While Google Glass might be a dead project for the time being, Sony is pushing full steam ahead with their vision of a connected, albeit more robotic, future. Revealed at CES 2015, the Sony SmartEyeglass provides an augmented reality on your glasses like viewing directions, taking pictures, and responding to messages all without ever needing to take your phone out of your pocket. For fans of this type of device, you’ll note that Sony has made some noteworthy improvements on the original design of Google Glass which makes the device far more accessible. Best part is, starting today, you can pre-order the Sony SmartEyeglass in select countries.

More details await you.

For developers who are interested, Sony has opened up their pre-order portal, allowing you to purchase the SmartEyeglass for $840. Specifically, they’ll be available in Japan, Germany, UK, and the United States on March 10th with more countries in the future. In addition to marketing developers whom the pre-order is for, Sony wants to also focus on enterprise customers in other European countries to drive awareness and industrial use. That’s why it’s worth noting that the final unit will likely differ from what’s pictured above.

While bulkier than Google Glass, the Sony SmartEyeglass is distinctive in a few key ways, starting with a price point which is a few hundred dollars cheaper than Glass. The culprit? Sony’s vision, which goes beyond a generic device that everybody purchases. The idea is that the SmartEyeglass can be latched to any glasses – though they’re not there yet. Another key feature of SmartEyeGlass is the full color display it provides which makes the overall interface much more bearable. It’s worth noting that SmartEyeglass needs to be paired with compatible smartphones in order to work.

Discuss:

Do you like the idea of wearables like the SmartEyeglass?