Thalmic Labs rebrands as North, launches Alexa-powered holographic glasses
From CNBC, well-financed wearables company Thalmic Labs is no more — the Canadian startup today announced that it will henceforth be known as North. But more important than that, Thalmic Labs North finally unveiled its second product: holographic smart glasses. Called Focals, the new custom-built wearables sport lenses with a built-in display showing you information from your phone, such as messages, weather forecasts, turn-by-turn directions, and more. Additionally, you can order an Uber, get calendar notifications, and request all manner of information by asking Alexa. Google and Intel made smart glasses — Google Glass and Vaunt — but neither product took off with consumers. Now, this start-up is introducing a pair of smart glasses that it thinks will appeal to the masses because the design looks so similar to normal glasses. The $1,000 glasses are called Focals, and the company said they will ship later this year. Focals connect to your phone via Bluetooth and have a small projector that beams data into the wearer's eyes. They can tell the wearer the weather or time, read text messages and even order an Uber. The glasses are also connected to Alexa, so if you can ask them for directions or information, a small speaker will tell you the answers. North has raised over $140 million from investors including the Amazon Alexa Fund, Spark Capital, Intel Capital and Y Combinator.
