Disqus
You might remember that I posted not so long ago regarding the “Vuzix iWear AV920 3D headsets” that are now available from 3UK (see here). Following up on that, I’ve had the chance to play with a set, thanks to Wahid Aziz (Accessories Product Manager at 3). Below is my mini-review on the product!
Kit
So, what do you get in the box? Quite a lot actually – obviously the glasses, a cleaning cloth (which doubles as a bag), USB (charging) lead, 3.5mm AV lead, and instructions – just what you need to get set up – speaking of which….
Setup
… couldn’t be easier. Charge the headset via the USB connector, and off you go. Once the unit is turned on, then you can adjust brightness, contrast, and volume (there are in-built headphones, but you can also use your own). It’s important to note here that to reduce bulk, there is a separate in-line unit for USB/AV that hangs halfway down the lead to your glasses. The glasses themselves have the aforementioned adjustment controls and also the headphones built-in – check out the pics below:
I think this setup works quite well – you could argue the additional unit makes things a bit weighty, but I think Vuzix have struck a nice balance between size and weight actually.
Usage
So this is the important part – what are they like to use? Well, two key points spring to mind immediately. First is that the way the glasses sit on your head is actually really nice, there is no discomfort as they are far lighter than they appear. Second is that even when you are watching video, it’s very easy to see over and under the glasses, so there is no real issue with having your peripheral vision blocked (a potential safety concern to some people).
The sound from the in-built headphones is something I was expecting to be pretty awful – however, it was actually really good! If you are using a mobile device, you will take a feed from the AV ouput of the device, and as such should be able to alter the volume at source on the device, PLUS on the headset – a bonus if you want a rocking soundtrack!
Picture-wise, things are pretty good too – I spent some time tweaking the contrast and brightness to get it how I wanted – once that was done I tested it out with some hi-res movie footage, and it looked great! As I noted before, watching through the headset is supposed to be the equivalent of a 62-inch Plasma – and much cheaper!
Obviously if you choose to use low-quality content, you can expect to see some pixellation, but if you wanted to watch a movie from your mobile (or indeed any Personal Media Player), I think these glasses would be excellent!
Summary
All in all, as basically the first video headset targeted at mobiles in the UK (yes, there are others, but this is the first that has had some decent exposure), I think Vuzix have done a great job – and it speaks volumes that Three have spent the time to get this in to their stores. There is a question as to whether the £199.95 is a bit steep, but I would say it depends on your requirements – if you do a lot of travelling, watching through these is a lot better experience than looking a 2-inch Mobile screen!
Ben
If you’d like to buy a Vuzix headset, you can order online here. Thanks again to Wahid at 3 for the loaner unit!
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
