OF GOOGLE GLASS AND HMDS

Maybe you have heard of Google Glass? Glass is an amalgamation of technologies old and new, and one that Google hope will usher in an age of practical head-mounted-displays (HMD), augmented reality (AR), and a brand new revenue stream. The Glass fuses a 1.3 cm display in to the frame of a pair of Glasses.

The precise science behind Glass is currently unknown but one will be able to see a phone-like interface, powered by Android through the 1.3cm window. The interface will allow the user to take photos, take part i video conferences (Google+Hangout), check appointments, and access the web and Google Maps. Google isn`t the only player looking to make an impact in the HMD business. Apple too is in the game, or at least thinking about the game; it won a patent late in 2012 for 'peripheral treatment for head mounted displays'. Apple`s implementation is binocular and sends two different images to each eye; "Apple hopes to solve many longstanding issues with the HMDs, particularly the general risk of the eyestrain that could be cased  by the different in distances between the wearers`s field of vision and the peripheral display itself. Essentially, Apple`s technology dynamically matches the color images being transmitted  with either LED, OLED or lasers ,which are converged stereoscopically to reduce the tunnel effect experienced in many of today`s HMD`s".

Sony has experimented HMDs as well, somewhat successful too: Their HMZ-T1 `personal 3d viewer consisted  of two OLED screens and offers the user a 720p display for each eye. The HMZ simulates the viewing experience  of a 700-inch screen, as viewed from a distance of 20 meters.... Recently, the Occulus Rift has been making the waves in the Gadget circles: winning quite a few hearts first and raising a cool $2.4 million through Kickstarter ,followed by winning quite a few-best-show awards at CES 2013 (especially noted for its superior head-tracking). The Rift is an HMD endorsed by the likes of john Carmack and Gabe Newell - it will offer and effective resolution of 640x800 to each eye in stereoscopic   3D. The Occulus will first be offered as a developer version this year.followed by a consumer  version,probably in early 2014, or late 2013 .