Vuzix's upgraded Blade Smart Glasses get multiple international regulatory nods

Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI), a maker of smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) products, announced Tuesday that its upgraded Blade Smart Glasses have received regulatory approval from agencies in the US, Canada, the EU, and Japan.   The company said it began shipping early Blade Smart Glasses orders and made the product available for purchase from itself directly. It will also soon be available from Amazon online stores in the US, Canada and Japan. The upgraded Blaze glasses are certified personal protective equipment (PPE), satisfy the US ANSI Z87.1 protective eyewear standard, and the European Union under the CE standard. In addition, the upgraded version comes equipped with built-in stereo acoustic audio in its temples along with a new autofocus (AF) camera ideal for improved video conferencing and bar code scanning.  READ: Vuzix says its M400 Smart Glasses helped Clorox solve operational challenges remotely amid COVID-19 The Blade glasses support video collaboration platforms like Zoom, Webex Teams and Skype for Business. Vuzix also upgraded its iOS and Android Vuzix companion app, enabling users to take actions based on simple links and single clicks on a Blade-paired phone. Vuzix has added support for its Vuzix Barcode software development kit and added support for barcode zoom camera solutions from third parties. With the continued push for hands-free applications, the company has also added speech commands for the launcher, photos, setting, camera and notifications/home, as well as the ability to view and use speech commands on the main operating system application rail. "With its integrated in-frame stereo audio featuring patent-pending technology, alongside the improved autofocus camera, the Vuzix Blade upgraded version opens up significant doors across enterprise and prosumers for Vuzix," CEO Paul Travers said in a statement. "The built-in stereo audio effectively removes the need for Bluetooth or analog earbuds, providing our customer base with a much richer experience to support enterprise-based video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, as well as consumer activities that include watching Netflix or Amazon Prime Video or simply listening to Spotify playlists." Contact Andrew Kessel at andrew.kessel@proactiveinvestors.com Follow him on Twitter @andrew_kessel