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Peripherals - Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Eyeware To Watch Your Video iPod On Funded

MicroOptical's eyeglasses called myvu that virtually enlarge video from iPods. When you wear these glasses and plug them into a iPod, it creates a 12" to 14" virtual video screen about 3' in front of the you. The company is selling these glasses for $269.

Originally founded in 1995 by CEO Mark Spitzer, former chief scientist at Kopin Corp., MicroOptical has spent much of the past 11 years developing displays for military and industrial applications. But with the rise in digital media and mobile video services such as the video iPod, MobiTV's mobile television service and Verizon's wireless video service, V Cast, Spitzer's company finds itself in the position of having a fully developed consumer-electronics product ready to be deployed. The MicroOptical Corp. has raised $11.53M led by Atlas Venture led the deal, with The Hillman Co., Intel Capital and Turner Broadcasting.

The a:c has followed some of MicroOptical's competitors including Mirage Innovations of Israel, which raised $7.5M in venture funding last September.