Strap on your ski goggles and stare into the small screen. That’s the promise of a new technology this winter, the MOD Live package from Recon Instruments, an Android-based micro computer and mini LCD display product that snaps inside the lens of a ski goggle. The company, based in Vancouver, promises “real-time information direct to eye” for skiers and boarders.
Just announced today, and coming out at shops this week, we have not yet tested the MOD product. It appears to be a worthy upgrade to the company’s previous in-goggle screen product for skiers looking to see their “stats” live and, via a “buddy tracking” function, stay in contact with other Recon-equipped skiers on the slopes.
The MOD Live communicates with Android-based smartphones to display information ranging from text messages to music playlists. You can view a pre-loaded database of trail maps for ski areas around the world. Like a dashboard for your skiing experience, the MOD Live has built-in GPS and can track your real-time speed, altitude, jump distance, as well as time, GPS location, and the temperature outside.
The small screen is a color LCD with 428 × 240-pixel resolution. It appears as a small “dashboard-like” visual in the bottom part of your field of vision. You can glance at it to glean stats on your speed while skiing, and then quickly look back to the snow, just like when driving a car.
Need to set up a video or still shot? The MOD Live can communicate with enabled helmet cameras. All these functions are controlled via a strap-on Bluetooth remote with big buttons made for operating with your gloves on.
The boxed MOD Live product costs $399. It works with “Recon Ready” goggles from Uvex, Briko, Alpina, and Zeal Optics (with more goggle brands scheduled to come onboard, the company says). Watch for this Cyborg upgrade to your skiing experience this winter at retailers including REI, Sport Chalet, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and online at Amazon and other sites.
—Stephen Regenold
