What Smartglasses Should Be: The Atheer One Says “Atheer Later, Google Glass”

The whole smartglasses craze that has taken over the tech world was started by Google Glass, and while it definitely wasn’t the first effort in the area of virtual eyewear, it managed to capture the imagination of the tech community in only a way Google could. Google Glass is now the standard by which all future smartglasses efforts are going to be judged against, however there are some challengers that appear to be up to the task. Lumus and Vuzix are names that come to mind and arguably do a better job of creating virtual spaces than Google Glass does, however there’s one key thing missing from all of these which is gesture control, a void that the Atheer One is hoping to fill.

One of Google Glass’ prime selling points is its integration with the increasingly functional and effective Google Now by way of vocal recognition, however we’re all aware of the social ramifications of looking like you’re talking to yourself. The Atheer Labs team have put together their own take on this which will allow their smartglasses to project virtual environments and allow you to interact with them using “airtouch” gestures. Check out their pitch video:

Atheer Labs has started an Indiegogo campaign (which launched yesterday and still has 42 days on the clock) to help get their smartglasses into the hands of willing developers. Atheer Labs is offering two models of their smartglasses: the Atheer Developer Kit and the Atheer One, the former being the version that developers will want to purchase to help develop some of the apps from the pitch video, and the latter being the smoothed out version for those who just want to use the finished product. That’s not to say that these smartglasses will have a lack of apps available to them either; Atheer Labs has said that their smartglasses will have access to Play Store, and presumably will be able to interact with those apps the way you might on a smartphone.

The Atheer smartglasses boast a pretty impressive spec list, not least of which is the display resolution available per eye which is 1024×768; for reference, the Google Glass only allows for a resolution of 640×360 through its viewing prism. Compared to its competition, both the Atheer Dev Kit and the Atheer One look quite impressive, not only in technical specifications, but price as well, effectively outpacing everything else that is currently available. It’s definitely an impressive project, one which we hope succeeds and if you’re planning to get on the bandwagon, there are still Atheer Developer Kits available for $1000 and Atheer Ones for $400; the link to the Indiegogo page will be below.

What do you think about Atheer Labs’ take on the smartglasses formula? Think they’re onto something? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Indiegogo

Move Over Vertu: Gresso Makes A $1,800, Solid Titanium Android Smartphone

You may have heard of a smartphone manufacturer called Vertu before; they make premium Android handsets that are inordinately expensive for the ordinary tech lover, increasing the price of their phones by using precious metals and handcrafted goodness. Gresso, another of these premium manufacturers, is moving away from modifying iPhones for the first time to create its first Android handset called the Radical.

The specs of the Radical series are fairly pedestrian: quad-core 1.2GHz, 36GB internal storage, a 4.5-inch display, 8MP rear camera and runs Android 4.1.2. However, the real ‘radical’ part of these smartphones are the fact that they are made from grade 5 solid titanium. Predictably, this makes the phone quite expensive; $,1800 to be exact for the above pictured ‘cheap’ version. If you wanted to replace the Titanium ‘Gresso’ logo plate on the front of the phone with either white gold or yellow gold, you’ll be shelling out $2,300 in total.

If you are thinking of getting a Gresso Radical, you’ll want to move quickly as there are only going to be 999 handsets made, as indicated by the engraving on the back of the phone. Would you ever consider getting a solid titanium Android smartphone like the Gresso Radical? Or any phone that costs as much as it does? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: Gresso via engadget

[Deal Alert] Get 50% Off The Moto X With Contract, Or 30% Off Without Contract Thanks To Ellen

Did you miss out on getting a coupon to get a discount on the Motorola Moto X smartphone a few weeks ago? Have no fear for the Ellen DeGeneres Show is offering another deal for you to get Motorola’s flagship phone cheap. The deal will allow you to either get 50% off the Moto X on a contract, or 30% off if you get the Moto X off contract through Moto Maker, though for those of you wondering if you can get the new Bamboo backing with this offer, you’re out of luck as it is not included.

To used this deal, follow these instructions as seen on TalkAndroid:

• Fill out this form and put “ellen50″ in the top box that asks for the registration code.
• Put the rest of your information in the form.
• Select which deal you would like and hit “Submit”
• Wait for your code to arrive and start designing!

Don’t wait too long to decide though as the coupon (“ellen50″) is only good for the first 5,000 uses, so you better jump on it quick! Be sure to let us know if you get hold of a coupon to get the Moto X.

Source: The Ellen DeGeneres Show via TalkAndroid