This year's Indian Mobile Congress was truly a telecom extravaganza, with a spotlight on the spectacular Jio booth that easily qualified as the grandest display ever seen at an exhibition. 

Highlights:

• The JioGlass comes with a 1080p display for each eye, which Transform to a 100-inch virtual screen.
• The glasses have to be connected to a smartphone via a Type-C cable, which also acts as a power source.
• The glasses weigh only 69 grams and have a sleek metallic grey frame with two lenses.

Among the impressive array of demos at their booth, one gem truly stole the show – the JioGlass. it's one of the most exciting products to emerge from an Indian company this year.

The JioGlass, born out of Tesseract, a deep-tech startup acquired by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in 2019, is a testament to India's prowess in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technology. It proudly champions the 'Make in India' vision.

What's immediately striking about the JioGlass is its futuristic aesthetic. Weighing in at a mere 69 grams, these smart glasses boast a sleek metallic grey frame with dual lenses that wouldn't be out of place in a sci-fi blockbuster. And the best part? You can confidently wear them outside without attracting bewildered glances. The lightweight design ensures that comfort is a given, even during extended usage.

The lenses offer a unique duality, seamlessly switching between AR and VR modes with the attachment or removal of a chic chrome-finished flap. With the flap on, these glasses transport you to another realm, blocking out the outside world and immersing you in the content you're engrossed in. Take it off, and you'll witness your surroundings with an augmented reality twist. Unfortunately, I couldn't test the AR mode on these pre-launch units, but the VR experience left me thoroughly impressed.

It's almost magical how this compact device can create the illusion of a massive virtual screen, offering a 100-inch visual canvas with 1080p displays for each eye. The clarity might have room for improvement, but the overall impact is undeniably impressive.

Equipped with two speakers flanking your ears, the JioGlass also supports spatial audio for an immersive soundscape. However, the audio quality fell a tad short, sounding somewhat tinny and muffled. For a better auditory experience, recommend using earbuds.

Connecting the glasses to your smartphone via a Type-C cable, which also serves as a power source, is a minor inconvenience. In VR mode, you won't even notice the cable, but that's a minor quibble you'd likely adapt to. The silver lining is the absence of a bulky battery pack to lug around. Your smartphone doubles up as a virtual controller for seamless navigation and content selection. The JioImmerse XR Store app on your phone opens the door to a world of XR apps tailored to diverse interests.

Whether you're in the mood for streaming your favorite movies, shows, or sports from platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hotstar, or you fancy connecting your gaming consoles or PCs for an immersive gaming experience on a grand scale, the JioGlass promises an array of enticing features.

Anticipated to launch later this year, with a wireless version in the pipeline, the JioGlass is poised to revolutionize the way we perceive and interact with the digital world. As for the price and availability, we'll have to stay tuned for the official announcement.