I4U News

Overview
Music to my ears! Precisely what I envisioned and heard when I effortlessly “strapped on” a pair of these CNGTEK flash MP3 sunglasses. That’s right; no wires, Bluetooth modules or other unnecessary accoutrements dangling from any part of your body. They seamlessly contour to the shape of your eyes, nose and ears as good as any standard set of sunglasses. No, worry not, as your “looks” won’t be diminished at all by these. In fact, the opposite is probably true. You may be one of those people who “need” a very good pair of sunglasses and you receive the additional benefit of listening to your favorite music while being today’s fashion aficionado as well.

Salivating over what you want on your next wish list from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Sin City this year? Start with these at the top and work your way down. And get rid of those cumbersome MP3 players hanging on your arm, belt or pockets. With these, you won’t have to look like you’ve just left the electronics assembly line as some wired “Neanderthalite”. This “eye candy” will have heads turning your way instantly whether you’re a femme fatale or a manly man. Yum, yum…Stay ahead of the rest of your tech mates and you will be the envy for a long time to come.

So, just what do these electro-optical auditory oculars have that your heart is palpitating rapidly for? Become Ipod-less and join the new generation of music enthusiasts. Be a “shadester” and enjoy!

The CNGTEK MP3 sunglasses (available in black or gray) are boxed up nicely from the factory with the shades, USB cable, instructions, soft cloth for cleaning and mini-CD-ROM with drivers for Windows 98/SE/ME/2000/XP/Mac OS. A charging adapter is an optional accessory, which probably should be standard, but the eight hour play time on the included Li-ION battery should give you plenty of audio fulfillment without having to recharge immediately. The directions are in English and are easy to understand to operate all functions on the shades. If you are tech-savvy at all, you won’t need those directions. Just let your fingers do the walking over the nicely placed controls and you will be ready for an infusion of tunes directly to your ear canals quickly. By the way, if you are overly concerned with having too large or small of a cranium, noggin’ or head, don’t worry; one size sunglasses fits all and in a snug way too to keep them from falling off at inopportune moments. You also may be a bit squeamish about the “looks” of the battery compartment and flash drive unit expanded on the bows of the shades, but don’t be. They’ve designed them seamlessly into the flexible bows with panache for suave contours to cover some of that obligatory bulk up.

Yes, they DO look hip and all eyes will be upon you (out of envy and not because you think you look like X-Men’s Cyclops either). Slip them on your head and the adjustable ear buds inside your yearning hammer, anvil and stirrup (yep, the anatomically short words for the tools inside your ear to receive those stimulating audible signals…not too loud, now). The ear buds fit well and they allow you to stretch them with the short, coiled wires or simply clip them on the ends of the bows into the wire slots to hold them in just the right position. Now, you’re ready to begin your untethered journey into the music kingdom.

The control buttons are all placed on the right bow (top and bottom), which makes it slightly difficult for the left-handers out there, but, hey, you always wanted to be ambidextrous right? The power button is nearest the lens of the shades. Push once to turn on and you see the red (power/USB) and blue (MP3) LED lights on the side of the bow illuminate (looks really cool at night!). The sunglasses are preloaded with a few songs for you to test before you hook up your USB and load your own precious music. Press the power button again and the sounds come alive. No fumbling around to move wires out of the way, looking at screens or worrying about dropping your new purchase. Want to partake in a conversation or listen to someone ask you where you got those? Press the power button again to pause or allow the shades to automatically power down after a predetermined time. It also serves as a mode button to switch between functions described below.

Are you a musician, author, thinker, dreamer or just someone who likes to talk a lot? Well, use the hidden microphone incorporated into the sunglasses bow and record your instant and world-changing thoughts for playback later. Take dictation and give it to your secretary when you arrive at the office and you won’t miss out on any important ideas you had before the gab session, er, ah, meeting in the morning. The yellow LED light will mesmerize you when recording. These shades also come in varying delectable flash memory sizes for your personal pleasure (256, 512MB and 1GB).

Yes, it would be nice to have that SD/MMC/CF external storage options, but, alas, then you would look a little like a geek with all that bulk emanating from your head. So, for now, just wait until those nanometer storage options of the future are here. While listening to your favorite songs, switch to the next or previous with the FF or REW buttons on the underside of the right bow with a simple tap of either. Those buttons also double as volume increase/decrease (just press and hold to blow your eardrums or save them for many years to come). Last button is toward the rear of the right bow. Press it for random play or to delete songs, recordings and files in storage. To charge/recharge your battery, open the attached rubber strap covering the USB jack, plug in the included USB cable and the “charging” LED light on the side of the right bow glows showing you the unit is receiving “juice”. While the USB cable is connected, go to your files and download/upload music, recordings, photos or files for transfer simply using the copy/paste or drag/drop method.

The sunglasses bows also have notches in the ends to allow you to attach your favorite shade neck straps to always keep them “on” you no matter where you go. The lenses are polycarbonate and slightly tinted. Yes, I did try them at night (not just to see the lights either), but I don’t recommend this even though you can see quite well. The sound pumped out of these shades was amazing for such a small form factor. The audiometer registered similar results as CNGTEK listed in their specs for these shades. I tracked signal to noise ratio of 82dB, but, alas, the type of audiometer you use will give varying results.

The frequency response was dead on with the specifications listed. I used the glasses in almost all environments (exercise, driving, motorcycle, walking, crowded/noisy streets and shopping centers) and experienced no “interference” with my preferred way of listening; meaning NO outside interruptions! So, if you plan on traveling on a plane, train or automobile, forget using noise-canceling headphones. Place these shades on and you will have no trouble not hearing the person next to you who wants to talk the entire trip. In addition, the tinted, raked-back lenses provide a relaxing, peaceful effect for your eyes to go to that “place” while hearing your best tunes. They also block out 100% of UVA/UVB/UVC and that bad blue light. The nose bridge on the shades was a little tight (no, I don’t have a big nose, thank you), but with a little ingenuity on your part you can make simple adjustments to this area by padding them with black or gray foam for comfort or, well, if your nose is too big; visit the friendly surgeons from “Nip Tuck”; I mean, your local plastic surgeon.
Seriously, though, you should have no problems with fit as I tested them on children, adults, men, and women (ok, so it’s up to you to do that for your pet if you think that will soothe the savage beast). Lastly, the included sunglasses hard-sided, zippered carrying pouch is very nice as the inside is form-fitted with foam and a belt clip to offer yet another carrying option.

Wish list
And, as always, I have a little wish list I like to include, as you know everything can be improved upon:
-Photosensitive lenses
-Adjustable nose bridges or included form-fitted padding for anatomical variations
-LED controls or phosphorescent/luminescence to include control words (letters) for ease in operation at night
-Varying styles of sunglasses and tints to meet individual tastes/fashion
-Inner ear canal buds for better fit among individual ear sizes or jacks for interchangeability or personalization of “earphones”
-Bluetooth compatibility to allow for additional peripheral devices and extra storage options
-Option for flip-up/down lenses
-Equalizer for enhanced listening choices
-Complete weatherproofing for every environment/condition
-Spring loaded bows to allow for expansion and comfort
-Light padding of frame interior construction or molded injection for comfort
-Possible LED type heads-up display on interior of lens for ease in identifying song, artist, time, date, battery time and other information

Conclusion
This is a fantastic next-generation multi-functional product to utilize in many different ways.

How to Buy
CNGTek sells the 512MB MP3 Sunglasses for $169.99.