Have you ever looked at a gadget and asked yourself, “Does that really work?”
Well, I’ve got one for you, and to my great surprise, it does.
The Vuzix iWear glasses — or “video eyewear,” as the company calls the product — turns a small video screen into a more expansive viewing experience.
The glasses have been available for a few years, and the model I tested, released in February, is called the Vuzix iWear AV310 Widescreen. They provide a “16:9 widescreen home theater with a virtual 52-inch display as seen from nine feet,” Vuzix says.
They work, but don’t get carried away.
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These glasses don’t replace a big-screen viewing experience. They do offer a new view, one that is just for you. If you think of this as a personal video player that does for your eyes what the original Sony Walkman did for your ears, then you’ll have a more realistic expectation.
With a Walkman, the sound was personal. Was it better than your stereo? No.
That’s what the Vuzix offers. They are personal and not better than your TV. They are ideal for a long plane trip or if you want to watch a show at night and not disturb anyone.
These $250 glasses are available at Vuzix.com, where other models are sold.
I used the iWear glasses to watch TV shows and music videos on an iPod Touch and an older video iPod.
You don’t look at the iPod’s screen while wearing these, like you do with 3D glasses at a movie theater. You attach the glasses to an iPod with an included cable.
The video signal is transferred from the iPod (or other video source, such as a portable DVD player) into the right and left lenses of the glasses. Each lens has an independent focus control to meet you vision needs.
I tested the glasses with and without contact lenses and saw clearly both ways. (Without contacts means it was just me, my bad eyes and the iWear glasses.)
The video is in front of your eyes but appears to be a comfortable distance away. Your vision is not assaulted. The glasses include ear buds, creating a robust audio experience as well.
It takes time to adjust because you are immersed in audio and video. I found it jarring at first.
The glasses aren’t heavy but they certainly don’t feel like normal eyewear. I also needed to fiddle with the nose bridge to make them more comfortable.
Once I relaxed and just watched, they worked well. I watched several music videos and a few episodes of NBC’s “30 Rock.”
I was about 10 minutes into one episode when I realized I had stopped thinking about how I was watching the show. I was just enjoying it and not concerned about the technology.
There are drawbacks.
The glasses do not fully enclose your eyes. If the surrounding light is bright, you still see the screen in front of you but you also notice the ambient light.
They are not for everyone.
My wife didn’t like them; she felt a little sick, the same reaction she has while watching a 3D movie. If you don’t like wearing special glasses at a movie, you probably won’t like these.
Also, Vuzix warns that the glasses could increase the chances of an epileptic seizure if a user is already sensitive to flashing lights or the rapid movements on a TV screen.
And they are not for children under 7 because their eyes are still developing. Vuzix would be wise to remove the picture of the young girl wearing the glasses on the packaging.
I was surprised at how much I liked these glasses. But don’t view them as a TV replacement or you’ll be disappointed.
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