Here’s a kind of interesting bit of tech from the Jetsons, wait, I mean, Recon Instruments, the Canadian technology company that specializes in integrating Heads Up Displays (HUD’s) and eyewear. If you have an extra $1,500 to spend on sunglasses, you might want to think about Recon’s new Jet. These glasses will not only protect your eyes from the sun, but they’ll give you a host of stats and info projected neatly onto the lense –without obstructing your field of view. Below is a pretty cool video that simulates what wearing the glasses would be like. The display could be used to give users real time info stats such as speed, air time, location, incoming text messages, maps and Facebook integration. Not a bad little toy.
Introducing Recon Jet: Groundbreaking Heads-Up Display from Recon Instruments from Recon Instruments on Vimeo.
Now, I love technology. I do run with an iPod some of the time, I have a phenomenally technical watch, a Suunto T6 that I can use to track my distance, altitude, pace, heart rate, etc on the bike and on runs. It gives me loads of info that I may never need, but that I totally love to geek out on. So I may sound like a bit of a hypocrite when I say that although I could see this being really useful to folks way out in the wilderness or firefighters or some other type of commercial use, I would never wear one of these. I run, I bike, I go to the gym, I swim, I climb, I hike, I do all this stuff because I want to decompress. I do it to get away from email. I do it to get away from the social media that we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. I love using my watch to see how I did on my latest trail run up my favorite peak. But I’m not constantly looking at it. It’s there if I need it and I’m sure as heck not responding to text messages or emails while I’m on my bike somewhere. My point is, there’s a time and a place. When I’m out with my friends on some lonely stretch of road. I want to be with them. I want to be connected to that moment. I’ve realized that the more I focus on my stats, the less connected I am with what I’m doing. I like having my watch when I’m doing very specific race training such as a track workout or a timed long run at race pace. But, for me, I don’t know if I really need all that info all the time. And I especially don’t need email’s coming through when i’m trying to climb the hardest canyon hill I could find in my big chain ring. Seems like another thing to wear or have to find before you go out, or worry about breaking, or worry about losing, or if the battery is charged, blah blah blah. Just one man’s opinion though. Cool toy, just not for me. I’m already pushing it with my iPod. Look, I love knowing my stats. It’s really cool, I get it. And it can be handy when you’re doing some very specific training. But very few of us are doing that type of training day in and day out. I don’t need to know my pace per mile on a recovery run. For me, the best type of exercise is one where you’re totally connected to what you’re doing. I feel like when we’re worried about all the gear, it takes away from that. Plus, these glasses are $1,500. Really? Do you really want to be the guy/gal that shows up to your next group ride wearing these? It screams something. I’ll let you decide what that is.
Anybody else have thoughts on this?
–Images found on jet.reconinstruments.com
