Google Glass Competitor 'Telepathy' Aims to Get to Market First

What's a big tech release like Google Glass without a little competition?

Tokyo-based entrepreneur Takahito Iguchi, pictured above, has created a wearable computing device called Telepathy One and — with a built-in camera, a micro-projection screen and a sleek, wraparound design — the gadget looks to be a cheaper alternative to Google's upcoming launch.

Iguchi and his team demonstrated two prototypes of the device at a press conference in New York. Similar to Google Glass, the headset's "screen" aligns with the wearer's right eye. The ear buds, as you can see below, provide audio and hold the device onto your head. It's surprisingly lightweight, but I had some trouble adjusting the headset well enough to see its display — after fidgeting for a minute, I had to hold it in place.

The headset's main purpose, Iguchi said, is to easily share videos and intimate moments in real time, all the while wearing a "cool, stylish" device.

Unfortunately, the two demos at the press conference did not yet support camera functionality or audio, but I was still able to try out the existing applications.

The first prototype showcased Telepathy's first app, Manga Camera, a popular Japanese photo app that's racked up more than six million downloads. The app converts photos into animated comic strips, which are then streamed to Telepathy's virtual display screen through Bluetooth. The second prototype demonstrated the headset's ability to display text messages on screen.

There are no further applications at the moment, but the company is meeting with various developers over the next few weeks to brainstorm other ways to use the headset.

Iguchi described Telepathy as still being in its "baby stages" — the company did, after all, just launch in January. And while details about cost and streaming services are scant (there's not yet a concrete method of turning the streaming on and off), Iguchi said he's aiming to finalize the last steps and launch the product before the end of this year. He added that the price, whatever it ends up being, will be below that of Google Glass.

Does Telepathy sound like something you'd use? Tell us what you think about it below.

Lead image courtesy of Telepathy; product image by Eric Larson, Mashable

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