of the Archos 101 G9 in the next few days.
Archos 70 Internet Tablet, OMAP3630 1Ghz single core, released about 13 months ago. I use this tablet every day as 7″ tablets fit in any jacket pocket. Thus I mostly use this for checking emails, web browsing, watching video, playing games, using apps when I am outside. I am looking forward to upgrade this to a dual-core 7″ tablet.
– My $87 FG8 Android Smartphone, it’s my main smartphone for the past 7 months since I found it in Shenzhen China. It supports Dual-SIM cards (so I can use my home and foreign SIM numbers at the same time, or use voice SIM and data SIM at the same time), has a decent 3.5″ capacitive touch screen, uses the wildly popular in China Mediatek MTK6516 ARM9 processor. I’m looking forward upgrading this to a Galaxy Nexus (because I am eager to try Ice Cream Sandwich) or to a newer faster 3G-capable sub-$100 Android phone.
– ZTE MF61 T-Mobile USA 4G HSPA+ Hotspot, $50 for 3GB/month pre-paid, $141 for the device, no contract.

Charbax Cyborg: How I video-blog, Live and On-demand

Posted by – October 29, 2011

This is how I was walking around the ARM TechCon 2011, with the OMAP3530 Powered Kopin Golden-i Headmounted display (voice-controlled and with head-tracking) to monitor the live Ustream IRC chat, a USB webcam on my head streaming live video to Ustream through the Marvell Armada 618 Powered OLPC XO-1.75 in my bag (using another netbook when Marvell was showcasing the XO-1.75 at their booth), a T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot ($50/3GB/month/prepaid/$141-Mifi), and my nearly 4-year old Sanyo HD1000 (9mbitps 720p) with the external Sennheiser MKE400 shotgun microphone.


Source: ti.com

I also have the new higher quality JVC GC-PX10 but its 24/36mbitps 1080p50 recording bitrate is too high to upload on the relatively slow upload speed at this conference. At the San Francisco Downtown University Campus last weekend, the upload speed was 100mbitps so there I filmed all 16 videos at the OLPC Summit with that camera, for most of which you can even download the full original camera sample video file using Google Docs separately linked under each video.

I’m Watch, i.MX233 Android Bluetooth wrist watch

Posted by – October 27, 2011

They are launching before Christmas, it’s a $299/299€ Android watch, running on the Freescale i.MX233 ARM9 processor, it has a 1.54″ capacitive touch screen, with Bluetooth it synchronizes with any Android phone, iPhone or other smartphone, there is an API to adapt Android apps to it.

Sony-Ericsson Liveview

Posted by – February 20, 2011

The concept is pretty awesome, this small touch screen bluetooth screen that can be worn as a watch can interact with any of your Bluetooth enabled Android devices, it’s got an SDK for app developers to add Bluetooth remote functionality for their apps. I’m hoping someone make remote controlling for VOIP apps, calling contacts, and other useful Android apps on your smartphone or tablet.

Motorola Head-mounted Computer Gen.2 Kopin Golden-i

Posted by – February 22, 2010

Imagine walking around with a head-mounted 15″ display to view informations available to you at all times. This system features a pretty cool six-axis position tracker from Hillcrest Labs that allows you to operate a cursor with nearly pixel-for-pixel accuracy by just moving around your head when for example panning around a large image or a map. There is a highly targetted microphone that understands voice-commands where you can for example zoom in on maps or images, you can exit back to the programs menu, launch specific applications and open specific files.

Here are the specs of this Second Generation Kopin Golden-i Motorola-branded Head-mounted Computer system:

Processor — TI OMAP3530 clocked at 600MHz
Display — Kopin SVGA (800 x 600) liquid crystal micro display (LCD)
Networking:
Bluetooth 2.0
WiFi — “Will be offered soon”
User interface — Includes speech recognition and motion sensing
Other I/O — 1 x USB
Expansion — microSD slot
Power — 1200 mAh battery provides more than eight hours of operation
Weight — 3 oz (85g)
Operating system — Windows CE

More coverage of this device from Mobile World Congress:
http://www.buzzcritic.com/gadgets/kopin-golden-i-wearable-pc-hands-on-video
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/motorola-golden-i-virtual-display-for-outdoor-types/

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