The popularity of smart glasses and VR headsets shows no sign of waning, with more and more new products hitting the market seemingly every month, offering something different from the last. Sol Reader is one of the latest new players in the game, but unlike many other products, this one’s sole purpose is reading.
Understanding Sol Reader is simple — just think of it as a pair of goggles with Kindle e-ink displays replacing the lenses. The design of the Reader offers a completely enclosed and distraction-free reading environment, with a mouldable silicone nose bridge ensuring a perfect fit, and as far as comfort goes, amazingly the Reader only weighs 104 grams. Each e-ink display is 1.3 inches and has a resolution of 256 x 256 pixels, supported by a light sensor that’s used to adjust the screen according to ambient light conditions. Sol explains that the Reader features an optical system amenable to a wide adjustable adopter range, thus most users can read clearly on the Reader without contact lenses or prescription glasses.
Loading content to the wearable e-reader is handled through the dedicated mobile app, which supports ERM-free ebooks in .epubs format, plus articles and newsletters. It comes with a Bluetooth remote control for navigation of menus and contents, and 64 MB of storage is sufficient for storing a substantial amount of plain-text files. Each full charge takes 2 hours and offers a reading time of up to 25 hours.
At US$ 350, the Sol Reader might be more expensive than a Kindle reader, but it certainly provides an interesting and immersive reading experience.
