Getting Your Video Fix...From Sunglasses?

Can't live without your video fix? Ingineo's Eyetop Centra says you don't have to. These high-tech sunglasses have a built-in 16-bit color LCD screen and integrated earplugs. The launch price of the glasses is around $400, but for videophiles, it's worth it. The shades incorporate a miniature screen into the lower center of one lens, enabling wearers to comfortably watch the multimedia action and not lose touch with their surroundings. The frames attach to a control unit that is worn on your belt. If you have a device with video output, you can plug it in! It's that simple.

Introducing Razrwire

We haven't reached the age where we have microchips in our heads yet, but Motorola and Oakley have teamed up to give us the next best (or worst!) thing: Razrwire. Retailing at around $275, the Razwire is essentially a pair of sunglasses that has a cell phone embedded in the arm. As if that weren't enough, Razrwire is even Bluetooth-enabled! Barring the risk of looking like you're talking to yourself all the time, it's a clever invention that we may see more of in the future.

Fashion Forward: High-tech Sunglasses

It may seem odd to see the fashion industry teaming up with the high-tech world, but Motorola and Frog Design have come up with new wearable computer prototypes, in the form of sunglasses. The Offspring Wearable prototypes are sunglasses that look cool and house a tiny digital camera lens, which peeks out from a pinhole opening above the right lens. There's also a miniature display inside the left lens for reading email or surfing the web. Your all-important cell phone isn't left out; an earpiece pops out from the side of the glasses. The entire system also includes a two-way-radio watch, a PDA and other add-ons.

Space-age Silhouette Sunglasses

One of many recent innovations in the sunlens arena, Silhouette sunglasses' Voyager line been referred to as "state-of-the-art" technology since its recent launch. Silhouette's Austria-based Research and Development team, sunlens maker Christian Dalloz, and NASA's Astronaut Corps banded together to design this unique line. The lens is made from a polycarbonate substrate and treated with a proprietary soft brown/bronze mirrored tint designed to provide reduced light transmission. Their frames are made with a lightweight titanium that weighs as little as three paperclips...although in space that probably doesn't matter as much as down here on earth!

Songs in the Sun

Listen to music through your sunglasses? Why not? The Dark Shadow is an innovative new sunglass design that connects to your computer via a USB 2.0 cable. Loading music is easy: Simply drag and drop songs from Media Player or similar program. The Dark Shadow takes MP3/WMA and ADCPM files, but at this time it's not comaptible with iTunes. Some styles offer up to 256MB of built-in memory which holds about 60 songs, more than enough for a decent run in the park.

Work Hard, Play Hard? Wear Wiley-X

Wiley-X sunglasses are a great choice for active people. Their technologically advanced triloid nylon frames make them virtually unbreakable. "Socket" technology allows the frame to hug eye orbits, making them a perfect fit for recreation or outdoor work. Durable Wiley-X Sunglasses are totally unique. Frames are created with computer-generated designs. This adds to their unique style. You'll get fit and protection with any sunglasses in the Wiley-X line.

Spy Optics Offers Options

If you're looking for one-stop shopping for sunglasses, Spy Optics is worth a look. There are styles to suit fashion-oriented wearers as well as hard-core sports-players. Whichever style you choose, Spy Optics sunglasses offer polarized, polycarbonate lenses, each hand-finished to ensure optical clarity and ensure 100% UV protection. The frames are designed to enhance comfort and performance. Designed with the California influences of outdoor sporting along with Italian craftsmanship, Spy Optics has the prefect combination of sport and style all wrapped up in their entire line.

Oracle's Breakthrough Sunglasses for Sailors

These days, sunglasses can do more than filter out harmful sun rays, they can bring in vital information! Sailors of the Oracle BMW Racing team have tested and utilized a micro-display system that enables them to receive live performance data from the race boat on their sunglasses, directly in their field of vision. In fact, Oracle's breakthrough shades have a connection to the formula that Formula One auto racing developed. That technology was recently adapted for use by the San Francisco team in the America's Cup trials; it's similar to a racing helmet that BMW developed for its Formula One driver, Ralf Schumacher.

Super Strong Sunglasses

Stylish and functional, Gargoyles sunglasses are designed to eliminate light refraction using a patented Zero-Prism Design (Dual Lens Toric Curve). Gargoyles block UVA, UVB and UVC light with their patented wrapback design, which provides 210 degrees of coverage. They're also incredibly structurally sound, which results in some of the best protection available for your eyes. Their super strong lenses give you distortion-free comfort and clarity.

Electric Sunglasses Live Large

If you have a large- to medium-sized face, many sunglasses on the market today don't seem to fit properly. Either that, or the frames' style simply gets lost on your features. Good news! Electric sunglasses offer a wide variety of styles designed for those with larger faces. Electric Wolfpack, for example, offers angular bold shades and dark lenses. The Electric Livewire styles have color faded lenses and proportioned wire frames to suit your features.

Sunglasses Can Save Your LIfe

The future of sunglass design could involve much more than shielding your eyes from ultraviolet rays; they could even be able to prevent heatstroke. An advanced sensor patch built into the nosepiece of GMI Medical Instrumentation's new TechXtreme sunglasses monitors the wearer's brain-temperature level. The results are sent wirelessly to a numerical display on a sports watch. Once developed and distributed widely, these sunglasses could save the lives of athletes, construction workers, and anyone else who faces the risk of heatstroke.