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I tried Rokid Max AR Glasses in India

Sudarshan Ravichandran — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 09:24:43 +0000

AR (Augmented Reality) is pegged as the next big thing in the consumer tech space. Although we have been hearing this for a long while, the tech has still not caught up to the level of its hype.

Microsoft was the first major company to introduce an AR headset (HoloLens). However, it is primarily sold to enterprises rather than end consumers.

AR in the consumer space is anticipated to get a boost with the release of Apple Vision Pro in the coming months. Though the product seems impressive, it is out of reach for most people and has some serious issues.

This is where companies like Xreal (formerly Nreal) and Rokid come into play. They have been selling affordable AR glasses for quite a while now.

These products are not as grandeur as Apple’s Vision Pro and Microsoft’s HoloLens 2. But they allow people to experience augmented reality at a much affordable price.

Both these Chinese brands launched their newest offerings this year — Rokid Max and Xreal Air 2 series.

Our Chinese team reviewed the Rokid Max when it was announced initially. These glasses have now reached the Indian shores through Aytexcel Pvt Ltd.

Having used the Rokid Max for the last few days in India, here’s what I think about it.

My experience with Rokid Max in India

Build Quality

The body of the Rokid Max AR glasses is entirely made of good-quality plastic. It feels sturdy and can withstand drops.

It comes in a dark blue color which the company officially calls ‘Space Blue.’ Thanks to its lightness (75g), it is pleasant to wear for longer sessions.

The temples are quite flexible, and therefore the glasses can be worn by people with varying sizes of heads. However, the hinges could have been tighter.

It is easy to keep the glasses’ body free of smudges due to its matte finish. The volume and brightness buttons are tactile and the USB Type-C port is cleverly placed at the end of a temple tip.

The diopter adjustment knobs are placed above each lens. Whereas, the directional speakers are placed below the temples on either side. Lastly, the glasses use rubber nose pads that are comfortable.

Viewing Experience

The Rokid Max features micro OLED displays for each eye. These screens offer a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (FHD), a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 600 nits peak brightness level.

Together the two panels output a 215-inch screen. The displays are complemented by two directional speakers on either temple of the glasses.

Just like it sounds, the Rokid Max is a personal giant screen that fits in your pocket. You can use it anywhere if you don’t mind looking goofy with giant glasses on.

The display output is sharp and gets plenty bright. You can get a full theatre experience by using the glasses in a dark environment or with the blackout cover.

The built-in speakers are surprisingly good. But I would recommend a good pair of earphones for an immersive experience.

I mostly used the product to watch movies and YouTube in my bed before going to sleep. I even tried it inside a car on a road trip. It was fine during the early hours when the sun was about to come out. But after that, I had to rely on the blackout cover.

The glasses offer support for 360 and 3D videos. However, the implementation is poor as the field of view is limited to 50°. The content is pixelated and misaligned.

Accessories

The Rokid Max ships with a USB C to C cable, an extra pair of nose pads, and a very good-quality carrying case.

Apart from the in-box content, buyers can opt for an optional accessory called ‘Rokid Station’, which is a portable Android TV streaming device.

This device is also sold as a bundle alongside the glasses as ‘Rokid AR Joy’, and unfortunately that’s the only option available in India. You cannot buy the AR glasses separately.

Also, none of the other Rokid accessories are sold officially in India. These include the Rokid Hub, HDMI to USB-C adapter, anti-slip strap, lens inserts, and USB Type-C cable.

Thus, you will have to either import them or rely on alternatives that may or may not be compatible, especially adapters and cables, as per user reviews on Reddit.

Accessibility

The best thing about Rokid Max is the inclusion of diopter adjustment dials (0.00D to -6.00D). Therefore, myopic users like me can enjoy the product without any issues.

Further, the volume and brightness keys are conveniently placed below the right temple. Similarly, the USB Type-C port at the end of the left temple allows the cable to run behind the ear.

You get two different-sized nose pads so that the glasses can sit on the faces of more people. The temples are also quite flexible to accommodate different-sized heads.

However, in India, compatibility is an issue. Most smartphones sold in the country cannot be used with the glasses as they lack the USB 3 port for video out.

Generally, the glasses are only compatible with Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Z, and Galaxy Tab S series phones/tablets in India, in addition to select devices from other brands. They can be also used with the iPhone 15 lineup, thanks to the inclusion of a USB Type-C port.

But the Rokid AR app is only available on Android. Hence, I used the glasses mostly with a Xiaomi Pad 6 apart from an iPhone 15. I didn’t feel like working with them so did not use them much with a Windows laptop (Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon).

I would have used it with my Xbox Series S for gaming if I had access to a compatible adapter.

Pricing

The Rokid Max is an affordable way to experience AR (Augmented Reality). Unfortunately, this statement does not apply to the product in India.

Globally, the glasses alone cost only $399 (~₹33,175) without offers, while the bundle with the streaming device retails at $499 (~₹41,490).

However, in India, the glasses are not sold separately. It only comes in the aforementioned bundle called Rokid AR Joy Pack priced at a whopping ₹89,999 (~$1,080).

The product is really good at its original price. But at more than double the price in India, it’s hard to recommend here in the country and you don’t get access to official accessories.

Sadly, there are no other alternatives either as it is the only such product in India. On a positive note, at least people who can afford can get a pair of AR glasses in India.

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Rokid Station with Rokid Max AR Glasses Review: The Best Portable Android TV Box In Your Pocket

Shaoqian Zhan — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 08:38:03 +0000

A couple of months ago, we reviewed the Rokid Max AR glasses acted as an excellent portable monitor. Since then I’ve been pretty much inseparable from it, whether it’s movie time before bed or a busy day on a business trip. It’s almost like the best companion I’ve ever had besides my phone.

Rokid Max AR Glasses need a station

However, it’s not perfect. Here I’m not trying to say it does anything wrong as a portable screen. Actually, if just take it as a portable screen in the pocket, I almost have no complaint: it has extremely easy connectivity and operation, a well-functional companion app with contents, a lightweight design, and more. About all these incredible features you can check out the review video I attach at the corner.

But as a part of a portable entertaining solution, it doesn’t come with a built-in battery but requires the phone to power it, and it doesn’t provide content on its own. So in that video, we mentioned that Rokid was bringing the Rokid station to global users, and we did super anticipate the powerful station. It should be able to work just as well as a compact TV box with a dedicated software system that is installed with multiple content platforms. And most importantly, it comes with a built-in battery for true portability!

So, a portable monitor in one pocket, with a portable TV Box in another pocket, is definitely the perfect solution as I can imagine.

Rokid Station Design

And now we finally can introduce the global variant of the Rokid Station to you guys. As you can see, it’s a pretty small device. It allows you to truly have the Android TV in your pocket.

I’m pretty sure that the Rokid Station is the most compact multimedia box that I’ve ever seen before. What’s impressive at first glance is the smooth design, which makes it perfect for holding and operating in a single hand. And the smooth curves with the slim body are greatly suited to any kind of storage, either in a backpack, handbag, or just in a jean pocket.

Inside the package, apart from the Rokid Station unit, you shall find a USB-A to -C cable for charging, a micro HDMI to USB-C cable for glasses connection, and of course, a user manual. And there’s a remote control powered by Bluetooth. But since we already have the Rokid Station with all the main buttons, there’s no problem if we keep it in the box. But probably when we cast the station to a standalone TV or monitor, the remote control might be helpful if we want to keep the station connected for power.

The Rokid Station looks more like a remote control of a smart TV and is even smaller in size, supporting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. There’re 4 direction buttons with an enter key in the center and 4 more functional keys below. The power button and charging indicator are on the right, and the volume control is on the left, which feels like what a smartphone provides. The perfect size control makes all of these buttons easily reachable. And there’s tactile feedback when pressed, so generally you wouldn’t have to take off the glasses to find certain buttons while streaming content on the glasses. It definitely solves one of the biggest discomforts that I had when using the Rokid Max glasses with my phone, where sometimes I have to view down to my phone and confirm the operation unless I get into the AR mode.

At the bottom, there’re a couple of ports. A USB-C port for charging the Station’s 5000mAh battery, while the micro-HDMI port allows users to cast content to the glasses.

Android TV 12 OS & Software

The Rokid Station is a handheld portable Android TV box running Android TV 12. It’s extremely easy to set up the station with Google accounts, and you can select any available apps that you used to install on other devices. Based on its great portability, I think Android TV is the best option out of all the TV software. You can freely move to most areas of the world and enjoy the widest range of good software experiences offered by Google. For example, I can install amazon prime video, apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN, HBO Max, or the powerful Plex TV to manage cross-platform media content. All of them are available on GooglePlay Store.

But it’s a bit strange that the Rokid Station doesn’t support Netflix due to certification issue. So please note that if you are coming for a Netflix-ready device, the Rokid Station might not meet your needs. But you can still go for the Rokid Max glasses. With a phone that’s certificated by Netflix, the Rokid App also offers a great visual experience over watching Netflix content with the AR glasses.

Rokid Station + Rokid AR Glasses

The visual experience is quite stunning with the Rokid Station. With the Station connected, you can still maximize the 120Hz refresh rate and 1080P resolution of the Max Glasses. Operation and animation in eyes are smooth and responsive. And the wide color coverage of 106% sRGB also presents vivid images at all times that we might be not able to enjoy with most of our displays in life. It’s right in front of your eyes, stretched out on a nearly 200-inch screen at about 5m away.

The connection between the Glasses and the station is also perfect with a single cable. And in order to keep you free from the cable, its USB-C end is particularly designed to be curved. So even when I lied down, the glasses side with the cable didn’t cause any discomfort. And the combination of the Max glasses and the station has replaced my TV as my best companion before falling asleep.

Hardware Support

Now let’s check out the station’s hardware supports. It’s powered by a 64-bit Quad-core ARM CPU with 2GB Ram and 32GB Rom. Apart from the space occupied by the system. It still has about 24GB of local storage for app data and local media content.

How to expand storage & Install third-party apps

Well, the 32GB of storage without expandable storage is not generous for a media console, but thanks to the powerful GooglePlay Store on Android, I highly recommend you set up a private could storage or a private NAS solution, and install the corresponding management app on the Rokid Station, then you will get a portable TV Box with online private storage. You can not only pre-download your favorite media locally on the station while connected to the network but also find any available APK file beyond GooglePlay to install into the Station.

Separated TV Box for any displays and monitors

In addition to connecting directly to the glasses, it can also be used as a separate TV box with other displays. Even though I think the station+glasses combo is the best way to use it, you can still get a decent viewing experience on other displays. Of course, if your monitor supports USB-C video signal input, it all comes in handy. And it can also be a wonderful medium device to help you cast your phone’s screen to Rokid AR Glasses or other connected displays via Chromecast. So when you need to check out something on the phone screen while watching films with the station, it can switch the source seamlessly with just one click on your phone.

5000mAh Built-in Battery & Reverse charge

The battery life is also a surprise. The 5000mAh battery could power both the station and Rokid Max glasses for almost 5-hour use without recharging, which is far more energy efficient than watching TV at home. Furthermore, the visual experience presented by the Rokid Max glasses is even better than that of a 100-inch TV. And what’s crazy is that it can even work as a power bank that reversely charges other devices.

Verdict

So that’s all the important detail that we found on the Rokid Station. With the Rokid combo, I could watch movies, web series, and reviewed our creations in the waiting room, on the airplane, on a road trip, on the bed, and anywhere else. It is just like a perfect personal entertainment hub with a decent display, perfect for protecting your privacy and not disturbing others as well. So personally I think the combo could be a great investment and might be something that could inspire your life.

Rokid Station + Rokid Max Combo is available for pre-order now, check it out here and grab $20 OFF using code: GCROKID20OFF

Or buy it at Rokid Amazon US.

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Rokid Launches AR Studio Suite: Featuring Max Pro Glasses and Station Pro Set

Soumyakanti — Sun, 27 Aug 2023 10:50:10 +0000

Rokid has unveiled its latest AR spatial computing suite, the Rokid AR Studio, during a new product launch event. This cutting-edge suite comprises the Rokid Max Pro AR glasses and the Rokid Station Pro computing mainframe.

Rokid Max Pro Glasses specs:

The Max Pro glasses, priced at 4999 yuan ($685), are impressively lightweight at 76 grams and offer a 90Hz screen refresh rate. They feature an enhanced 9-axis IMU gravity sensor and support 6DOF, enabling head-controlled interactions. With a 50-degree field of view, users can experience a projection equivalent to a 215-inch screen from 6 meters away.

The AR glasses also boast a brightness of 500 nits and a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, meeting TUV Rheinland’s eye comfort standards. Voice control is facilitated through a built-in dual linear noise-canceling microphone.

Rokid Station Pro specs:

On the other hand, the Station Pro mainframe, retailing at 3999 yuan ($548), houses the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2+ Gen1 processor. Accompanied by 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage, this mainframe ensures smooth operation. It features a 48MP Sony IMX586 rear camera with a 115-degree field of view and autofocus capability. With a 7620mAh battery, the mainframe also supports NFC and Wi-Fi 6 technology and contains a 9-axis IMU sensor. The device runs on the YodaOS Master operating system and includes physical buttons for navigation.

One of the standout features of the Rokid AR Studio is its controller-free operation. Users can interact with the system through the glasses, gestures, or voice, eliminating the need for additional hardware. The studio offers two primary display modes: spatial multi-screen and spatial giant screen, delivering visuals with an expansive 32:9 aspect ratio.

Rokid’s CEO, Mingming Zhu, envisions spatial computing seamlessly integrating into everyday life and professional tasks. Augmented reality device development saw impressive growth in 2023, with a significant surge in sales. Rokid stands among the top three brands in the Chinese online AR market, alongside Leyan Innovations and XREAL.

The primary uses for AR currently include entertainment, office tasks, and gaming. Interestingly, 70% of new electric vehicle brands are incorporating Rokid’s in-car entertainment solutions.

According to analysts, the AR market is poised for further expansion, especially with new product launches and promotional events. Predictions for 2023 indicate that sales of consumer-level AR devices in China could reach up to 250,000 units, marking a growth of up to 150% year-on-year.

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(Via)

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Rokid Station and Rokid Max: Unveiling the Ultimate Portable Entertainment Duo for Immersive Experiences

Joane — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 10:04:41 +0000

Rokid, a pioneering company in human-computer interaction technology is launching the brand new Rokid Station, a groundbreaking Android TV device that redefines entertainment on the go. This ultra-portable device created jointly by Rokid and HiMedia, is lighter and more compact than a typical smartphone, boasting a sleek and ergonomic design for effortless use and a comfortable grip. With its compact body, the Rokid Station easily slips into small bags or pockets, offering users a private Android TV experience anytime, anywhere.

The Rokid Station takes simplicity to a new level with its streamlined buttons and large, accurate direction pad. This smart design allows it to function as both a remote for movie enjoyment and a gaming controller, ensuring a seamless and distraction-free user experience. Say goodbye to complicated remotes and embrace the powerful yet intuitive controls of the Rokid Station.

But that’s not all – the Rokid Station’s true magic unfolds when paired with Rokid’s revolutionary AR glasses, such as the newly launched Rokid Max. Offering a mesmerizing cinematic adventure, the Rokid Max presents a remarkable 215-inch virtual screen, all while weighing just 75 grams. Powered by Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation’s OLED display, the device brings vibrant colors and deep contrast, truly replicating the immersive experience of a full-sized cinema.

The Rokid Max boasts a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth visuals and supporting three degrees of freedom in compatible AR experiences. Dive into a world of realism and interactivity, as the Rokid Max captivates your senses and takes entertainment to new heights.

Privacy is a top priority with the Rokid Max, as it reduces front light leakage by 90% during use. With a brightness of up to 600 nits and lens covers, the Rokid Max guarantees clear visibility even in outdoor environments. Moreover, the diopter lens adjustment feature allows users to fine-tune their vision compatibility within a range of 0.00 to -6.00 D. For those requiring additional vision support, the Rokid Max accommodates prescription lens inserts provided by Lensology.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Rokid Max is equipped with two professional-grade directional speakers, delivering rich and powerful sound that completes the immersive experience. The speakers feature a patented design that minimizes sound volume leakage, enhancing privacy and increasing immersion.

Combining the Rokid Station with the Rokid Max AR glasses creates the ultimate entertainment package. With plug-and-play compatibility, the Rokid Max works seamlessly with most smartphones and operates in screencasting mode with gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck using corresponding adapters available from the Rokid Store.

Get ready to embark on a journey of endless entertainment possibilities. With Google Play integration, the Rokid Station allows users to download their favorite apps and games, including YouTube, Hulu, Disney+, TVer, AbemaTV, and a plethora of immersive games. The setup is simple and fast, enabling users to jump right into the action without any delays. Discover the future of portable entertainment with the Rokid Station and Rokid Max AR glasses. The perfect fusion of simplicity, power, and compatibility awaits you.

Price and Availability:

Experience the future of Android TV in the palm of your hand with the Rokid Station – now available for pre-order. This groundbreaking device offers a pocket-sized and portable Android TV experience like never before.

Grab your Rokid Station now, available for pre-order at an attractive price of US$129 from the Rokid Store. Pre-order customers can expect their shipments to commence by the end of August. After the launch, the Rokid Station will be priced at $139.

For those seeking an immersive AR experience, the Rokid Max AR glasses are already in stock and ready for purchase at the Rokid Store, priced at US$439.

Act fast to take advantage of a limited-time offer: save $39 when you purchase the Rokid Station and Rokid Max bundle for just $529. This bundle offer includes both devices and ships by the end of August.

About ROKID:

Rokid, established in 2014, is a leading technology platform company specializing in human-computer interaction. Utilizing advanced speech recognition, natural language processing, optical display, semiconductor platform, and hardware design, Rokid has created an impressive lineup of augmented reality (AR) glasses for consumer and enterprise applications. With over 250 invention patents, Rokid’s products have gained popularity in 80+ countries and regions globally.

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Rokid Station launched as an AR remote control for gaming & productivity

Sean — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 09:00:41 +0000

Earlier this week, Rokid launched a new product that is a three in one type of product that aimed to fulfill multiple roles. The device in question is the Rokid Station which is basically an AR remote control for multimedia, gaming, and even productivity based uses.

For those unaware, Rokid is a brand that specializes in developing software and hardware related to AR technology. It has even launched a pair of AR glasses as well in the past, and now, the company announced the Rokid Station during an online conference. This product serves a three in one purpose, offering a private theater experience with IMAX while also providing an immersive portable mobile terminal and even serving as a powerful productivity platform as well.

Looking at the device itself, it appears to resemble an actual remote control. Despite its functionality, it is more compact and portable than a traditional smartphone. Although, it can be paired with handsets, tablets, computers, and even portable gaming consoles as well as the Rokid Air AR glasses that were launched back in 2021. It houses a large 5,000mAh battery pack, which the company claims can last for up to three full movies or over 6 hours of battery.

The Rokid Station supports mainstream 3D video formats and also houses 32GB of internal storage. So even if there is no internet connectivity, users can watch local videos that were imported onto the device. Apart from this, users can play popular games like Genshin Impact and function as a dedicated gamepad for a better gaming experience. For productivity, the Station also offers built in Alibaba Cloud’s cloud computing service and other 3D office applications as well. The device has just been launched in China and is priced at 799 Yuan.