Recon Jet, a Glass-like HUD, unveiled at Google I/O

Recon Instruments has launched a Google Glass-like device, called Jet, at the Google I/O 2013 developer’s event.

Recon Instruments and Google have a partnership which involves heads-up displays. The former has been creating such devices for a very long time, but it failed to gain too much traction. However, everything has changed since the search giant entered the market with its Glasses.

Recon’s Jet HUD has been unveiled at the Google I/O 2013 event. The manufacturer has an agreement with Google, which will see the search giant raising awareness for Recon’s devices.

Recon Instruments introduces heads-up display at Google I/O 2013 conference

The Recon Jet is somewhat different than the Google Glasses. It is packing a HUD located near the bottom of your field of view, unlike Glass which puts it at the top.

It has been confirmed that it is running on a custom version of Android 4.2 and a Software Development Kit (SDK) has been released. This means that developers can start creating applications for the device.

Since it is running on Android, developing should be easy for existing app creators, but it is worth noting that the Jet is still a long way from becoming commercially available.

A skier’s view from inside the Recon Jet. Beside the HUD, the device also features a dual-core CPU, a GPU, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an HD camera.

Recon Jet is packing an impressive specs list, including dual-core CPU and GPU

Recon’s Jet is powered by a dual-core processor and it even has a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The company has demonstrated that the user can control a Parrot AR.Drone with ease, using the regular Android application.

Google I/O attendees have been able to test the glasses and some of its functionality, including WiFi and Bluetooth. Additionally, the Jet comes packed with an HD camera of unknown resolution.

For the time being, the company has disclosed only the fact that the camera can record HD videos, but it is unknown how many megapixels it has.

An example of the information which can be displayed by Recon Jet. Its GPS and motion sensors track your current speed, location, and altitude among others.

Built-in GPS and motion sensors provide vital information to the wearer

A Recon Instruments employee has confirmed that wearers will be able to connect to the internet in order to access information or even upload multimedia content.

Jet also includes a GPS and other motion detectors. Since Recon makes HUDs for athletes, the Jet will be very durable and might prove to be very useful for people running at marathons or skiers.

Athletes could also monitor their health status, their speed, how much they have run, and how away far the finish line is. The company says that the possibilities are virtually endless.

Google Glasses helped raise awareness, maybe it is Recon’s time to shine

Recon has confirmed that some of the functionality found in Jet is already available on the market, courtesy of its products. However, the public does not know that. Thankfully, Google Glass is here and it has raised the awareness of portable heads-up displays.

Anyway, pricing and availability information should be disclosed in the near future.