*It's a press release.
*Also, crude as it may seem compared to sci-fi imaginings, it looks better than I expected it to look. I'm an inveterate skeptic about headmounted AR, but the gizmo people are going nuts this year. What with Kinect, LeapMotion, perceptual computing, Google Glass, and now Structure, they may actually crack this problem somehow. I don't know how, but I'm learning not to underestimate 'em.
"Wikitude and Optinvent show true augmented reality glasses experience
"Salzburg, Austria and Paris, France, (((hey, nice commute))) Sept. 17 2013: Wikitude, the world leader in augmented reality solutions has partnered with Optinvent to build the first true augmented reality glasses platform by combining Optinvent’s ORA-S see-through display and Wikitude’s software development kit (SDK). Images and video demonstration are now available.
"Since announcing the expansion into the wearable display technology market in April, Wikitude has seen unparalleled demand for its SDK from developers interested in building 'hands free' AR applications. Google Glass has introduced the general public to the possibilities and potential of this technology, but in fact is not designed to enable true augmented reality. (((Everybody admits this about Google Glass, but it still bears repeating.)))
"With its patented "Flip-Vu" technology, exceptional image quality and form factor, Optinvent's ORA-S provides an extraordinary visual experience. The display can be flipped up into true "AR" mode, directly in the line of sight for immersive experiences, or flipped down to "Glance" mode where digital information becomes less obtrusive. These two visualization modes greatly enhance the user experience and ergonomics, depending on the use case and situation. (((Also, it's super geeky-looking, but unlike Google, they're not appearing in VOGUE.)))
" "We're very excited about our collaboration with Wikitude to run the world’s leading augmented reality software on our game changing ORA-S hardware platform. Wikitude's proven SDK will allow for a premium experience and app developers can now build their own amazing never before seen applications. Optinvent is proud to have Wikitude as a partner," says Optinvent CEO Kayvan Mirza.
"The Wikitude augmented reality SDK is seamlessly integrated with the ORA-S device including innovative optimization of processing power allocation between the smartphone and the wearable display resulting in increased performance and longer battery life. Wikitude’s recent enhancements to its proprietary image recognition and tracking technology, along with 3D modeling, and geo-aware technology provide developers with an end-to-end digital augmentation solution. ((("End-to-end augmentation" is a beautiful phrase.)))
" "Through this partnership with Optinvent, Wikitude has a strong collaborator in the wearable display technology market. Optinvent's unique dual mode display, in combination with our complete technology package, offers developers a true augmented reality platform that will power the next generation of wearable computing," comments Wikitude CMO Andy Gstoll.
"In this all-European collaboration, (((http://bit.ly/14URgAT
Images: http://bit.ly/1dilJZK
Optinvent Preorder: http://bit.ly/16bSwKT
Wikitude SDK: http://bit.ly/1aDXwfh
