Vuzix Corporation launched Vuzix Blade® AR Smart Glasses are now available for purchase by the general public at a price of $999.99 on the Vuzix website. Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses are the first and only fashion forward full color, see-through smart glasses available on the market for consumers that support app developers and applications running directly on the glasses. The Vuzix Blade is a wearable smart display with a see-through viewing experience utilizing Vuzix's proprietary waveguide optics and full color Cobra II display engine in a truly wearable form factor. It's like having user computer or smartphone screen information with user wherever user go on demand and includes an HD camera to let user see, recognize, respond to and record the outside real world. Just as users of smart phones see alerts and information on their mobile screens when they hold their phones, wearers of the Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses receive personalized alerts and information as a function of where they are looking with a visual overlay that pops into their field of vision; delivered hands-free and on the go. The Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses platform includes an Android based operating system on the device, a cloud-based services platform that is being developed specifically for the Blade and a growing ecosystem of apps and software development firms around the world that company is working with. Examples of the latter include Yelp and AccuWeather; and company is currently working with Amazon to finish the broader integration of Alexa to take advantage of many new and unique capabilities of the Blade and expect to complete certification soon; and Alexa BETA is currently available for developers. The Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses platform enables new visual ways to reach, interact and connect with consumers. Planning an appointment or dinner reservation is important for almost everyone, whether travelling locally or to new cities or destinations. The Yelp Fusion API allows Vuzix users to quickly and safely connect with great local businesses in a whole new way, from discovering a new coffee shop to booking a restaurant reservation on-the-go. Similarly, just as users of smart phones see routine weather forecasts on their mobile screens, wearers of the Vuzix Blade will now be able to view a comprehensive weather forecast as a visual overlay that pops into their field of vision. Vuzix has entered into a strategic partnership with AccuWeather, fastest-growing weather media company and a global leader in weather-related big data, business and analytics, providing localized weather forecasts to more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. This partnership will bring compelling and dynamic interactive AR-based weather experiences to Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses users across the globe, allowing them to interact and view localized weather content and weather forecasts through their Vuzix Blades. Planning for the weather can be critically important at home or travelling to other cities or destinations. Vuzix users will now have the added convenience of leaving their phones in their pockets while wearing the Vuzix Blade to stay informed and updated regarding the weather without missing a beat. The AccuWeather AR weather app is expected to be released on the Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses during the first quarter of 2019. The Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses are supported by the Vuzix App Store, which allows Blade users to register their Blade Smart Glasses and select applications that they want pushed down to their glasses. The Vuzix Blade BETA App Store is also now open and can be accessed here. The Vuzix Blade ecosystem of consumer-oriented applications is expected to grow significantly throughout 2019 - ranging from utilities to entertainment with applications like karaoke, language translation, sheet music scrolling and more. Also included on the Blade Smart Glasses are four fun games designed exclusively for Vuzix, including AR Dino Hunter, AR-Golf, AR-Racers, and an idle AR Space-Miner game. Shipments of the Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses consumer version are expected to begin shipping by the first week of February 2019.