While most tech fans are looking towards Berlin this week because of IFA, there’s also some pretty awesome stuff happening in Asia. Call us crazy, but the Baidu Eye might actually be cooler than Google Glass. See all the cool things China’s version of Glass can do in the new video above.
Take a look at Baidu Eye, China's version of Google Glass: http://t.co/p6fTkbeOQ8 pic.twitter.com/x9w7a2U4G7
— Mashable (@mashable) September 4, 2014
The video above showcases some interesting shopping features you can unlock with Baidu Eye. For example, you can look at an object through Eye, make a circular gesture in the air around it with your fingertip, and Eye will pull up the relevant product information. With its focus on shopping, the Baidu Eye is kind of like the Chinese love child of Amazon’s shopping-centric Fire Phone and Google’s controversial Glass headset.
As a basis for comparison, check out the video above to see Google Glass in action.
Both Baidu and Google are search companies, so it will be interesting to see which of these devices becomes the most popular. Despite being available to consumers for about a year (albeit in limited quantities through the Explorer program), Google Glass has yet to really take off.
The device itself has taken fire for enabling rude behavior, spawning a whole new term for jerks who wear Glass: Glassholes. While Glass does have some cool apps, none of them seem to have the automatic “Oh, I see how I could use this in everyday life” appeal that the Baidu Eye seems to have generated.
Fast Company notes that Baidu Eye has a couple of benefits over Glass, including battery life that is more than double what Google’s headset can offer. While Eye may not have a screen like Glass, that’s actually a good thing for battery life.
Glass retails for $1500, though that number is expected to drop as the technology becomes more popular and more refined. Fast Company reports that the price and release window for Baidu Eye are still up in the air.
