HTC's VIVE Eagle AI glasses seeing great demand in preorder sales: Distributor

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) 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.

In a statement, Taiwan Mobile said the Vive Eagle, described by HTC as the smart eyewear that is 100 percent Taiwan-made and weighing less than 49 grams, received a warm reception during the preorder sale, but it did not release sales figures. After the Black version, the Grey color model came in second in terms of demand, Taiwan Mobile said.

HTC introduced the Vive Eagle AI glasses on Aug. 14 and kicked off presale orders on the same day. The product will become available in Taiwan on Sept. 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 one single frame.

HTC said 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.

In addition, 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, to allow consumers to take the AI glasses home for free if they sign up for a plan. The telecom services provider said about 80 of its clients who signed up with the Vive Eagle AI glasses subscription programs chose the NT$1,399 or higher monthly fee.

Taiwan Mobile said the strong demand for the NT$1,399 subscription is expected to push up the company's average revenue per user (ARPU).

Tony Lin (林東閔), Taiwan Mobile's chief consumer business officer, said 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 the 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, according to HTC.

While HTC did not disclose any details about when the Vive Eagle AI glasses will go beyond Taiwan, it has said it will introduce the new gadget to the Southeast Asian, United States, and European markets in the future.

Since the debut of the AI glasses on Aug. 14, shares of HTC had soared almost 65 percent to close at NT$70.40 on Friday on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Dealers said investors appeared upbeat about sales generated by the Vive Eagle AI glasses, and that there were active bargain hunters of the company's shares. The launch of the glasses came as HTC had lagged 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.