Taipei: The Vive Eagle AI glasses, unveiled by Taiwan’s smartphone brand HTC Corp. in mid-August, has been in great demand, with the Black version proving to be the most popular, according to distributor Taiwan Mobile Co.
According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan Mobile stated that the Vive Eagle, described by HTC as smart eyewear that is 100 percent Taiwan-made and weighing less than 49 grams, received a warm reception during the preorder sale, though it did not release sales figures. After the Black version, the Grey color model came in second in terms of demand.
HTC introduced the Vive Eagle AI glasses on August 14 and kicked off presale orders the same day. The product will become available in Taiwan on September 1, at a price of NT$15,600 (US$509). The AI glasses come in four colors: Berry, Coffee, Grey, and Black.
According to HTC, the Vive Eagle AI glasses integrate music playback, voice assistance, smart photography, videography, and photo-based translation into a single frame. The glasses feature a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, built-in AI computing and voice interaction, and a design with adjustable nose pads and ergonomically contoured temples for all-day comfort. Its ZEISS sun lenses provide UV protection without sacrificing optical clarity or visual comfort.
HTC has partnered with high-scale 2020Eyehaus for prescription lenses for the Vive Eagle AI glasses users. Meanwhile, Taiwan Mobile has provided a monthly 5G subscription fee, starting from NT$1,399, allowing consumers to take the AI glasses home for free if they sign up for a plan. The telecom services provider noted that about 80 percent of its clients who signed up for the Vive Eagle AI glasses subscription programs chose the NT$1,399 or higher monthly fee.
Tony Lin, Taiwan Mobile’s chief consumer business officer, stated that as the Vive Eagle AI glasses are the first AI glasses in the world to support the traditional Chinese language and introduce mainstream AI platforms such as Google Gemini, the new gadget can provide users with better AI experiences. In addition to traditional Chinese, the new AI glasses also support Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Thai, and Turkish.
While HTC did not disclose any details about when the Vive Eagle AI glasses will go beyond Taiwan, it announced plans to introduce the gadget to the Southeast Asian, United States, and European markets in the future.
Since the debut of the AI glasses on August 14, shares of HTC have soared almost 65 percent to close at NT$70.40 on Friday on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Dealers noted that investors appeared optimistic about sales generated by the Vive Eagle AI glasses, with active bargain hunters of the company’s shares. The launch of the glasses came as HTC had been lagging in the market for a long time amid escalating competition in the smartphone market. Due to the new product, HTC is expected to generate more revenue in the second half of this year than in the first half.