While studies show that some 64% of American’s need some form of glasses, the world of smart glasses has left these people in an altogether unpleasant place. It is impossible to wear smart glasses with regular glasses, unless you happen to want to swap out for your contacts for the duration. One company though, has come up with a product that works for anyone who already has glasses (or sunglasses) because it simply clips onto the side of the glasses frame to turn any ordinary pair of spectacles into an HD video capable recording device.
The Geco Mark II
The Geco (Not Gecko) and it’s most recent model, the Mark II, is quite literally the world’s smallest action cam. The camera, which weighs just 18 grams, features a mount that attaches to the side of a pair of glasses or sunglasses, and then records everything from a point of view vantage. At $80, the Geco isn’t a cheap camera, but it’s in the same or lower price range than any of it’s competitors. The camera, which records in 720p and 30 frames per second uses a removable microSD card for storage, so that anyone can swap out the cards to keep recording. Unfortunately the battery only lasts for 60 minutes of recording, but that’s more than enough to walk around recording your daughter’s birthday party or your best friend’s wedding. While the camera itself only offers a 62 degree viewing angle, it so far looks like the perfect hands free camera system for anyone with glasses.
The camera itself is a small black, oblong device that sets on the side of a pair of glasses, and can be turned on when the wearer pushes the small black button on the top. From there, it’s easy to record in POV, for anything from video blogging to posting recipes. The potential is quite literally limitless, especially for anyone trying to do a POV how-to video. It’s also Mark 1 waterproof, so you can take it into rainy and wet places if you want. The rechargeable lithium polymer battery ensures that recording more video is just a quick recharge away, and it charges via a standard miniUSB cable, so you can charge it anywhere.
Cool Stuff
As if waterproofing and the ability to clip onto any pair of glasses wasn’t cool enough, the Geco Mark II may also eventually be 3D printed. The designers state that they are currently using a 3D printer for the outer casing, which may run all the way into production. So, you could be getting a 3D printed camera as well as one that clips onto your glasses.
What’s the Catch
Unfortunately, while cool, the Geco Mark II is still a little behind in terms of functions and features. Most of it’s smart glass competitors come with streaming directly to Google Hangouts or the ability to post directly online. Geco has no such function. In addition, while some smart glasses look like regular sunglasses, the Geco looks like a miniature black football that you’ve randomly strapped to the side of your glasses. While it does only weigh 18 grams, and is pretty small, it’s still not a lightweight when it comes to not being noticed.
While the Geco Mark II failed their IndieGoGo campaign by a whopping $57,000, they have received outside funding and the project is still coming to life. So, you may just be able to get that POV camera for your glasses that you’ve always wanted. What do you think? Would you pay $100 for this neat little gadget?
