This week Vuzix Corporation – leading supplier of smart glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies – has announced that it has begun shipping Design Validation Test (DVT) units of the Vuzix M300 smart glasses to VIP developers and select enterprise customers. Technically the DVT M300 follows the earlier M300 EVT prototype shipments and the new unit is effectively a production model going through the final certification procedures.
For readers who may be unfamiliar with the Vuzix M300 smart glasses, the product has been designed for enterprise and aims to “improve existing workflows and open new opportunities” in many areas, including medical, retail, industrial, remote help desk, supply chain and more. The Vuzix M300 is a sequel to the M100 model presented at CES 2013, and in fact, the DVT units coupled with the VIP developer program intends to offer advice and technical support to ensure a smooth transition of M100 applications to the new M300 platform, which is powered by Intel Atom and Android 6 Marshmallow. As a quick reminder, Intel made a $25 million investment in Vuzix last year, acquiring 30% ownership of the company. Compared to the M100 models, the M300 DVT units are equipped with a touch pad, GPS, and sport a new Sensory speech recognition engine. In terms of hardware, the augmented reality eyepiece has a 20 degrees diagonal Field of View which is the equivalent of a 5.0-inch mobile screen at a distance of 14 inches, and delivers more than 2000 nits of brightness as well as 24-bit colors. The device is powered by an Intel Atom CPU coupled with 2 GB of RAM, it has 64 GB of internal flash memory, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow but is compatible with both Android OS and iOS. Other features worth mentioning include a 13-megapixel camera with 1080p video capabilities and image stabilized auto-focus, dual noise canceling microphones, and a 100 mAh battery supporting hot swapping. Connectivity wise the Vuzix M300 supports microUSB 2.0 HS, Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, MIMO 2×2, Bluetooth 4.1/2.1+EDR, and built-in GPS.
The official announcement reveals that the M300 DVT has already been shipped to more than 50 VIPs, including NTT DoComo, NS Solutions Corporation, INC XOEye Technologies, APX Labs, Ubimax, Pristine and AMA, and will “shortly begin to ship” the hardware to “key end users” including DHL, SAP, GE, and Boeing. Other partners will be revealed as new VIP members join the program.
