Okay, THIS Display Device Is COOL!

[Brad Adrian]

<a href="http://www.iisvr.com/products_mobility_Main.html">http://www.iisvr.com/products_mobility_Main.html</a><br /><br />I've never really been much into things like virtual reality games and the helmet-like displays they use. But, here's a cool display adapter from Second Site made especially for Pocket PCs that you wear just like a pair of glasses.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/secondsite.gif" /><br /><br />"Second Sight is a portable High Res viewer, designed for Pocket PC handhelds. Second Sight connects directly to virtually any CompactFlash or PCMCIA slot. Our software allows for full VGA screen information (640 x 480 pixels) to be displayed on the Second Sight display. If your application demands higher resolution then you can get with a standard PDA, Second Sight may be the perfect solution."<br /><br />This is being marketed as a tool for viewing full-size documents while mobile, but I keep thinking about how great this would be for playing games on the Pocket PC. (Of course, my idea of "hot" gaming on my Pocket PC involves Scrabble or Monopoly...) What do you think? Would you use something like this?

[Rirath]

Can't seem to find pricing... don't really want to download a 1mb pdf to check there. :)

[Seraph1024]

I want one too...

[GoldKey]

Looks cool, no pricing info in the PDF file.

[dammad]

This combined with the canesta virtual keyboard & it looks like I can finally say goodbye to by clunky laptop.

I like this far more than the other goggle solutions I have seen.

[GadgetDave]

I want one! :D

Remember the commercial with the guy in the square in Italy or Spain with the birds and the little monocular looking at the excel spreadsheet? 8)

[CTSLICK]

But you just KNOW some moron is going to get in a car accident because he was stupid enough to try and read email while driving. Then there will be the lawsuits and the legislation blah blah.

That being said, this is a cool piece of technology. I'm interested but I need to see it in person before jumping on the bandwagon.

[jet8810]

SWEET! I want one too! 8O

[Gen-M]

I'm not sure what the refresh rate is - might not be usable for real time (Margi and Colorgraphic have trouble here, too). Is this a limitation of the CF interface?

I believe pricing to be in the $995 area. (And dropping - 2 months ago it was $1600)

Formal announcement of this will be at CEBIT.

If it is real time, I'll take this over a 4" screen anyday! :D

[rapidnet_rick]

Ummmm...

From what I read, it seems to indicate it is only for viewing pictures!

Not a realtime display, or replacement for your standard screen.... If that is true....waste of time for most of us, or VERY expensive toy, with limited use!

[Gremmie]

I'm not sure what the refresh rate is

72Hz -- sounds good enough for most actions

[ipaq38vette]

Cool, but too geeky for me.

[bucho]

Hmm... now, if they can only make it to work over a wireless connection, bluetooth or 802.11 :D

[Gen-M]

Hmm... now, if they can only make it to work over a wireless connection, bluetooth or 802.11 :D

MicroOptical (the maker of the display optics) is working on a bluetooth version. Its a neat trick to get that much data through such a narrow pipe.

[dean_shan]

Sweet! This thing looks awsome! I already wear glasses so clipping this on won't be a problem for me :wink:. I couldn't find a price for it, wasn't on the PDF either. I think that this might be a little out of my price range :cry:. From my understanding it only works to view photos and use Internet Explorer. Can any one confirm or debunk this?

[JonnoB]

Hmm... now, if they can only make it to work over a wireless connection, bluetooth or 802.11 :D

MicroOptical (the maker of the display optics) is working on a bluetooth version. Its a neat trick to get that much data through such a narrow pipe.

Bluetooth bandwidth is likely too low for anything but most static displays. Adhoc WiFi would be better.... but then, do you want that much more RF near your brain?

[ppcsurfr]

Forget about refresh rate.

If it uses somethign like Margi or Voyager's VGA cards... you won;t get high fps with it... It's for real work though.

I was looking at a similar thing about several months ago and they wen't for US$2500. I understand the price is dropping... But I think if ever I get anything like this... it will be the binocular version.

ppcsurfr

[Gremmie]

Bluetooth bandwidth is likely too low for anything but most static displays. Adhoc WiFi would be better.... but then, do you want that much more RF near your brain?

Let alone getting near other RF fields. When the WiFi waits for other junk in the radio spectrum to clear you will have jittery video as it cuts in and out.

[vincentsiaw]

i wonder what my friends will call me if i show up with something like that, man :lol:

[R K]

Bluetooth bandwidth is likely too low for anything but most static displays. Adhoc WiFi would be better.... but then, do you want that much more RF near your brain?

Let alone getting near other RF fields. When the WiFi waits for other junk in the radio spectrum to clear you will have jittery video as it cuts in and out.

Bluetooth uses FHSS (Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum) so it's less vulnerable to interference from other 2.4GHz devices.

WiFi uses DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) at 11Mbps so it's more susceptible to interference in the 2.4GHz range. WiFi at 2Mbps however uses FHSS with Bluetooth but like Bluetooth, WiFi at 2Mbps doesn't churn out big bandwidth.

[Seraph1024]

i wonder what my friends will call me if i show up with something like that, man :lol:

My friends once called me a borg once because I have my BT headset. With that, that borg list would be complete. Man, this would be neat. If the prices are cheaper. As for BT/Wifi data stream battle, BT can handle motion picture at a decent rate. I can watch 320x240 streaming videos from my pc on my BT PDA around my house without problem streamed on BT network. With the right compression, BT can do video in decent framerate.

L

[kzemach]

I've tried this display on a laptop (well, a version of it on a modified computer) and it works fine. Not as good as the KEO (Kaiser Electro Optics) Helmet Mounted Display, but then again, the KEO is over $9K.

Still, I can't understand what happened to all those microdisplay companies that were "just about to release" a few years ago. Anyone ever try on the eShades from the now defunct InViso? They were fantastic. Looked like thick sunglasses, had earbuds for sound. I got to surf off a WinCE powered device, and it really DID look like a 17" monitor viewed from a few feet away (I was interviewing at the time). It was SWEET. They claimed they planned to sell them at $600.... At that price they'd sell a ton to paranoid executives who want to work (or not get busted playing games) on their laptops inflight.

[jizmo]

Yet another great way to get chicks! :lol:

/jizmo

[jizmo]

As for BT/Wifi data stream battle, BT can handle motion picture at a decent rate. I can watch 320x240 streaming videos from my pc on my BT PDA around my house without problem streamed on BT network. With the right compression, BT can do video in decent framerate.

For a viewable 320x240 MPEG4 movie bandwidth of 12Kb/s is sufficient (around 70megs for 1h 30min movie) for full 25fps viewing.

I wouldn't know how this would look in these goggles, but it's good enough for 3,5" viewing.

/jizmo

[Gen-M]

Yet another great way to get chicks! :lol:

/jizmo

At least the only chicks you'll get are the kind that will let you get cool stuff like this! :wink:

[Duddy]

It has a 72Hz refresh rate and IS a realtime display.

I want one! :lol:

[gwinter]

Those who has a chance should check out IEEE Pervasive Computing (http://computer.org/pervasive/) publication, especially the October-December 2002 issue. Lots of article on wearable computing. There's also a .NET Compact Framework article by an MS' .NET-CF program manager.

[baralong]

You could get something like it with a toshiba e740 the expansion pack and something like a VGA head mounted display.

Some sources (from a google search)
http://www.i-glassesstore.com/hmds.html
http://www.microopticalcorp.com/products.html
http://www.tekgear.ca/

[kzemach]

Wow, I stand corrected. I didn't realize there were that many options available.

[jet8810]

Would you need any drivers or would it just work? Sounds so much better now that I could actually get it for my e740! Although they do seem very pricey...

[baralong]

Keeping in mind I haven't tried it at all, I'd think as long as you chose a VGA model you'd just plug and play, assuming you have the expansion pack.

This was one of the first things I thought of when I read about the expansion pack for the e740 (yet another reason I bought that pocket PC)

:idea: What I imagined was e740 with expansion pack in pocket HMD VGA and a USB chording keyboard/mouse (like the Twiddler (http://www.handykey.com/) (it says it doen't need special drivers, just USB so it might work the e740's USB host and keyboard&mouse drivers) all that wifi connected to the net.

I'd love to try it so donations are welcome :wink:

Seriously though I'm surprised no-one has. I mean it's an instant wearable computer with off the shelf components.

[jet8810]

you have a very good point! I am going to post about this at brighthand right now!

[baralong]

Actually with the chording option: I always imagined a PDA case/iPaq sleave with a built in chording keyboard would be ideal. Hold the device and type with one hand, tap andnavigate with the stylus in the other. You'd probably want something to slip your hand through as part of the case so you don't drop it. A little added bulk, a slight learning curve, but heaps of extra functionality.

:sigh: same old story: so many ideas, so little means to make them happen.

[Joff]

PocketPCs should come with a video output so we can connect one these gizmoses (I love them!). There should also be a power plug so it is powered from the PocketPC. And a mouse-like device that you would hold in one hand. Want a true multimedia experience. Not a tiny 3'' QVGA display with poor brightness.