Sony has a message for mobile app developers: Wearable technology isn’t exclusively for wrists. It can also work pretty well when worn on the face. The Japanese electronics giant is releasing the software development kit (SDK) for its SmartEyeglass concept today. Hardware kits will be available for developers to purchase, early next year. Unlike the crowded smartwatch market, Sony’s only major smart glasses competition, at the moment, is Google Glass.

The transparent binocular SmartWear prototype, as Sony refers to it, will come loaded with sensors. It has an accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, ambient light sensor, and a digital camera. A thin wire connects the glasses to an external battery pack, which has a touch sensor and a microphone built in. Messages, notifications, and even directions, can be seen as an overlay to the user’s view. Like most wearable tech devices, the SmartEyeglass has to pair with a smartphone in order to work. It must be paired with an Android phone through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The SDK will enable developers to create custom apps for the SmartEyeglass platform.

Hiroshi Mukawa, Head of the SmartEyeglass Project, explained the early release of the SDK, saying in a released statement, “Our thinking is to match external creativity with in-house innovation to truly stretch the capability of the products we create – releasing the SDK early means that both our industry’s most established and up-and-coming developers will help shape what SmartEyeglass is capable of.”

Facing an uncertain market

Wearable technology in the form of glasses seems to be a harder sell to consumers than smart watches. The term Glasshole is used to describe overly enthusiastic Google Glass users, indicating a slight consumer backlash. Although Sony’s concept looks more like traditional glasses, they’re just as awkward and unfashionable as Google Glass. Its success may hinge on the retail price, which Sony has yet to divulge.

Earlier this week, Sony adjusted its forecast and said that it expected to lose over $2 billion for the fiscal year, which is almost five times greater than originally predicted. This was due in large part to lackluster sales from its mobile division. Developing new and innovative products, like SmartEyeglass, might eventually provide the beleaguered mobile division with the consumer hit it so desperately needs.