Straight out of Q’s closet of goodies are Recon Instrument’s present day MOD and MOD Live ski goggles, giving bikers, skiers and snowboarders a glimpse into the digital extreme with a tiny built-in LCD micro display — powered by an itsy bitsy Android ARM Coretex-A8 600 MHz computer. The 428 x 240 WQVGA screen allows the hardcore to tune into such things as speed, jump analytics, distance, pre-loaded trail maps, height and GPS location, while keeping MOD Live users connected to calls and texts via Bluetooth. Running Android 2.3, the LIVE variety let you see who’s calling, answer calls, receive texts or even reply to them with pre-programmed responses. Users can switch between screens using the included remote, attachable via wristband or headstrap. Because the display is so tiny, the volume of Android apps athletes shall be capable of use may be limited — so, sorry kids, no Angry Birds while mountain biking off a cliff.
If that does not sound distracting enough, the manufacturer promises future third-party camera and video recorder integration to capture the whole jumps, dives and spills related to shredding the gnar. Sadly, the present model only has 512Mbs of storage and 256MB of RAM, so that you cannot store too many Sean White-worthy feature films on them.
Giving these bad boys a go, they transported us into what appeared like the long run with details of our personal best performances staring us within the eye from the corner of the screen — rad. Flexible and bendy, the attention shield easily pops out of the frame to disclose the display itself, along side the computer’s guts. After all , the intense flexibility and bulkiness of the goggles doesn’t bode well for those people who actually use goggles to guard our eyes — giving us the impression that they wouldn’t offer much cushion with a severe spill. The enviable eyewear will retail for $299 with the Android smartphone-connected version available for $399. Look into the video and whole PR after the break.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Snap Fit Micro Optics Display for Ski/Snowboard Goggles – Available Now Android based MOD Live features Navigation app pre-loaded with largest resort trail map database within the world
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – November 8, 2011 – Recon Instruments, award winning innovator of Micro Optics Display technology for action sport athletes, is worked up to announce availability of MOD and MOD Live. The 2 CES 2012 Innovations award-winning Micro-Optics Display options are the company’s first to add a brand new snap-fit, modular design making them compatible with any Recon Ready goggles. Both models of GPS-enabled goggles provide skiers and riders with quite a lot of data including speed, jump analytics, vertical, altitude, location, distance, chrono/tracker, run-counter, and temperature.
The Android-based MOD Live ships with four new, industry first applications: Buddy Tracking, Smartphone Connectivity, a Navigation app pre-loaded with the most important database of trail maps on the earth, Music Playlist Mode, and Camera Connectivity to be used at some point with select wireless point-of-view action cameras.
“The transition to modular based optics allows us to expand our reach exponentially,” said Darcy Hughes, Chief Marketing Officer, Recon Instruments. “The snap-fit design, Bluetooth interaction, combined with the ever-evolving Android platform, is a game changer for the action sports industry when it comes to connectivity, real-time information direct to eye, and community sharing.”
Recon’s HQ Online community extends your Alpine experience after an afternoon at the slopes, with sharing, bragging, and exploring everything the mountain needed to offer long after your day is over. Skiers and riders can re-live and learn from their trips and runs, add images and video to create a highlight reel to share with other community members or with family and friends via Facebook and Twitter.
Other new features this season include a fasten-anywhere Bluetooth handheld remote control, 33% larger widescreen optics, and an adjustable optics arm for a really custom fit. Recon Ready goggles are already available from Uvex, Briko, Alpina, and Zeal Optics, with several more leading goggle brands scheduled to come back onboard this winter and spring.
MOD and MOD Live can be found now for $299 and $399 MSRP respectively at leading sporting goods retailers like REI, Sport Chalet, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and online at Amazon, www.sportinglife.ca and more.
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