Wearable Computing : The Epson Moverio BT-100 Review

Hello Friends,

I had the honour to test out the new EPSON Moverio BT-100, and first impression, upon unboxing it, I noticed that the Black Carrying Case is nice. It looks and feels sturdy, and would definitely help in protecting the Moverio when we move around.

Do note that the Moverio is not exactly small, so it would definitely not fit into our pants (or dress) pockets like a mobile phone.

Wearable Computing

Wearable Computing is fairly new to us, and the Moverio being Android™ powered, would mean that; other than watching YouTube videos on it, we can run apps, and also perform our daily web browsing with its Flash capable Web Browser, and a full charge of the unit can allow up to 6 hours of continuous operations!

The headset is connected to a controller through a long cord, and there’s also a remote mute button on the cord. It comes with nose rest of various sizes and for those of you who wear glasses, there are also hooks supplied. The headset will be supported by these hooks, resting on the frame of your glasses.

Powering up the unit is quite straight forward. Press and Hold the power button on the controller for about 2 seconds to turn it on. You can also turn off the unit or switch to Airplane mode when the unit is on, by doing the same Press and Hold sequence. And while the unit is on, you can switch it to sleep mode with a short press of the power button too.

Navigation around the screen (note, you can only see the screen through the headset glasses) can be done easily with the Direction keys on the controller and you can also use the Touchpad on the controller to move the pointer around and click on the onscreen icons and buttons with it. In the middle of the Direction keys, there’s also an ENTER button.

There are other buttons on the surface of controller; the HOME button, MENU, BACK, Brightness Control, and the 2D/3D Key, and the Volume button at the side.

Note

Some of the buttons also performs other functions or when you Press and Hold on it.

ie. when you Press and Hold on to the HOME key, you get a list of recently used applications

You can also prevent accidentally pressing some buttons while watching a movie, by toggling the keylock button at the side of the controller.

The headset comes with a visor that would make the surrounding darker or to minimise glare on a bright day.

It also comes with a pair of earphones for you to enjoy its Dolby Mobile Surround Sound. You can also use your own favourite earphones with the unit.

The Moverio comes with an internal 1Gb storage space. To expand on the memory, there is a micro SD slot that accepts micro SDHC cards up to 32Gb. The unit comes with a 4GB microSDHC card.

We can either copy files directly with a card-reader from your computer, or connect the controller to your computer via the micro-USB port to transfer your files over. (connect the Controller to a computer via the USB port simultaneously charges the unit too)

Supported file formats includes AAC, MP3, MPEG-4 (MP4) and H.264 QuickTime movies.

The Personal Movie Experience

The first thing I checked out, was its 3D capabilities. There are a few 3D demo videos already preinstalled on the unit. Together with the enhanced surround sound via Dolby Mobile, both Visual and Audio experience was great!

Watching a normal 2D movie was enjoyable too!

Toggling between 3D and 2D mode can be achieved by pressing the 2D/3D button.

Remember the times when you are in a cinema, and you resist going to the rest room in the middle of the movie? Now you can literally have a Personal Portable Movie Theatre anywhere, and you can even continue your movie enjoyment while taking a leak!

Browsing the Internet and Watching YouTube Video is a breeze too, with built-in WIFI, it connects to my home WIFI network easily.

The unit is not small, and weighs about 250g. I might not be using this on a daily bus trip to the mall, but it will prove to be a good travelling companion for long flights or coach rides from Singapore to Malaysia.

The unit does not have any Audio Visual Inputs, but if future versions have this function, it would also make a good device for phone/video calls.

Pricing and Availability

The Epson Moverio BT-100 is currently available in Singapore exclusively at selected Best Denki outlets at the recommended retail price (RRP) of S$999.00.

Best Denki Outlets

Compass Point – 1 Sengkang Square, #03-26, Compass Point
Jurong IMM – 2 Jurong East Street 21, #02-01/07, IMM Building
Ngee Ann City – 391 Orchard Road, #05-01/05, Ngee Ann City Podium
Parkway Parade – 80 Marine Parade Road, #02-33, Parkway Parade Complex
VivoCity – 1 HarbourFront Walk, #02-07, VivoCity

COMEX 2012 SPECIAL

If you purchase the Epson Moverio BT-100 during the COMEX 2012 show (30th August to 2nd September 2012), you will get a pair of Sennheiser earphones (worth S$68.90) and a 32GB MicroSD Card (worth S$40) FREE!!