An intriguing new sports gadget to hit the market this week will be the Recon Jet smart sports eyewear. This is the latest in wearable technology with a specific focus on sports and health. While this smart eyewear may be comparable to Google Glass, Recon Instruments seems to have taken notes from the failures of Glass, and one-upped Google with the development of its technology. The most notable difference between Recon and Glass is that Recon has a target audience. The company, itself, focuses on using technology for sports purposes only. Recon Instruments’ philosophy is to live the product, and they believe that sports are the best way to test the limits of it’s’ designs.
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Much like the way Apple and Nike combined their brands and campaigns to create a platform where one enhances the other, the Recon Jet smart sports eyewear intends to do the same thing. It is designed to work alongside fitness activities such as running and cycling, in the same way the user would wear an iPod or MP3 player. They contain accelerometers, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, altimeter, barometer and thermometer.
Another difference between Recon and Glass is the location of the display. On Recon, the display is located in an unobtrusive location – below the wearer’s eye instead of above the wearer’s eye like on Glass. This means users should get the stats they need conveniently displayed within their line of vision but blocking it.
The Recon carries its own GPS, ANT+, Bluetooth and various sensors, unlike Glass, which relied on smartphone sensors. Recon also runs on its own web-based platform, but it still has connection capabilities with iOS and Android apps. Users can receive notifications and call messages on Recon, and wearers can take point-of-view photos and record videos. However, all functionality will look to provide contextually relevant information.
As an added bonus for tracking sports and health activities, Recon Jet users can connect to other health sensors and devices which enables it to deliver more comprehensive data on the user’s performance and status. Recon Jet users can also swap out lenses and batteries, which are rechargeable. This means users could carry extra battery pods on a hike.
The Recon Jet smart sports eyewear will be available on Amazon, and will cost $699 US Dollars, a pretty hefty price tag. But for the sports enthusiast who’s looking for the “James Bond” do-it-all, sleek and aerodynamic sports glasses, this may be the one for them and well worth the price.
It’s here. Today we officially launch #ReconJet to the world. #SeeTheFuture with Jet → http://t.co/qmmFTLpq3X pic.twitter.com/o3I7MdekMx
— Recon Instruments (@Recon) April 16, 2015