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This is the abridged version of our original article in Japanese.

In May eyeglasses retail chainstore Jins, of Japan, unveiled smartglasses product Jins Meme. This product garnered extensive consumer attention due to the marked conceptual contrast with the Google Glass eyewear.

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A rival smartglasses product called Fun’iki Ambient Glasses has been developed by Paris Miki Holdings, another major Japanese optical retailer. The firm recently started a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising 3 million yen ($30,000) on Makuake, a crowdfunding platform operated by Japanese internet conglomerate CyberAgent.

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The glasses link to a smartphone to relay through light and sound a variety of information such as e-mail notifications, social media updates, schedule reminders, stock price movements, and weather updates. Powered by compact USB rechargeable Li-ion batteries, multicolored LEDs automatically light up the lenses according to personalized settings.

The prototype smartglasses were introduced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The new version is now smaller yet has additional features like a smartphone illumination which warns users if they inadvertently leave the glasses behind.