Recon Jet, Google Glass alternative for athletes, available for pre-order at $499
Like many of you I have been following people's experiences around Google Glass, yet I could never picture myself walking around with them on all the time. However, after seeing the Recon Jet system I immediately thought these would be perfect for my running and field work. The Recon Jet pre-order page went live last night and I ordered my own black pair for $499, with a planned delivery of December.
Recon is holding this special pre-launch sale for the Pilot Edition Recon Jet until 21 July and after that date the price jumps up $100 to $599. Google Glass is currently only available to those who ordered last year for $1,500, although it is believed a lower-priced consumer version will launch later this year.
The Recon Jet is targeted to the active person who wants to wear a pair of black or white (I ordered black) sunglasses with the Recon Jet mounted to them. They are ideal for the biker or runner, but can also work for the worker in the field who needs to keep his hands-free. I am a runner who uses various GPS watches to monitor and capture my running data and also spend time in the field as a naval architect and marine engineer.
The Recon Jet has 9-axis sensors, 3D accelerometer, 3D gyroscope, altimeter, pressure sensor and a temperature sensor to capture data itself with the ability to connect to other devices via Bluetooth, WiFi and ANT+. It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB flash storage. There is a 16:9 WQVGA display that presents various pieces of data and information to you.
Battery life is estimated at 4-6 hours, depending on the connections you have active, and that should last for most events. The battery is removable too and can easily be swapped out if you need to use the Recon Jet for a longer period of time while out and about.
I can see the Recon Jet helping me stay focused on the road rather than looking at my watch or smartphone display as I run and think it may also help provide that extra motivation to hit the road more often.
A SDK will be available for developers and I imagine the popular iOS and Android fitness app developers, like RunKeeper, will work to get their apps working with the Recon Jet.
This is a great Christmas gift for the tech guy who already has everything and I can't wait to hit the rainy road in December with the Recon Jet.