There’s a Canadian company that has been promising a product that takes wearable technology to the next level making it a reality for the adventure sports community. And they’ve just released it and it’s a game changer! This Recon Jet preview looks at the ultra-tech sunglasses by Recon Instruments.
When are the utltra-tech sunglasses available?
Available to pre-order now, the first pairs will ship later in the year – should give us all time to get our heads around this next tech jump. The capabilities of what looks little different to a pair of sunglasses are staggering – and as they are built around open source technology, just watch the sport specific apps start flooding in.
This first versions are set up for cyclists and triathletes, but it can’t be long before the company drops more editions. It’s also discounted by $100 till July 29 for early adopters.
Here’s a breakdown of what they can do – and watch out for them appearing for the first time in the Tour de France as tour rider, George Hincappie, is supporting the launch.
Recon Jet Preview (Pilot Edition)
- Wireless connection to other devices (via ANT+ and Bluetooth) so riders can see power output, cadence and heart rate.
- Onboard sensors provide masses of performance stats incl. distance, time speed, pace and climbing information.
- Text message and caller ID, so you can see incoming messages from your devices.
- Hands free upload to social media as you are training – you can check Facebook on them!
Recon Jet is ‘open platform’ – this means legions of developers can create new apps for them. Users should then be able to unlock their full potential and customise their device for their favourite sport.
Tour de France rider George Hincapie is signed up as a Recon Instruments athlete and explains how the Recon Jet “will make a tremendous difference for cyclists not to have to look down at their bike computer or smartphone for data, taking their focus away from their activity.”
Same goes for many of the adventure sports where focus is everything, and distraction could lead to a messy end.
From what we can tell, the display is optional so you choose to see your data when you want, then minimise it when you don’t.
At a glance Recon Instruments have integrated the additional bulk – there has to be some – very well. This all adds up to just 14 grams on either side of the glasses.
Ultra-tech sunglasses
And a quick look at the tech specs of these ultra-tech sungalsses reveals some serious power going on above your brow.
Recon Jet glasses boast a 1 GHz dual core processor making them as powerful as some tablet computers. The rest of the spec includes an HD camera, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ANT+.
Now how you actually operate them, and how they fit and feel we hope to be able to tell you soon. We do know it’s via an optical touch-pad and gesture controls, and it’ll work even when wearing gloves.
To conclude this Recon jet preview, all-round it’s a very clever gizmo, that in this initial guise is suited more to cyclists and triathletes, but will roll out for more of the adventure sport activities.
Recon Jet are available for pre-order at $499 more information from Recon Instruments
