HMT Release 12

Contents

• Perspective
• Overview
• Release Highlights
• Android 10
  • Overview
  • Application Continuity
  • FAQs
• Image Stabilization
  • Overview
  • FAQs
• Improved Cloud Dictation
  • Overview
  • FAQs
• Security
  • Security Patches
• Dutch Language Support
• Bug Fixes
• Firmware Availability
  • Participating in Early Access
  • Providing Feedback
  • Upgrading At or After General Availability
  • FAQs
• Links and Resources

Perspective

This product brief (and others like it) are published as needed to inform the RealWear team, our ecosystem of partners and customers of important product developments. As suggested by its title, a product brief is an overview only; more detailed information is available in online documentation, release notes, and through the support and services channels here at RealWear.

Overview

Internally the project is known as “Maintenance Release 4.0” (or MR 4.0) for both the HMT-1 and HMT-1Z1, but externally we prefer to use the version based marketing names such as Release 12.

Release versioning and naming details can be found in the table below:

The full firmware version of the device is always available in My Programs > About Device. The two feature sets are practically identical, with the only differences being the Intrinsically Safe requirements of the HMT-1Z1.

Dates and release details for co-branding partners such as Honeywell are provided to that team directly. Release dates for those updates do not necessarily coincide with the RealWear branded versions & releases.

Release Highlights

• Android 10 – As part of RealWear’s ongoing commitment to long product lifecycles, RealWear’s device firmware and native applications have been upgraded to Android 10.
• Video Stabilization – Improved platform level software video and image stabilization resulting in better stabilization of content captured in My Camera and stabilized remote mentor video feeds from third-party applications without any additional work required by the app developers.
• Improved cloud dictation – A new cloud dictation engine for RealWear’s speech keyboard that delivers more accurate, responsive and grammatically correct results.
• Security – Android security patches from August 1 – January 31, 2021 have been integrated into the RealWear device firmware.
• Dutch Language Support – Dutch becomes RealWear’s 15th supported language with full language translation and cloud dictation.
• New RealWear Explorer: We recommend upgrading to the latest version of RealWear Explorer to avoid any interoperability issues between RealWear devices running Release 12 and RealWear Explorer.
• Bug Fixes – As with any release, bug fixes and minor enhancements are incorporated.

Android 10

Overview

RealWear is committed to long product lifecycles and support that our industrial customers demand. The HMT-1 launched in September 2017 and the HMT-1Z1 launched in June of 2018 with Android 6.0.1. In March 2019, both products were upgraded to Android 8.1 as part of Release 10. Now as part of RealWear’s ongoing commitment to long product lifecycles, RealWear’s device firmware and native applications have been upgraded to Android 10 a full three years after the HMT-1 was launched and nearly three years after the HMT-1Z1’s debut. In addition to significant platform upgrades, RealWear has maintained a policy of quarterly Android security patches and will continue to do so for two years after the last product is sold. The end result is a robust computing platform that industrial customers can deploy with confidence across their enterprise.

Application Continuity

During this upgrade from Android 8.1 to Android 10, application continuity for end customers across RealWear’s ecosystem of third-party applications is a top priority. To minimize disruption to software partners and end users, RealWear is providing earlier than usual firmware early access for testing and development. In addition to advanced early access, customers and partners are encouraged to check out Google’s own content on Android 10 and reach out to their dedicated RealWear contacts as needed.

For application developers, Android’s privacy and permissions changes are likely to require the most attention in getting applications ready for Android 10.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the new features of Android 10 that are relevant in the context of RealWear?

All underlying operating system upgrades and features provided by Google in Android Open Source Project in Android 10 are incorporated in RealWear’s device firmware. No new features at the user experience level have been implemented in Release 12 beyond what is required to ensure RealWear’s applications maintain their same functionality from Release 11.2. Users will notice slight changes in the Android OS system components such as settings and notifications.

If there are specific requests to incorporate a hands-free user interface for any new features in Android 10 or otherwise, please submit them to RealWear product management here or via your dedicated RealWear contacts.

Q: What if I am using Device Admin to manage my RealWear devices? Isn’t Device Admin deprecated in Android 10?

Please consult RealWear’s Enterprise Mobility Management page for the latest information.

Image Stabilization

Overview

RealWear has implemented improved platform level software image stabilization resulting in better stabilization of content captured in My Camera and stabilized remote mentor video feeds from third party applications without any additional work required by the app developers.

The feature is on by default both in My Camera and system wide for third party ISV’s. My Camera users can turn stabilization off from inside the application by saying “More Options” and “Video Stabilization”. Inside Android settings, users can turn off stabilization system wide by navigating to the RealWear portion of the settings and saying “Select item 10” which corresponds to the setting Camera: Image Stabilization.

Example of performance:

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: As a RealWear ISV, will I need to do anything to use image stabilization in my app?

No, this feature is built into the low level firmware stack so you will get it for free without having to do anything in your app. Regardless of your video implementation this will work. There will be a small increase in power consumption with image stabilization, as is customary for any digital processing. If for any reason you encounter an issue during early access testing please reach out to your dedicated RealWear contacts.

Q: Is image stabilization turned on for taking still photos?

Yes, photos captured in My Camera have previously been stabilized. The improvements introduced here are in videos captured in My Camera and the video feeds of third-party applications.

Improved Cloud Dictation

Overview

Introduction of a new cloud dictation engine for RealWear’s speech keyboard that delivers more accurate, responsive and grammatically correct results.

Other than improved results, end users will experience very little difference with the new cloud dictation. Developers who have already implemented dictation in their applications will not need to make any changes to take advantage of the improved cloud dictation.

Note: Cloud dictation for Indonesian language is not available with RealWear’s new cloud dictation engine.

When trying to use cloud dictation in Indonesian, users will be given a toast message letting them know that Indonesian dictation isn’t available and asks them to use another speech input method available in RealWear’s speech keyboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What if I experience an issue with cloud dictation on or after April 1st, 2021?

A: RealWear devices running firmware versions older than Release 12 will not have access to cloud dictation starting on Apr 1, 2021 . To resolve this issue customers simply need to upgrade to Release 12. For any HMT-1Z1 devices that experience this issue before Release 12 is generally available for the HMT-1Z1, the issue can be resolved by upgrading those devices to the early access version of Release 12. Details on how to do that are in the “Participating in early access” section of this document below.

Q: How do I know if my dictation is currently set to local or cloud? What if my dictation is currently set to local and I would like to enable the improved cloud dictation?

Local dictation is available in English, German and Mandarin Chinese. For all other languages only cloud dictation is available. The type of dictation is also called out in the top right of the speech keyboard during dictation.

Switch from local to cloud dictation via My Controls. The English commands are:

• “My Controls”
• “Dictation”

Q: Where can I learn how to incorporate RealWear’s keyboard or dictation intents into my application as a developer?

Visit RealWear’s knowledge center for developers on this topic.

Security

Security Patches

RealWear continually enhances the security of its devices through updates in each firmware release.

The most visible is via periodic security patch updates for the Android operating system. Each month’s Android patch set is closely analyzed by RealWear and incorporated into the code base as appropriate. (Not all patches are included as they are not relevant. For example, some patches are for different chipsets than what is used in the HMT-1 or are for mobile phones only.)

Android security patches from August 1 – January 31, 2021 have been integrated into the RealWear device firmware.

Dutch Language Support

Dutch becomes RealWear’s 15th supported language with full language translation and cloud dictation. As always, the language can be changed with a long hold of the RealWear action button. This triggers the language selector which indicates a language or dialect by showing a flag and text indication for each language. Full information on language support can be found here.

New RealWear Explorer Version

RealWear recommends upgrading to the latest version of RealWear Explorer to avoid any interoperability issues between RealWear devices running Release 12 and RealWear Explorer. More details can be found here.

Bug Fixes

The specific bugs that have been fixed will be provided in the release notes when available. The fixes are not only to the operating system, but also to the RealWear native applications that are shipped with the operating system. Several have been incorporated directly, in response to issues discovered by the ISV partner community.

Firmware Availability and Dates

Note: Dates are approximate and subject to change

Participating in Early Access

This release was made available for Beta Early Access beginning 05 Jan 2021. To be added to the Allow List for Firmware Early Access (on no more than three devices), fill out the form here. After completing the form you will can upgrade via a Firmware Over the Air (FOTA) upgrade within one business day. If you do not receive access after than, email Support@RealWear.com.

IMPORTANT: Please ensure your RealWear device(s) have the below firmware versions installed and logging is activated.

If you experience an unexpected result during the upgrade process, the device’s log files will detail the status of the device software and actions needed to complete the install process. Here is a guide to ensure your success during the update process.

Follow the update documentation outlined.

Providing Feedback

As always, provide complete information when contacting support to expedite the resolution process. Initiate the feedback via email with “Support@RealWear.com” in the “To” and your dedicated RealWear contact(s) + James Gordey (James@RealWear.com) on “Cc”.

Items to include:

• Your contact information (Email & Phone Number)
• HMT device serial number
• ISV software & version
• Actual behavior
• Expected behavior
• Steps to reproduce the behavior
• Helpful images & device screenshots
• Short videos
• Log file(s) (You can capture this via RealWear Explorer, https://www.realwear.com/knowledge-center/developer/rw-explorer/explorer-4-1-intro/).

Note: For best results enter the below adb command which provides much better information to our support and Engineering team than simple logcat

adb bugreport E:\Reports\MyBugReports

RealWear encourages all product feedback. Send non-bug-related product feedback to James Gordey (James@RealWear.com), RealWear’s Device Software Product Manager, or via our Product Ideas portal.

Upgrading at or after General Availability

By default, the firmware will be available to all devices upon General Availability. When ready, the Release general availability will be announced across all RealWear communication channels. For specific details on how to upgrade and RealWear’s Firmware Availability Policy visit the Knowledge Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: According to RealWear’s Firmware update and support policy which releases will be supported once Release 12 is generally available?

As outlined in the firmware policy, effective 01 Jan 2021 RealWear’s firmware support is for “N-2” releases meaning that only Releases 11.2, 11.1 and 11.0 are supported. Once Release 12 is generally available, only Releases 12, 11.2 and 11.1 will be supported.

Links and Resources

• Prior to GA, all RealWear Solution Engineering and Support Teams globally will be versed on the technical details of Release 12. Contact your solutions engineer for support or reach out directly through the general support email, support@realwear.com.
• Upon product General Availability, User Guide updates and release notes are published to the RealWear Knowledge Center at https://www.realwear.com/knowledge-center/. The Release Notes will include step-by-step instructions on how to upgrade any device.
• When possible, the Marketing Team – supported by the Product Team – create videos for the most compelling aspects of any release, as well as other communications.
• As always, the Product Team can answer any questions not addressed by the above resources.