Agentless Backup is Not a Myth

A head-mounted device for remote smartphone and PC control using a virtual display and voice or gesture recognition will be launched next year, microdisplay firm Kopin has announced.

Kopin's Golden-i wearable PC should be out next year

Kopin first unveiled its concept Golden-i unit earlier this year, but has since confirmed that customer field trials of working models will start in December this year.

If successful, Kopin claimed that a more refined version will be available to buy during 2010.

John Fan, President of Kopin, said: “After Golden-i establishes a Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or cellular link through a host device, users see their PC desktop screen on a 15in virtual display, offering hands-free access to PC applications, data files and services”.

Users control Golden-i through voice commands or with physical gestures

Golden-i – which sounds very James Bondish, not least because of the name - features a Texas Instruments OMAP3530 processor and runs on Windows Embedded CE 6.0.

Apparently capable of streaming 720 x 480p video at up to 30fps, gesture recognition provides one way of controlling the headset. However, Kopin said that noise cancellation technology has been integrated to ensure that spoken user commands are accurately interpreted by Golden-i.

In one example of Golden-i’s use, Kopin said the unit would enable users to zoom into an image and – using head movements - look around and see the rest of the image still under magnification.

Since Golden-i is a head-mounted unit there’s little hope of it featuring, say, a 500GB SSD. But the firm claimed that the gadget’s Wi-Fi connectivity could be used for Cloud-based data storage.

A Micro SD card slot inside the headset allows for limited on-board data storage, Kopin added.

Typical use should see Golden-i last for over eight hours

The entire 85g headset is powered by one 1200 mA/hr Li-ion battery, which Kopin claimed supports over eight hours of “typical use”.

Kopin is currently displaying Golden-i at the Embedded Systems Conference in Boston, North America. A potential price hasn’t been released. ®

Customer Success Testimonial: Recovery is Everything