Admittedly, it’s been a long time since Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Geordi La Forge was considered cool, even among Trek loyalists. But don a pair of these wrap-around shades, which resemble a cross between Geordi’s prosthesis and The Matrix’s de rigueur eyewear, and we can pretty much guarantee your Geek cred will bust the meter.

iPod Myopia. Anyone who’s tried to watch a movie on Apple’s 2-inch iPod screen has probably experienced the joys of squinting and gotten a nice wrist ache holding the player in the exact right position for optimal viewing. As cool as handheld video sounds, actually holding a PMP (Portable Media Player) in your hand for two hours is a regal pain, literally.

Enter the Myvu: A pair of light, ultra-modern sunglasses that instead of shading your eyes, dazzle them with two tiny LCD screens embedded in the lens. Put on your Myvu, plug it into an iPod – or most any device that offers video out through a combined minijack – and a color video image blazes to life before your eyes. The glasses also include an integrated pair of earbuds that offer full, rich sound to compliment the video image.

The Myvu has its own battery pack, which takes three AAAs and can run the glasses for roughly six hours before needing to be replaced. The battery pack also includes a sleeve for your iPod, complete with a window for the screen and opening for the jog wheel.

MyOptics. Myvu takes advantage of a patented optical process that contains the entire mechanism, including the LCD, backlighting, magnifier and light path, in a sealed unit. This allows for positioning of the image source far enough away from the eyes to prevent viewing discomfort (unlike 3D glasses, for example, the Myvu doesn’t force your eyes to cross even slightly to combine the two image sources into one viewable image.) It also guarantees that no dust or dirt are introduced into the optical path and that all lens remain precisely aligned, even if your glasses get knocked around a bit.

The Myvu’s native resolution is 320×240 pixels with a 4:3 aspect ratio, the same as the iPod’s built-in screen. The virtual focal point – where the two images combine into one – is one meter, more than enough to ensure comfortable viewing. The screens support up to 24-bit color and up to 60 fps (frames per second).

MicroOptical Corp., the Myvu’s creator, claims its glasses create a viewing experience equivalent to a 27-inch display watched at about two meters. My own experience was pretty consistent with that claim, although with only 320 x 240 resolution, the pixel lines were clearly visible (imagine a 27-inch TV at half resolution, and you get the idea.) Despite the lower resolution, the image the Myvu produces is crystal clear and sharp.

My only complaint about the Myvu is that it’s nearly impossible for people like me who wear glasses to use them. They simply don’t fit right. For users who either wear contacts or don’t need help with their vision, the Myvu comes with several different bridges that can be molded to the shape of your nose for optimal comfort. For those of us with glasses, MicroOptical said they are looking into offering prescription versions of their video glasses in the future.

Geek-o-Meter: The Myvu is unmistakingly cool, and for users looking for an immersive audio/video experience to go with their PMP, the Myvu is an excellent choice. Even the $269 price tag is pretty reasonable for this type of display device. Only those who need glasses to correct their vision should beware. It scores an 8 on the Geek-o-Meter.

The Specs:

Display

• Format – Binocular
• Type –AMLCD
• Video Signal – NTSC/PAL (auto selecting)
• Resolution – 320 x 240
• Aspect Ratio – 4:3
• Focus Image Location – 1 meter
• Field of View – Approximately 13.5o horizontal, 16.8o diagonal
• Image Size – 27″ image (virtual screen) @ 2 meters
• Refresh Rate – 60 frames/sec.
• Color Depth – 24 bit

Durability

• Drop test portion of MIL-STD-810F test procedures: Dropped 26 times onto 2” plywood from a height of 4 feet. Passed.

Audio

• Integrated stereo sound via earbuds

Viewer

• Weight – 68 grams
• Nose Pads – Adjustable, Replacable

Power Supply

• 3 AAA batteries
• Power Consumption – < 400 mW, <150 mW if integrated
• Power Saver – Auto shut off
• Battery Life – Approximately 6 hours

For More Information

• www.myvu.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 16th, 2006 at 3:06 pm and is filed under HOME, TECH, MULTIMEDIA, IPOD, PMP, AUDIO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.