By Evan Ackerman
Wearable computing hasn’t caught on nearly as much as portable computing, and I think there is a distinct possibility that it’s because you look soooo much like a nerd when you put on a pair of video goggles or a HUD. Some of us actually enjoy looking like nerds, though, and it’s this unfortunately unapologetic segment of the tech-obsessed that Nikon seems to be targeting with their Media Port UP300x “multimedia playback headset device.”
The UP300x a single integrated unit that incorporates a tiny fold-down VGA display (which is nonetheless the equivalent of a 50″ screen viewed from 3 meters), headphones, 8 gigs of onboard memory, A/V input, and some kind of WiFi that allows media to be downloaded directly to the device over the internet. There is some ability to browse the internet directly, but I imagine it must be impossibly frustrating. It’s got a USB interface and runs for a couple hours on 2 AA batteries. There are controls on the left earphone, but the UP300x also has a motion sensor that you can use to play, pause, and select video or music by moving your head around. ‘Cause that’s gonna look totally cool and all.
Read how this will get you killed, after the jump.
The most dangerous feature of the UP300x is the “wiper” function:
When viewing images or videos with one eye with the UP and rapidly moving objects are visible with the other eye, attention may concentrate on the surrounding environment. The wiper function shows a white line in the display, which moves to help bring attention back to the display.
Because, you know, it’s never really that important to concentrate your attention on rapidly moving objects (like cars) in the surrounding environment (like crosswalks).
The Nikon UP300x costs $678 at the UP Store.
[ Nikon Press Release ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]
