Hi Applevis,
This is Karthik from Envision. I hope you are all well and healthy in these turbulent times.
I wanted to take a moment to properly introduce you all to Envision Glasses - the new wearable solution that brings all the functions and experience of the Envision app, to the most advanced smartglass. We remember coming to AppleVis with the very first beta of our app and we are glad to have so many of you going from being our early adopter to enthusiastic subscribers and supporters. Many of you have been asking us to work on smartglasses since the very beginning, hence when we finally did, I wanted to give you all more information and the opportunity to pre-order it at a huge discount!
Envision Glasses are a combination of our software platform running on Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2. These glasses look like an ordinary pair of spectacles with lightweight and compact pod on the right side. The pod consists of an 8-megapixel camera, a multi-touch gesture touchpad, an 820mAh fast-charging battery, beam-forming microphone and a directional mono speaker. There's also a small overhead display, which is not needed to operate the device but could be useful for low-vision users who wish to use the magnification features.
We partnered with Google to build a custom software that ensures a very accessible and intuitive platform, designed from the ground up keeping the needs of visually impaired users. It has all the functions of the Envision app, right from read instantly, read documents, read multiple pages, describe scene, scan barcode, detect colour, find objects and find persons. In addition to these, it also has a function to make a video call to a friend or family member, from within the glasses itself. They will have a direct video feed of the glasses and can also access additional information like the location on a map, if you permit it. Lastly, we are building the Envision Glasses as a platform and inviting other app developers who provide complementary solutions to come on it. We are currently in talks with many of your favourite apps and will update you with more news on that end as soon as we can.
The glasses are currently available for pre-orders at a super early bird price of €1499. We only have a few more of those lefts after which only the early bird option will be left which are for €1699. Those who pre-order will be one of the first to get their hands on these glasses at such low rates, get all the functions we mentioned above, get a lifetime subscription of the Envision app and get a lifetime of free updates of the glasses.
You can find more information about the glasses on our website here: https://bit.ly/3c05wvN
Or you can directly pre-order them at our online shop here: https://bit.ly/2JLf0Pu
I will be around in the comments to answer any questions or clarification you might have about the glasses. For more detailed questions, you can also email us at [email protected]
P.S. We showcased the glasses at the CSUN conference at the beginning of March. Here's a video compilation of what some of the attendees who tried on the glasses thought of it: https://youtu.be/2_pvx6qhL7k
Comments
These sound fantastic!
I truly wish I could find a way to fit this into my budget. I could put them on my emergency credit card, but I don't have that card number memorized so that I am not tempted to misuse it. At least for now, I'm going to just have to hope that technology advances to the point where these might be able to come down in price in a year or two. Is there any possibility of setting up a payment plan? Maybe something like $50 or $100 a month? That might make it possible for more people to buy this life-changing product.
We hear you!
Hi Missy, we hear you. We understand that even though our price point is significantly lower than other products in the market, we are still out of reach for many. This is mainly due to the hardware and scale. We are hoping as technology like smartglasses become more mainstream, the cost of these devices will come down. We are building Envision as a device-agnostic solution, meaning we can work on other smartglasses as an when they are available and meet our standards of quality and user experience. We hope other players jump into the smartglasses market soon (looking at you Apple!).
As for payments via installments, it is currently not possible to do that during the pre-order campaign. The idea behind the pre-order campaign is to get the money upfront and use that to finish product development and place bulk hardware order for quantity discount. Once we are able to establish demand through this campaign, we will work on broader retail and sales of the glasses, which will include options like distributed payments.
I hope that was clear. Feel free to reach out should have more questions or clarifications.
the look of the glasses
Hi, I've seen your YouTube demo from some weeks ago, and this project shows a lot of prommis. I have a question though. As someone who interacts with sighted people a lot more than the blind, and who regularly does stage performances, I must know how these glasses look compared to the regular ones I wear when in public. By that I mean how bulky does the technology make them, and how intrusive is this side pod when a sighted person were to look at the wearer? I am asking this purely because of the various horror stories I've heard about google glass and other similar projects making the users look bad when they wear such things. Google glass went out of fassion very quickly for this reason.
speaking from limited experience...
Alright, so I'll chime in here. I was one of the ones lucky enough to have seen the glasses in action at CSUN. I actually set up a demo, not just saw them in the exhibit hall. I was impressed by the glasses! They were very easy to use, and I did not feel there was much of a learning curve at all. They quickly read the things I threw at them. I did not feel that they were incredibly bulky, and I like the fact they can be used with or without lenses. Unfortunately, I am also in the same boat with budget constraints and will not be preordering them, sure wish I could, but I definitely am not above trying to find a way to get my hands on them as soon as my budget will allow.
Speaking of the cost, I too was sad that they were so out of reach price wise, but then I looked up the google glasses they are built on. Those alone are about $1000 if my homework was correct. That in mind, the price point on these suddenly doesn't seem terrible, given the platform they are on is a grand alone.
I encourage anyone who can to get these, especially if you are already an envision app user. You will not be disappointed.
The looks of the glasses
Hi Connor, the google glass 2 is by far the most non-bulky smartglasses that we prototyped with. We have tested it extensively with users in the Netherlands and the impressions of sighted friends and family of the testers have always been positive.
That said, it is still a piece of hardware on your head, and despite its minimal design, it is going to attract some curiosity. Also, we understand that looks and aesthetics are very subjective as well.
There are several pictures and video on our website of users wearing the glasses on our website. Maybe it's a good idea to show it to some of your friends and ask them what they think of it? I would be curious to know their reactions as well!
Thanks Mendi
Thanks, Mendi. You are absolutely correct. The big cost factor is the hardware. We are doing our best to keep the software costs as affordable as possible.
The other approach is to develop the glasses as a platform and bring in other apps and thereby increasing the value that they can provide. So the more that the glasses can do, more justified the price.
That said, we are also in talks with organisations. government agencies and insurance providers currently to explore how they can potentially subsidise the cost. Hope we have more updates on that in the future.
Running the vOICe
Hi Oliver,
Since the vOICe already has a Google Glass app, I am sure it wouldn't be very hard to integrate once we invite them to our platform. We are being very selective in picking the first set of apps to come on the app to ensure high quality and understanding of dependencies. We are also gauging what is needed and in demand by the users. Would you like to see an app like the vOICe on the glasses?
need better cameras
i think the cameras aren't good enough, thus limits what the developers potentially can do, you need at least the 3d sensing camera to do real amazing things, such as realtime obstacle detection, picking out person from a crowd, realtime facial expression and environmental analysis, etc.
people forget how far we have come, but things like ocr and simple accurate face recognition are abundant and common places these days. i wouldn't go so far to say they are yesterday's technologies; they certainly are not the most advanced and futuristic.
so when you or any other vendors adopt better hardware and add amazing things to their apps, that's when i put down my money.
Interesting, but practical?
Let me first start by saying I love the Envision app. I use it more than any other OCR app 0 and I've got a fair number of them. I also love the idea of smart glasses, but I'm curious about a couple things. FIrst, you mentioned there's a display on the glasses? I've loved the idea of using digital glasses to magnify things ever since ESight came out back in 2013. The problem was, when I tried it, it was useless to me because I only have perriferal vision in one eye. The image from the camera was beamed into a person's eye, kind of like a projector. So how does the image for the Envision glases work? COuld I, as someone with peripheral vision even see the display at all?
On the heels of that question, I have a question for everyone. Why? Why things like OrCam and Envision glasses? Envision glasses are pretty low priced by comparison, but they're still almost as much as the latest Iphones. What's the advantage to everyone in using glasses for stuff like this over their phones? I'm not meaning to harp on the development of such technology. Like I say I love the idea of wearable assistive technology. I just feel like it's not at the point yet where using it is any better than just turning on a magnifier or some such app and using your phone to view it. One day I hope we can have some form of overlayed display on a lens that allows the lens itself to act as the display. THAT is definetly something I can get behind.
OK
It is a nice tech but I do not think is thec is ready now. Cameras need to be much, much better. Similar to the 11 pro max or samsung ultra. Also battery life needs to be over 10 hours. Also style need to be good. People in general do not like glasses due to the style and do not look cool.
Question about Envision glasses
I’m going to purchase the Envision glasses from my local dealer in California but I have one question to ask of you and knowing that you have two flavors of glasses and the one I really want to get is the Smith optics flavor, knowing that it can accommodate polarized lenses, I was wondering if someone can give me exact size of the lenses so I can get the right size to get installed I need it in millimeters. Thank you.
extremely to expensive will never purchase
First your outpricing those that really need it. This suggests its a money grab. Thus I will not support your company or product even if it drops in price.
Lenses for Smith Optics Frame
Hi SmoothJazzyTrumpet,
I am afraid we don't have the exact size of the lenses that would fit in the Smith Optics Frame. I would really recommend just taking the frames to a local optical store once you have received them because it's not just the size that needs to match but also the shape. So to be completely sure that you have the right, I would recommend waiting until you have the frames with you.
Our team is happy to assist should you have any further questions or clarifications.
Cheers,
Karthik from Envision
Thank you
Thank you for the response, I will get in touch with you should I need any further assistance I should be getting my glasses today I’m so excited! I’ve been reading the manual from cover to cover now three times in a row and I’ve been watching webinars on YouTube as well as user reviews and comments. It’s amazing looking forward to sharing my experiences as well. It would be really cool if there were a dedicated list for envision users for both the glasses and phone app.
Thanks again Karthik.
I also saw a Blind Abilities had a podcast really cool that you guys are getting out there. Always good to have options. Option to put in the toolbox for enabling independence the way we want it when we want it.
2 months User experience of Envision AI Glasses
I use to use AIRA on the Google Glass and Horizon, so was excited when AIRA teased during the blindness summer conventions, and I bit the bullet when Envision was able to restructure and announce in the beginning of July.
The onboarding to Envision AI with the and detailed 90-mins reminded me of the onboarding I had back in the day with Sendero GPS on BrailleNote, was a memorable delight. Setting up and figuring out the glasses with the app were intuitive and simple, as was figuring out how to use and start hearing the visual world. Since I did the onboarding before the onboarding, it provided a great conversation around user experience, how things could be better, and being added to the beta for AIRA.
I've tried the voice command with hotspot via phone, but personally found that using the touch-gesture commands to swipe and double-tap with a dedicated hotspot is more accurate and reliable. I've also played with different ways of storing and traveling with the Envision AI glasses, since they are larger than typical glasses, and come in a larger case. I've landed on an over the shoulder bag that is compact enough to fit the hotspot, Envision AI Glasses, and Bose Frames. I need the Bose Frames for shade against the sun and sound from iPhone.
The audio and video quality, especially in more complicated and loud environments between Envision AI Glasses and iPhone AIRA is night and day. This is where having different tools in ones toolbox to choose from is important, as from a convenience, hands are occupied, or sharing memories and experiences--Envision AI Glasses. I've been Abel to share memories and experiences with Envision allies that weren't captured any other way. I've been able to have AIRA describe or read info that me holding a camera with my hand would have not naturally pointed to (even having AIRA from my glasses read my phone since QuickSupport doesn't work well). I've been able to use the built-in AI to read text, identify colors or currency, describe scenes, and more in a seamless way, as long as I remember to charge them up and put them on before I need them.
To the person saying it’s a money grab
If this was the case, do you think they’d still be around, and partnering with people like Aira? To each their own I guess. Maybe you should find people that actually use them instead of outright dismissing it. do you want a cheap knock off version that barely does what’s advertised instead?