At Vélobsessive we are using smart eyewear since a few years and are convinced that this technology is providing a good benefit for athletes. Now, the second generation of sports smart glasses has become available. They are lighter and thus more comfortable to wear, have longer lasting batteries, brighter displays and come with a lower price. We have tested this new generation of smart eyewear and are happy to announce that the ENGO smart glasses can now be purchased from Vélobsessive.
Why Use Sports Smart Eyewear?
Most athletes already use electronic devices such as GPS cycling computers and sports watches to track their performance and record their training sessions. So why use another electronic device? The main benefit of wearing smart glasses, is that your performance data is always displayed in the field of vision. It is just like the head-up display in your car. By wearing smart glasses, you can eliminate the need of moving your attention away from the road, when checking your actual performance data. This ensures more safety on the road. You will also have less movement of the head, which is particularly important when you are riding at high speeds for example in triathlons or time trials. Each movement of the head and helmet away from the optimal aero position is giving additional drag. As most athletes anyway wear sunglasses, using smart glasses is not an additional weight. The second generation of smart eyewear comes at weights of 36g which is approximately the weight of normal sunglasses.
Connectivity With Existing Devices
The first generation of smart glasses had all the intelligence built into the device. The advantage of this concept was that you do not need any additional device. The disadvantages where bulky and heavy devices and a limited battery life. The second generation follows a different approach. Most athletes use already an electronic device, such as GPS cycling computers, sports watches or smartphones. The new generation of smart glasses is connecting to these devices and is used mainly as an additional display. This concept allows to have less intelligence built into the smart glasses themselves and therefore it can be built lighter and have longer lasting batteries. The second-generation smart glasses from ENGO, the ENGO 1 and the ENGO 2, can be connected with your smartphone (Android or iPhone), a wide range of Garmin sports watches and GPS cycling computers, such as the Garmin Edge 1030 or 1040, Suunto sports watches and Apple Watch. Off course commonly used sensors, such as heart rate monitor and power meters can be connected either with the connected cycling computer or via the smartphone app.
ENGO 1 and ENGO 2
ENGO which is a French manufacturer of smart eyewear for athletes has two models of such second-generation eyewear, the ENGO 1 and the ENGO 2.
The ENGO 1 is the flagship product from ENGO and is equipped with a photochromic lens - that means the glasses will get darker or lighter to match changing light conditions. This is helpful in changing weather conditions. It is designed for cyclists, triathletes, runners or other endurance sports. The ENGO sports smart glasses display real-time performance data exactly where you need it most. The miniaturized AMOLED display is the brightest and most powerful heads-up display ever designed for endurance athletes.
The ENGO 2 has the same features as the ENGO 1, except that it does not have the photochromic lens and it has a magnetic charging port instead of a USB charging port. ENGO 2 has a stylish design and is available in two sizes of polycarbonate shield: Standard and large.
Both the ENGO1 and ENGO2 may be configured with up to 6 data fields per screen. The screens are configurable and can be flipped with gesture control while using. Possible data field include speed, heart rate, cadence, power, elapsed time, distance, altitude and many more. Battery life is between 10-12 hours. The devices are water and sweat resistant.
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