Google Glass may have been something of a flop, however, that's not stopping other companies from attempting to try their own hand at augmented reality.
One of those companies is Optinvent, which has released its first product, the Ora-X. The Ora-X isn't just a Google Glass knock-off, however, with Optinvent instead opting to integrate AR with another product: headphones.
The Ora-X was first shown off at CES last year as a concept device, however, now, the company thinks it's ready for public consumption, and it recently launched the device on Indiegogo. It is basically a wearable tablet running Android 4.4 KitKat and is able to run both standalone apps or apps streamed from another device through Bluetooth.
The display itself is mounted from a pair of over-the-ear headphones, and the device as a whole is controlled through a touchscreen that is mounted on the right headphone. The screen can be flipped to mount on the left side too, which is perfect for the lefties among us. The device also features a front-facing camera on the screen arm that has autofocus.
According to the Indiegogo page, the display offers a similar experience as looking at a 70-inch screen from 15 feet. Not only that, but it also features an ambient light sensor for adjusting brightness, a 9-axis position sensor with a gyroscope, compass and accelerometer, and it has a proximity sensor. The headphones are powered by 50 mm drivers.
Of course, mounting a display on a pair of over-the-ear headphones presents other issues. While it's a great idea, it will stop a lot of outside noise from coming in, which could be a problem for hearing things like traffic. Not only that, but they're a little chunky to wear all the time. Despite this, as a home device used for things like gaming, it could certainly be a useful idea.
At the time of this writing, the Ora-X headset had raised over $21,000 on Indiegogo, and while that's not a small sum, it's a little far from the $150,000 goal. Those wanting to buy the headset for themselves can head to the Indiegogo page and pledge as little as $349 for a headset of their own, or $549 for an Ora-X "Luxe Edition," which offers a different color scheme.
