At Oppo's annual Inno Day, where it shows off its new technological advances (or "Innovations"), we saw two key announcements: one is about mobile photography, which you can read about here, and the other is about the new Oppo. Air glass.
The Oppo Air Glass is the next version of the company's head-mounted smart glasses.
We don't imagine that Oppo Air Glass models will adorn the heads of half the population this summer, because while this is an interesting product, we really can't understand why anyone would buy them (and they don't seem to continue to sell in the world at all). modes).
These aren't the only smart specs we've heard about, though, and rumors are swirling that Apple's glasses could popularize the form factor.
In particular, the Oppo Air Glass has two really useful features that Apple will need to embrace if its own wearable devices are to succeed.
Fits over other lenses
One potential obstacle preventing smart glasses from becoming popular is something that affects existing technical specifications: frames.
Human beings are very diverse, including facial shape, and a couple of frames that fit one head can hide horribly on top of another, which is why opticians often have to change frames on the glasses you buy.
Tech companies often take a "one size fits all" approach, especially with glasses; after all, they can't produce a million slightly different versions of every single human face.
Many times when you put a pair of smart glasses on your face, you will find that they don't fit you well; at best, they'll feel a bit 'disgusted' and at worst, they'll be horribly uncomfortable wearing. Anyone who has bought a cheap pair of sunglasses at a convenience store knows this sentiment.
This won't be a problem with Oppo Air Glass, as they don't come with frames; instead they build on the ones you already own and since they only weigh 30g they shouldn't feel your frames as well. of balance.
This means that anyone, whether you have a thin face or a larger head, will be able to wear them without annoying discomfort. Plus, they can be removed and attached to other glasses, so if you have a couple of specs for training and another for reading, and separate specs for screens, it should be easy to use them all.
We hope that with Apple glasses, the company tries to make them versatile so that different types of users can use them. So Apple will have to take inspiration from Oppo's book for this.
In the hands of developers
No matter how impressive a piece of hardware is, it's only as good as its software or the programs that run it. A pair of Apple glasses is useless if you don't have cool apps to use.
The same could be said for a pair of Oppo Air Glass, except that Oppo already has a solution. During a press conference about the product, the company explained that it already has an open STK (Sim Tool Kit) in the hands of developers.
Basically, this means developers can already design apps and features for glasses. Since Air Glass uses the Snapdragon Wear 4100 chipset, which we've already seen in some smartwatches, developers may also already be familiar with the platform's features and limitations.
As a result, the Oppo Air Glass will not only have the features built in, but will likely get a wider variety of additional features soon after launch, making it a versatile laptop.
Apple hasn't always had the best relationship with developers - you only have to look at Epic Games' high-profile court proceedings and the debate over App Store fees to see the proof. For Apple's glasses to be truly useful as smart glasses, the company needs to do more work with developers to make sure they work.
There's no official launch information on Oppo Air Glass, and we wouldn't expect it to be available globally anyway. But it could serve as useful inspiration for Apple and its own smart glasses.