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Intel makes 'significant' investment in Google Glass rival

Intel is serious about wearable computing. It's announced an investment in a major wearable computing device maker -- one of a string of recent announcements.

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Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers
The Reconjet.
The Reconjet. Recon Instruments

Intel on Thursday disclosed a "significant" investment in Google Glass rival Recon Instruments, the latest in a spate of announcements related to wearable computing.

The investment will help fund Recon's product development, marketing and global sales expansion, the Canadian company said in a statement.

Recon will also "benefit from Intel Capital's expertise in manufacturing, operations and technology," according to the company.

"In Recon Instruments, we see compelling technology and a solid strategy to capitalize on the wearable revolution," Mike Bell, general manager of New Devices Group at Intel, said in a statement.

Recon Instruments is a leader in heads-up displays for sports, including products like the Reconjet (see image at top).

It has shipped more than 50,000 heads-up displays worldwide, including a "successful campaign" in Apple retail stores, the company said.

This follows an investment in wearable computing device maker Thalmic Labs in June and the announcement earlier this month of the Quark line of chips for wearables.

Intel needs to keep pace with rival ARM, which is the de facto standard for silicon in small devices.

And Qualcomm is also moving ahead with the Internet-of-things concept, such as the recently announced Toq smartwatch.

Neither company released the terms or amount of the investment.