Google Glass now has a valid competitor in the form of Laforge Optical's smartglass called Icis, which the company CEO describes as "fashion-friendly" prescription glasses.
"Our biggest competition is Google Glass but our approach is different, because we focused on creating a device that people don't mind being seen in," Laforge Optical CEO and Founder Corey Mack toldCNet.
"Style is a subjective thing and currently the bar is set pretty low," Mack continued, obviously referring to Google's smartglass.
According to its website, Icis is available in three styles: Semi-Rimless, Flat Top and Classic, with more designs to be added soon.
Instead of requiring users to look up to the right like Google Glass, Icis displays information outside of the user's central gaze, on the peripheral vision.
The prescription eyewear displays notifications from the user's smartphone via the device's very own app called SocialFlo. According to Icis' website, the app "enables you to choose which applications your smartspecs will communicate with."
Icis users also won't have to mutter to themselves for the smart glass to function. "Swipe the temples (side of the frames) to do a variety of things including taking pictures, recording video, and changing display modes," says the device's website.
Just like Google Glass though, Icis is still a work in progress. Laforge Optical, the makers of the Google Glass competitor, has started raising funds for their wearable device via indiegogo.com. The fund-raising started February 18 and will end March 20.
Funders can choose among several funding options, from as low as $25 for 5 NFC Quick Tags to as high as $820 for an Icis early beta kit. With an estimated delivery date of August 2014, the Icis early beta kit includes a pre-production prototype of the device which the funder will have for 6 months.
Icis early beta kit funders will have free upgrade to the Icis beta kit when it is released but will have to add $200 for an Icis BOLD upgrade. The Icis BOLD is Laforge Optical's higher end smartglass which, according to their website, "offers a higher resolution display than that of Icis, as well as finer degrees of customization."
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