Reliance Jio is a firm that needs no introduction, at least in India. This telecommunication juggernaut is one of the biggest and is certainly as innovative if not more than its peers in other regions of the world.
Yesterday, the firm held its yearly annual general meeting. Normally, such an important meeting would be packed with press, shareholders, workers, and people from all walks of life, but that was not to be because of the current pandemic. Thus, the AGM was held online, and as expected some remarkable developments were announced.
The biggest news from the Reliance Jio 2020 annual general meeting was undoubtedly the release of a mixed reality headset that is to be called the Jio Glass. Other announcements involved Google buying a 7.7% stake in Jio Platforms and collaborating with it to build an Android-based smartphone OS, the development of the Jio TV Plus, details on the JioMart, and Jio 5G and the building of a homegrown 5G network.
Kiran Thomas, Reliance Industries Limited President had this to say during his keynote address: “Jio Glass is at the cutting edge of technology that provides best-in-class Mixed Reality services to give users a truly meaningful immersive experience.”
He also noted that: “Jio Glass is making teachers and students come together in 3D virtual classrooms and conduct holographic classes through our Jio Mixed Reality Cloud in real-time. With JioGlass, the traditional way of learning Geography will now be History.”
Living In Glass Houses And Loving It!
Mixed reality glasses are nothing new, so we can’t really say that Reliance Jio is going where no one has gone before. Still, they are not an easy thing to pull off, both for the firms producing them and the clients using them and none of these glasses has so far gained mainstream acceptance.
Reliance Jio seems to be on a mission to change this narrative and make the use of such glasses more widespread. Its new creation appears to be a massive redesign of the HoloBoard Mixed Reality Headset that it showcased during its 2019 annual general meeting.
The new Jio Glass effortlessly combines the real and virtual world to great effect. It will enable the smooth interaction of physical and rendered objects and will make it possible for users to experience the best of both worlds to the fullest extent possible.
The Jio Glass boasts a hi-res display on which users can view holographic content. With it in place, users can interact via 3D avatars and embrace a world of their own making. They will also be able to activate video calls via voice command and share documents and other content during these calls.
Weighing 75 grams, the glasses are certainly lightweight, which means prolonged use will not cause fatigue. This is important because virtual classroom lessons or boardroom conferences can take up hours, and wearing mixed reality glasses for that length of time will not be as easy as it sounds.
Reliance Jio’s newest creation has support for a customizable audio experience, which means users can tweak the featured audio profile until it is specific to their taste. Support for every standard audio format is supported as well.
Classrooms And Boardrooms Of The Future
Reliance Jio with its new mixed reality glasses seems to have an eye on making the classrooms and boardrooms of the future a solid and reliable reality. The new glasses can be easily utilized in 3D virtual classrooms and will make use of the Jio Mixed Reality Cloud for optimum effect.
Businesses will also be able to use the new product to host virtual meetings that are lots more interactive than anything they have been used to so far. This will no doubt boost efficiency and the innovative spirit of organizations in every way possible.
As of now, the new Jio Glass supports over 25 apps. Lots more apps are expected sometime next year and this will, of course, enhance the overall usability of the glass and make it better able to compete in a changing world, where information and timely understanding and reaction to it is power.
Pricing and availability details for the new Reliance Jio Glass are not known as of now. But knowing Reliance Jio’s antecedents and its obsession with delivering great value at the cheapest price possible, there’s little reason to believe the price will not be very affordable to the people and organizations that need them.