Smart glasses are officially taking the world by storm. Previously considered little more than a novelty, these immersive tools have captured the attention of consumers and business professionals alike. Indeed, in many industries, from manufacturing to healthcare, smart glasses are contributing to increases in productivity, creativity, and performance on a massive scale.
As the global market for smart glasses continues to expand, accelerating towards a predicted value of $12.76 billion by 2030, various key industry players have begun to emerge. Vuzix, one of the pioneers in the AR landscape, recently introduced the updated version of its flagship smart glasses solution, the Vuzix Blade. The newly created Vuzix Blade 2 wearables promise everything from exceptional ergonomics to full UV protection.
Let’s take a closer look at these compelling smart glasses, and what they have to offer.
Vuzix Blade 2 Review: Design and Specs
Like many of the market-leading smart glasses appearing in the industry today, the Vuzix Blade 2 wearables are designed with comfort in mind. Created to look and feel similar to a standard set of eyeglasses, these sleek and stylish devices are inherently portable and compact.
Built to empower professionals in a range of different verticals, the Vuzix Blade 2 glasses are lightweight and durable, with an unobtrusive form fact. The ergonomic design is enhanced by cushioned components, and UV protection, so you can even wear them as standard sunglasses.
Created with an Android Operating system at the core, the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses pack significant power into a small frame. The high-efficiency Qualcomm processor can support various enterprise-focused apps. Plus, these glasses can easily integrate with a range of mobile devices for content management and collaboration. Tech specs include:
- 480 x 480 color display
- Wave guide protection technology
- 20-degree field of view
- Brightness of up to 2000 nits
- 24-bit color
- Available prescription inserts
- ANSI Z87.1 safety certification
- Full UV protection lenses
- Integrated in-temple speakers
- Dual noise-cancellation microphones
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- 8 megapixel camera for streaming
- Auto-focus
- Integrated barcode scanner
- 3-degrees of freedom head tracking
- 3 axis accelerometers, gyrometer, and compass
- Multi-lingual voice control and touchpad
- Companion app for Android and Ios
- 40GB of built-in memory
The Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses also include rechargeable batteries for all-day use, and are designed to withstand a range of different environments, with excellent temperature and humidity protection. As an added bonus, customers can also implement additional accessories, like a set of sunglasses lenses which can be clipped onto the main device.
Vuzix Blade 2 Review: Benefits
Available to purchase throughout the UK, US, EU, Canada, and Japan, the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses are specially designed to address the needs of connected workers. They’ve bene created mainly for enterprise use, providing frontline workers with access to critical data in a hands-free, heads-up display. Additionally, the tools can integrate with common MDM solutions for device management, and come with their own integrated memory.
Easy to use alongside a range of devices and enterprise software options, the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses are brimming with connectivity solutions. They support both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks. Plus, they deliver phenomenal 24-bit color images, regardless of whether they’re being used indoors, or in direct sunlight. Some of the main benefits of the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses include:
- Built for collaboration: With included stereo speakers, noise-cancelling microphones, and their own camera for streaming video, the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses make collaboration simple. The streamlined and lightweight products can work alongside a range of common apps, including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and TeamViewer. They also offer upgraded connectivity compared to the previous Vuzix Blade devices.
- Comfort: Designed for all-day use and consistent wear, the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses are lightweight, durable, and reliable. Not only do they offer full UV protection lenses, but they’re certified according to ANSI Z87.1 regulations. Plus, the products can be customized to suit specific user needs, with access to prescription lenses and sunglass shades.
- Ease of use: Operating the Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses is extremely straightforward. There are a range of options available for controls, including multi-lingual voice commands, and a touch interface. Users can also leverage a companion app for both Android and iOS which can allow them to manage and configure settings straight from their mobile device. The solutions can also integrate with MDM tools for hardware management.
- Powerful operating system: The Vuzix Blade 2 has been enhanced by a major upgrade to its operating system. This device runs on Android 11, with a Qualcomm processor. This ensures users can leverage a wide range of enterprise-focused applications with ease. The operating system and powerful chip set helps to deliver a consistent level of audio and visual quality for users, ensuring anyone can access data and information in seconds.
- Increased storage: One potential issue associated with the previous Vuzix Blade smart glasses was limited internal storage. Often, users needed to access a secondary SD card for storing information. However, the Blade 2 comes with a standard 40GB of storage, which should be more than enough for many applications, even those which require a lot of data.
Vuzix Blade 2 Review: The Verdict
The Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses build on the previous successes of the Blade devices created by the brand, to offer a more intelligent and powerful AR experience. For users in search of a versatile, and hands-free computing solution, the Vuzix Blade 2 glasses provide a massive range of benefits.
Not only are these devices sleek and lightweight, but they’re also powerful enough to accommodate a huge selection of enterprise applications. They enable powerful collaboration between users in all industries, and deliver better management and control capabilities than the previous headset. For an innovative AR experience, the Vuzix Blade 2 could be the perfect solution for countless companies.
