“Hard as it might be to swallow, this is a real promotional video for a real product made by a real company with a $30 billion market cap,” Eric Johnson reports for Re/code.
“It’s the developer edition of Sony’s smart glasses, which are called SmartEyeglass (great name!) and will be available to the eager buying public in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan on March 10,” Johnson reports. “They cost $840.”
Johnson writes, “This promotional video suggests that SmartEyeglasses are supposed to be worn out and about in the world; the bar for ‘cool,’ or at least ‘not totally repellent to fellow human beings,’ then, gets much higher.”
I predict that Darwin’s law kicks in at some point and anyone wearing these things will be too self absorbed and wander into busy traffic thus removing themselves from the gene pool.
Nice hockey puck that you have to clip to your jacket!
Every time she used a function she unclipped it to press a button or talk into it. That is about as user unfriendly as you can get.
The idea of wearable VR has been around for a while, and I suspect that it will eventually be commonplace as the technology is miniaturized and matures to a usable state. But this is just another tired take on the same theme. Sony, you should probably just wait until Apple figures out how to do it right…then don’t bother trying to copy it. You don’t have a chance of getting it right.
This has got to be one of the all time dumbest ideas ever. I can’t believe this made it to market. What an embarassment for Sony. How many will they actually sell, as opposed to give away? Who would wear this out in public? Well, I guess two actresses getting paid to shoot the commercial.
There seems to be notion that people want a “heads-up-display” (HUD) for life. Let’s overlay the virtual world onto the real world…
This is another case of designers who cannot see through the eyes (literally in this case) of their customers. It’s the “everyone else thinks like me” syndrome. They think something is cool, so obviously, customers will buy it.
Steve Jobs was VERY good at seeing what customers see, and knowing what they (collectively) will like and dislike.
Jony Ive and his design team must be quaking in their boots at this one (sorry, I mean’t falling around with laughter in their design studio musing on just how much Sony have lost their way)!
OMG! I can’t agree with MDN’s take more! Please tell me this is indeed an SNL skit. Who wants to wear glasses attached to that big disk???? Aren’t we trying to get away from the bulk! That looks gross in every way measurable.
The only way this could have been a better SNL skit is if the actress had spent the whole time trying to see around a big blurry visualization of how much battery life her SmartEyeglass had left planted in the center of her field of view.
Bloody Hell, where’s my grandmother? There isn’t one iota good about this product. Wires? Puck? Dorky glasses with flat bus like wind screen window panes? Someday this too could be the pinical of fashion. In a pigs eye.
That clip on hockey puck controller is the failure for me. Wow. The dorky look of the glasses is probably in fashion somewhere. I see dorky looking glasses on people all the time and they are “fashionable dorky” its not accidental. I see even more ridiculous looking Sunglasses all the time. These don’t look as bad as the ridiculous oversized sunglasses that have been so popular in recent years.
The Sony SmartEyeglasses(?) are a good example of a bad example; so that those who do not know what a good example is; will learn what a good example is, from a good example of a bad example. 😀
What everyone but Apple seems to understand is that just because a person loves technology, doesn’t necessarily want it known that they love technology. From what I have seen of the Apple Watch, it’s an attractive product that possesses capabilities that it doesn’t wear on its sleeve, so to speak.
If you create products that look as if they were props from the latest Terminator movie then don’t be surprised that they repel anyone with any sort of fashion sense (never mind the issues that come whenever you’re essentially a walking camera, filming people without their knowledge or permission).
I hope every Sony shareholder immediately demands the resignation of every single person involved with this project. After they are done throwing up and selling their stock, that is….
Horrifying. I was hoping Sony was going to cancel this project. Oh well. I suppose it’s a step in progress as at least a failed experiment. It tries a couple new things anyway.
That actress’s face is way too narrow for those glasses. Don’t get me wrong, she herself looked fine, but they really should have found either glasses that fit on her head or a different actress who fit the glasses.
That wouldn’t fix the every problem here (clip-on puck, really?) but it would have looked at much less ridiculous if the proportions had made sense.
You’re kidding, right? Right? Please say you’re kidding?
Perhaps Google paid Sony to release these to make Glass look hip and fashionable in comparison. 🙂
I predict that Darwin’s law kicks in at some point and anyone wearing these things will be too self absorbed and wander into busy traffic thus removing themselves from the gene pool.
Just wearing Sony’s smart glasses will be enough to remove you from the gene pool.
Nice hockey puck that you have to clip to your jacket!
Every time she used a function she unclipped it to press a button or talk into it. That is about as user unfriendly as you can get.
The idea of wearable VR has been around for a while, and I suspect that it will eventually be commonplace as the technology is miniaturized and matures to a usable state. But this is just another tired take on the same theme. Sony, you should probably just wait until Apple figures out how to do it right…then don’t bother trying to copy it. You don’t have a chance of getting it right.
BWWAAAAAAHHAAAAHHAAAHHAAAAHHAAAHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
[deep breath]
BWWAAAAAAHHAAAAHHAAAHHAAAAHHAAAHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
I love how they start right away with the apple ‘esque unboxing
This MUST be a joke. They missed April 1st by about 40 days.
This has got to be one of the all time dumbest ideas ever. I can’t believe this made it to market. What an embarassment for Sony. How many will they actually sell, as opposed to give away? Who would wear this out in public? Well, I guess two actresses getting paid to shoot the commercial.
There seems to be notion that people want a “heads-up-display” (HUD) for life. Let’s overlay the virtual world onto the real world…
This is another case of designers who cannot see through the eyes (literally in this case) of their customers. It’s the “everyone else thinks like me” syndrome. They think something is cool, so obviously, customers will buy it.
Steve Jobs was VERY good at seeing what customers see, and knowing what they (collectively) will like and dislike.
Conceived and approved by dorks who are deskbound all day and never interact with another human being; eye to eye.
Oh, my God! What a embarrassment. Such a goofy looking piece of absolute crap for $800 plus? Buhahaha! Whatever, Sony…, whatever.
Really, this, this is what Sony is working on?!
Jony Ive and his design team must be quaking in their boots at this one (sorry, I mean’t falling around with laughter in their design studio musing on just how much Sony have lost their way)!
OMG! I can’t agree with MDN’s take more! Please tell me this is indeed an SNL skit. Who wants to wear glasses attached to that big disk???? Aren’t we trying to get away from the bulk! That looks gross in every way measurable.
The only way this could have been a better SNL skit is if the actress had spent the whole time trying to see around a big blurry visualization of how much battery life her SmartEyeglass had left planted in the center of her field of view.
Bloody Hell, where’s my grandmother? There isn’t one iota good about this product. Wires? Puck? Dorky glasses with flat bus like wind screen window panes? Someday this too could be the pinical of fashion. In a pigs eye.
I am sorry this is Sony, not Samsung or Microsoft.
Would be s**t brown rather than s**t grey if it were Microsoft.
Why is the whole rest of the world out of focus and the text an unreadably dark green?
I don’t love it.
still laughing my ballllllllllllllllllllllllllls off on this Sony BS…..wow….
Heinous is how i describe these nerdspectacles…..(pun intended)
Nerdacles, congratulations Sony you have just invented a new word!
Also.. Sony makes phones? Are they Android-based, or..?
u-hhh ..
do they come in prescription
bi-focals ?
Kinda sad to see what Sony has become.
Sony is the new Kodak of yore with their utter crap consumer goods.
That clip on hockey puck controller is the failure for me. Wow. The dorky look of the glasses is probably in fashion somewhere. I see dorky looking glasses on people all the time and they are “fashionable dorky” its not accidental. I see even more ridiculous looking Sunglasses all the time. These don’t look as bad as the ridiculous oversized sunglasses that have been so popular in recent years.
Not only does this look like an SNL skit, they even used the 2015 version of Pat in it.
God that was funny. For all the wrong reasons!
LMFAO! Birth control glasses! Wearing them you may just as well start to carry a picture of your left hand in your wallet.
The Sony SmartEyeglasses(?) are a good example of a bad example; so that those who do not know what a good example is; will learn what a good example is, from a good example of a bad example. 😀
Get a free propeller beanie with every pair of Sony SmartEyeglasses!!! 😀
Sony just went full retard.
Before I judge, I ask: does this device make Japanese women hot?
Probably not, except in the way that Google Glass made the right side of people’s heads hot from its CPU’s poor heat dissipation.
Still laughing
This would only work with blind people.
I mean that wearing these will only be socially acceptable if all the people around you are blind and can’t see you.
Wow… The Sony SmartEyeglasses are almost as hip as the Sony Bean! Does anyone remember the Sony Bean? LOL
LMAO! It’s a hipster Lisa Loopner!
Can’t wait to replace my BluBlockers with these!
Will they blend?
Like Google glasses…only even worse. Do they come with a “kick me” sign?
What everyone but Apple seems to understand is that just because a person loves technology, doesn’t necessarily want it known that they love technology. From what I have seen of the Apple Watch, it’s an attractive product that possesses capabilities that it doesn’t wear on its sleeve, so to speak.
If you create products that look as if they were props from the latest Terminator movie then don’t be surprised that they repel anyone with any sort of fashion sense (never mind the issues that come whenever you’re essentially a walking camera, filming people without their knowledge or permission).
I hope every Sony shareholder immediately demands the resignation of every single person involved with this project. After they are done throwing up and selling their stock, that is….
Ummmmm…..
This actually got approved for production!
And the person who approved it has a job at Sony and he gets paid?
WOW
Horrifying. I was hoping Sony was going to cancel this project. Oh well. I suppose it’s a step in progress as at least a failed experiment. It tries a couple new things anyway.
Just imagine. If there was no Apple – Sony, Google and Samsung would be the companies bring us the leading edge technology of the day.
I just got a cold shiver down my spine.
The 1950’s called. They don’t want those glasses back.
Hey this is the “developer edition”.
Before you jest, realize that this edition is especially nerdy for developers because they are highly nerdy individuals.
Then laugh yourself silly.
Seriously, the glasses won’t work for anyone, including Apple, until they are able to see through female attire.
That actress’s face is way too narrow for those glasses. Don’t get me wrong, she herself looked fine, but they really should have found either glasses that fit on her head or a different actress who fit the glasses.
That wouldn’t fix the every problem here (clip-on puck, really?) but it would have looked at much less ridiculous if the proportions had made sense.
Ricockulous. Seriously.
Sony has fallen so far behind that they couldn’t even figure out how to design this without that wire. Epic FAIL all around!
That wire is the least ugly part of the whole device.
That about says it all.
FUGLY.
Even the model couldn’t actually get them to sit evenly on her nose or is is it supposed to be trendy to have them cocked like your hat.