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ODG's Qualcomm-powered glasses tout AR, VR

The San Francisco wearables company shows off its R-8 and R-9 smart glasses, which run Android and give you the full functionality of a computer on your face.

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James Martin
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Shara Tibken
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Looking smart

San Francisco-based wearables company Osterhout Design Group has created two pairs of smart glasses -- the R-8 and R-9 -- that use Qualcomm's new, high-end Snapdragon 835 processor.

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The R-9 glasses are geared toward business customers.

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The R-9 glasses will go on sale in the second quarter and will cost $1,800.

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The R-9 glasses feature a connector on the top for attaching business-focused modules.

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Everything needed to run and navigate the glasses is included on the device, like volume keys and scroll wheels.

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A big feature of both models is the high-definition displays. The R-9 includes two 1080p displays while the R-8 has two 720p displays.

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Looking through the R-9 business version is like staring at a 120-inch TV, 10 feet in front of you. The R-8 is like looking at a 90-inch TV.

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ODG has partnered with 21st Century Fox and China Mobile's content group, among others, to provide movies and TV shows for the glasses.

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Because the glasses run Android, you can do things like play Pokemon Go.

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You can even check your email on the glasses.

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Cameras on the consumer version let you capture 3D video that you can stream to others.

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The consumer version of the glasses, the R-8, will go on sale in the second half of the year for less than $1,000.

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The consumer version of the glasses are lightweight at only 4.2 ounces -- less than most phones, like the 4.9-ounce iPhone 7. Microsoft's Hololens weighs a whopping 20.4 ounces.

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Games and other apps can use both AR and VR, such as one ODG-designed app where you see a virtual door in the real world. When you walk through the door, you're in a virtual world, but you can look behind you and see the real world.

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