smart glasses as ebook reader - intelligente Brillen als ebookreader

[famfam]

Everything is great, but ... eventually comes the point where you are sick of it, while reading the reader to hold in your hand. Yes, I know, there are several holders. But everything is pretty backward. Why is there no ebook reader in the form of smart glasses (smart glasses, google glass, sony glass etc.). Unfortunately, the development in this area seems to have stagnated for years. But I am convinced that reading ebooks with smart glasses is the only true thing.
Why no one has come to this is a mystery to me.
Apparently, manufacturers and retailers of ebook readers and smart glasses actually read very little themselves. Therefore, the problem was not recognized at all and for the solution to be grasped by smart glasses (intelligent data glasses) one was simply blind. Or does someone know an intelligent data glasses, with which one could comfortably read lying on the couch his ebook?
Sorry that I'm putting this on. But perhaps it is taken as a suggestion to think about this opportunity, so far overlooked by the developers, and to push the industry in the right direction for something to progress.

in german - auf deutsch:
Alles toll, aber ... irgendwann kommt der Punkt, wo man es satt hat, beim lesen den reader in der Hand zu halten. Ja, ich weiß, es gibt diverse Halter. Aber ist doch eigentlich alles ziemlich rückständig. Warum gibt es keine ebookreader in Form einer Datenbrille (smart glassen, google glass, sony glasse etc.). Leider stagniert anscheinend seit Jahren die Entwicklung auf diesem Gebiet. Aber ich bin davon überzeugt, das Lesen von ebooks mittels intelligenten Brillen ist das einzig Wahre. Warum darauf noch keiner gekommen ist, ist mir völlig schleierhaft. Anscheinend lesen die Hersteller und Händler von ebook readern und von smart glasses in Wirklichkeit selber nur sehr wenig. Deshalb wurde das Problem erst garnicht erkannt und für die mit Händen zu greifende Lösung durch smart glasses (intelligente Datenbrillen) war man einfach blind. Oder kennt jemand eine intelligente Datenbrille, mit der man bequem auf der Couch liegend sein ebook lesen könnte?
Sorry, dass ich das hier anbringe. Aber vielleicht wird es als Anregung genommen, über diese, bislang von den Entwicklern übersehen Chance, mal nachzudenken und die Branche in die richtige Richtung zu schubsen, damit etwas vorangeht.

[John F]

Excellent idea. I probably wouldn't buy one until I read a bunch of positive reviews first.

Some practical questions...

Is the display technology there yet? I'm used to 300dpi, is this doable?

Page turning? Remote device, or could it track eye movement reliably?

Battery life? I would want at least 5 hours battery life, longer if it doesn't have quick wireless charging.

[Philippe D.]

What a horrible idea. "Smart glasses" in themselves are already something that I'd positively hate, but using such a device just to read without having the page at normal distance... ugh!

[Deskisamess]

My glasses lens sit less than an inch from my eyes. I don't see how that would work at all. You could only see a word or two at a time.

[famfam]

I have put together a few links on the subject of smart glasses. I hope everyone has quick access to the topic. As I understand it, it should already be possible today to look at pictures, maybe even videos. If this is already done, then the way to read the ebook is probably quite short, at least not as far in the distant future, as we all still believe.

english wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartglasses

german wiki:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartglasses

interview with Thad Starner on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68mBrgEs9RM

hope that can help and push it.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

My glasses lens sit less than an inch from my eyes. I don't see how that would work at all. You could only see a word or two at a time.

I don't think that it works that way? You actually see the image some farther distance, say 3'.

I wonder how the background works: can you set it to a solid background, or is the text always transparent?

[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by John F

I don't think that it works that way? You actually see the image some farther distance, say 3'.

I wonder how the background works: can you set it to a solid background, or is the text always transparent?

That doesn't change my opinion. I've worn glasses since I was 5 or 6, and am legally blind without them. Contacts do not work for me anymore. I depend on my glasses, and am grounded without them. They aren't gadgets for me, they are as much a part of me as my skin.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

That doesn't change my opinion. I've worn glasses since I was 5 or 6, and am legally blind without them. Contacts do not work for me anymore. I depend on my glasses, and am grounded without them. They aren't gadgets for me, they are as much a part of me as my skin.

I think mine sit less than an inch. I'm assuming one could get prescription eglasses. I can picture them working.

[eldon]

I am 4 months late to this thread.

As an experiment, I have just installed FBreader on Google Glass (XE-C).

I was surprised at how easy it was to read the words of a book on the small screen.

Battery life on Google Glass is abysmal. A drains completely in an hour or two with the screen constantly on.

I used a wireless keyboard to turn the pages of the book.

Because of the battery life issue, Glass has to be plugged into a power source which makes the whole endeavour awkward.

Google Glass also has only one screen directly in front of the right eye so you are ready with only one eyeball. I found it more comfortable reading with my left eye closed.

I am nearsighted and wear prescription lenses, but even using G Glass without prescription frames, the text is easy to read for me which was surprising.

[skillachie]

This is a really cool idea. I feel it might be too much in my face and it might put a strain on my eyes. However, I would love to see a product like this.

What do you think about reading with virtual reality glasses?

[mdp]

Please see my post and thread,
Augmented Reality - Epson Moverio BT-300
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=3816726

I found this thread while preliminarly searching for existing topics. But it seems I am probably the first one to actually introduce available AR products... Good.

Originally Posted by famfam

Why is there no ebook reader in the form of smart glasses (smart glasses, google glass, sony glass etc.). Unfortunately, the development in this area seems to have stagnated for years. But I am convinced that reading ebooks with smart glasses is the only true thing. Why no one has come to this is a mystery to me

Eh? No, there are products. Pls see my post.

Originally Posted by famfam

Or does someone know an intelligent data glasses, with which one could comfortably read lying on the couch his ebook

No. The AR product I have and reviewed is to be used while moving in a natural environment. It would (does) look terrible in "slouchy mode". For a couch and hands-free experience, I would recommend a head mounted mechanical arm (not joking - if that's what you need...). But stability of the "glasses" for comfortable reading is given and proven, while to hold firmly in place arm and reader, the weighs may be clearly an issue.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by John F

Excellent idea. I probably wouldn't buy one until I read a bunch of positive reviews first

You got your first one.

Originally Posted by John F

Is the display technology there yet? I'm used to 300dpi, is this doable?

Yes. Transparent Si-OLED, 1280x720 displays for example.
While the resolution remains important, the DPI notion is not fully relevant with twin screens an inch from your eyes.

Originally Posted by John F

Page turning? Remote device, or could it track eye movement reliably?

Hand control, vocal control... Yes, "eye gesture" is a possibility, but there exists a set of features you are supposed to control, of which your hands are an example - as the Police may have reminded you -, while others (the eyes) like to be free and it is easily unnatural, fatiguing in practice to control them (you may turn pages unwillingly etc.). Also, I believe continuous services like eye tracking would be battery drainers.

Originally Posted by John F

Battery life? I would want at least 5 hours battery life, longer if it doesn't have quick wireless charging.

You can already get more than 5hrs, with optimized setups. As written elsewhere, an external bank can help.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by Philippe D.

What a horrible idea. "Smart glasses" in themselves are already something that I'd positively hate, but using such a device just to read without having the page at normal distance... ugh!

Philippe, freedom is an objectively progressive parameter, and you are too used to your beautiful cozy University ambients... On Friday I read very proficiently for many hours while discussing territorial matters with wild boars taming the drifts of spunky streams. Which I would normally do with boredom and the feeling of being wasting my time. So, it may not just a matter of "normal distance". It is a matter of having information available anytime, outside the library (it is not "mobile reading" if you do not at least jump and skip once in a while).

[mdp]

Originally Posted by eldon

As an experiment, I have just installed FBreader on Google Glass (XE-C).

I was surprised at how easy it was to read the words of a book on the small screen.

Battery life on Google Glass is abysmal. A drains completely in an hour or two with the screen constantly on.

I used a wireless keyboard to turn the pages of the book.

Because of the battery life issue, Glass has to be plugged into a power source which makes the whole endeavour awkward.

Google Glass also has only one screen directly in front of the right eye so you are ready with only one eyeball. I found it more comfortable reading with my left eye closed.

I am nearsighted and wear prescription lenses, but even using G Glass without prescription frames, the text is easy to read for me which was surprising.

Hi Eldon,
yes the reading is surprisingly doable and efficient. The Epson Moverio BT-300 have a 6hrs specs and 5+hrs in my tests. They do not need radio (though they have almost all of them, Wi-Fi to GPS). To connect a power bank to the BT-300 you would have the main cable coming from "bottom" and the power cable coming from the "right side", so it would not be optimal either. Nonetheless, as written, 5hrs/day of that kind of reading is probably enough. The BT-300 uses two displays, one per eye, with transparent background.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by skillachie

I feel it might be too much in my face and it might put a strain on my eyes

No, strain noted and actively managed only the first day. You learn how to use them.
As per the "in my face", the experience was actually beautiful, fulfilling, completing, "this is what I needed, this is what I longed for".