Those who do not want to be tagged as Glassholes can pay $3,000 and get a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses equipped with a potent computer on June 2014. It's called Meta Pro.
While Google Glass might be the darling of wearable technology at the moment, the Meta Pro created by Silicon Valley startup might just outshine it. The wearable device that might only be true in the world of Iron Man Tony Stark might actually start an evolution of computing without the need for laptops, tablets, or smartphones.
The Meta Pro is available for pre-order now. The whole package comes with the Meta Space Glasses and the Meta Pro Pocket Computer to which the glasses are tethered. The glasses sport an HD display that is 15 times bigger than the display area of Google Glass, premium quality ZEISS lenses, nine-axis motion tracking unit, 3D surround sound, high definition camera and depth camera with real-time 3D sensor. The pocket computer features an Intel 1.5GHz i5 CPU, a high-power graphics processing unit, 4GB RAM, and 128GB solid state drive.
The combination of the Meta Space Glasses and Meta Pro Pocket Computer will allow users to enter a world of science fiction similar to that of Tony Stark. The augmented reality device will let users touch and manipulate virtual objects.
The specs of the Meta Pro put it way ahead of the Google Glass. It will not be an accessory to a smartphone but a standalone device with a powerful computer to boot. Plus, it has a very high tag price.
The beginnings of the Meta Pro can be traced to bulkier models such as the Meta 1 and Meta 2 that looked more like headsets than eyeglasses and had a price tag of $700. The Meta Pro is a lot stylish, losing the headstrap and now just tips the scale at 180 grams.
"There is a parallel with the Macintosh at its beginnings. It had the ability to paint a picture on the screen with MacPaint. Now the x, y, z of your finger is tracked and you are drawing in virtual space," said Meta's 28-year-old chief executive Meron Gribetz in an interview with CNET.
In an interview with CNN in October, Gribetz revealed that he dreamed of building a device that will let him touch holograms in the real world.
"All I knew was that I wanted an infinite computer screen, and I wanted to be able to touch holograms and stick them on parts of the real world," said Gribetz. "It elicits this very magical effect where you could literally place holograms on the real world, reach out and touch them with your hands."
Gribetz now lives in a rented Portola Valley mansion with his team of 40 experts that helps him develop and improve the product.
The Meta Pro can be pre-ordered here, and in case you're wondering about apps, the company says it's on the way to supporting over 500 augmented reality apps in Meta App Store.
