It's Baaack! The Personal Digital Display

I grew up in that era when cardboard glasses with blue and red acetate lenses were doled out before you watched some monster or man-eating carnivore lunge out from the big screen. More than a decade later I dragged my kids to the IMAX and Disney World where bugs' lives, dandelion fluff, and even hang gliders became immersive experiences with special glasses. And every few years there's some progress made in immersive technology for digital media. This time they're a little lighter, a little less expensive, and a little more comfortable. They're called personal displays, digital eyewear, immersive computing, and probably some less flattering names. And they're making a splash big enough to have a large review in this week's NYT.

Most people think of these glasses as primarily gaming devices designed to immerse you in a rich graphical world with no outside stimuli. But other uses are beginning to emerge in everything from factory control to air traffic control and simulation training. Spurred on by portable media devices like iPods and digital media players, the time may finally be right for personal PC glasses.

A list of new devices reminds us of how far we've come and how far we have to go before vision glasses become reality.

The most delicate looking of the bunch is MyVu Crystal Edition. MyVu has been around for awhile, but the new Crystal Edition announced at CES is lightweight, has a partial see-through lens so you can be aware of your surroundings, and offers a viewing experience of a 27-inch screen from six feet away.

Fellow blogger Ben Patterson gave a nod (literally) to the iWear VR920 ($399.95) from Vuzix. It can take content from MP3 or video devices (no game machine support yet). The "aha!" moment comes when you move your head in any direction—the game moves with you. It is said to be the world's first fully immersive virtual reality video eyewear for PC gaming. And it very well may be, since I've only seen video eyewear for MP3 and video devices. Just announced, the AV920-C supports video game consoles and multi-player gaming along with a 62-inch screen view.

Lumus, a company based in Israel, showed a promising prototype of the first clear glass personal display. You can actually see the world or see the video without having to take your glasses off and on. The prototype I tried (shown at CES) sat heavy on the nose and only displayed at VGA resolution. It was a bit disconcerting to see a huge movie screen atop the rows of exhibitors, but there's potential for sure.

If you thought Bluetooth headsets looked a little dorky, wait until you get a load of how you look in these babies. But it's only natural that personal video devices demand a personal display. Now I'm waiting for the HD, long battery life, non-nose crushing variety.