Vuzix Blade 3000 Sunglasses Are Like A Smartwatch For Your Face

Vuzix is looking to fuse the world of wearable tech and augmented reality with its new Blade 3000 Smart Sunglasses. The company has unveiled its new smart specs, announcing that they'll be at showcased at CES next year. These glasses aim to give users a head-up display that can take the place of their smartphone in many instances, similar to the capabilities of a smartwatch.

Vuzix achieves this though using its proprietary "waveguide optics" and the Cobra II display engine. The Blade 3000 overlays data in the real world, much like other products like Google Glass or Microsoft's HoloLens platform. The main difference here is that the technology is built into a pair of glasses – something that a lot of people wear every day – as opposed to a bulky headset reminiscent of the HoloLens.

The Blade 3000 supports both WiFi and Bluetooth, allowing consumers to use the product on its own or paired with a smartphone. When you pair the Blade 3000 with your phone, you'll be able to pull up thing like notifications and GPS mapping data on the heads-up display. Vuzix claims that those who use the Blade 3000 will rarely need to pull their phones out of their pockets.

That's because the Blade 3000 offers more than just a second screen. The glasses also feature an integrated HD camera, a motion tracker that monitors your head movements, and a touch pad. Though the Blade 3000 runs Android, it'll be compatible with both Android and iOS phones.

It's an interesting product for sure, and one that could absolutely make a splash in the wearables space. However, for that to happen, Vuzix likely needs to hit the sweet spot in two areas: battery life and price. Further information – including pricing – will be available when the device is on display at CES, so additional details will be coming down the pipeline quickly.