How smart are your sunglasses? We’re not talking about fashion trends, but functions like taking phone calls, listening to audio and so on. Here’s MusicMan Wireless Bluetooth Sound Glasses.
Despite being around for about a decade, smartglasses (smart glasses?), have not taken off. Google tried making smart glasses, there are rumors of Apple working on glasses, and other companies and startups have tried – see Wikipedia Smartglasses.
One problem is that people don’t like wearing glasses. In fact, the only glasses people actually like wearing are sunglasses. When the sun comes out, the sunglasses come on. Some people are particularly sensitive to strong sunlight and for them, sunglasses are essential. Some people just like the look of sunglasses and some celebrities even wear them at night for the ultimate fashion look.
Sunglasses are definitely the way forward with smartglasses in my opinion and MusicMan Sound Glasses in Elegance or Sports style are on test here. I tried the Sports style with both my iPhone and Android phone.
What can smart sunglasses do?
- Protect your eyes with polarised lenses – UV400 (CAT 3)
- Play any type of audio from your phone wirelessly
- Make and receive phone calls wirelessly
- Access the phone’s voice assistant, like Siri
MusicMan Wireless Bluetooth Sound Glasses have a built-in rechargeable battery and a USB cable is provided. They can be plugged into a computer USB port or a phone charger, of which you probably have a few by now. The stand-by time is three days and the play time is three hours.
The glasses use Bluetooth to connect to connect to an Android phone or iPhone and no apps are needed. I tried both and they just work. Turn on Bluetooth on the phone and they connect to the glasses when they are turned on by pressing the button on the right side arm. They become the phone’s preferred audio output device, so everything is output through two tiny speakers, one in each of the glasses arms next to your ears.
Music and podcasts on the go
All audio is output through the glasses when they are connected to the phone using Bluetooth, so if you play music through Apple Music, Spotify or anything else on the phone, you hear it through the glasses and not the phone itself.
I have to say that the quality of music is not good because of the lack of bass frequencies. The glasses are not an alternative to AirPods, wireless or wired earphones because the speakers just aren’t good enough. You can hear the music, but it is mostly treble and hardly any bass.
I did find a good use for them though and podcasts, which are mostly people talking, are fine and the lack of bass is not a problem. If you like listening to podcasts as you run, cycle, ski, golf or just walk in the sun, these smart glasses are quite useful. The sound seems to be contained within the glasses and they do not carry far, so people around you will not be disturbed by the audio playing.
So, great for podcasts, not so good if you want high quality music.
Phone calls through your glasses
Calls can also be heard via the glasses and when you hear someone calling, taps on the power button are used accept or reject them. Accept an incoming call and there is a microphone in the glasses so you can not only hear the caller, but also have a conversation with them.
You do need to have the phone somewhere nearby, but these glasses have a range of several metres, so they don’t have to be on you. Mostly, the phone will be in your pocket or a bag and the glasses mean that you don’t need to get your phone out to take a call.
Voice assistant
The microphone in the glasses enables you to speak to your phone and if you have an iPhone, it is possible to say “Hey Siri, will it rain in the next hour” when you are out on a run, bike ride or hike. If you are listening to music or a podcast, it is silenced when talking to Siri.
You don’t need to touch the phone and everything is done while wearing the glasses. Being able to access Siri on the iPhone in your bag or pocket means you can do anything Siri can do, which opens up a lot of possibilities.
Specifications
- Bluetooth: 5.0
- Loudspeakers: 2x 1W, 500Hz – 10kHz
- Play time: 5 hours
- Standby time: 3 days
- Call time: 4 hours
- Charge time: 2 hours
- Protection: IPX4
- Lenses: Polarised UV400 CAT 3
- Weight: 43g
Summing up
MusicMan Wireless Bluetooth Sound Glasses are available from Amazon. Prices can vary, so check them out for yourself. They were £48.80 in the UK Amazon store when I looked. They are cheaper than some rivals, which can be several times more expensive for some models.
Here is a promo video by Technaxx for them:
I would not listen to music with them, but listening to podcasts while you run, walk, hike, ski, cycle and do other activities is useful. You do need your phone with you, but it can be in a pocket, backpack or attached to a belt and you don’t need to touch it to use it. Tapping or holding the power button on the glasses side arm is used to access various functions.
The main competition is AirPods and other wireless earbuds plus a pair of ordinary sunglasses. However, I would worry about losing expensive AirPods out of my ears while engaged in sporting activities and you are much less likely to lose these sunglasses.
They are pretty good just as sunglasses too! Thanks to Technaxx for providing them to test.
