12 Jan Multimedia Sunglasses Developed in Wisconsin
Middleton, Wis. – Need a new look on life? Ingineo’s new Eyetop Centra could provide you with just that. The Eyetop Centras are multimedia sunglasses with a built-in 16-bit color LCD screen and integrated earplugs that make watching TV while mowing the lawn or riding the subway reality.
The glasses incorporate a miniaturized screen in the lower center of one lens which allows users to watch video content while staying in touch with their surroundings. Earplugs attached to each side deliver audio feed without the need for separate headphones. The frames are foldable and the optics can be adjusted.
A control unit, attached to the wearer’s belt, can play almost any device equipped with a video output, including portable DVD players, digital cameras and camcorders, laptop computers and multimedia hard drives. The unit can adjust the screen’s brightness, contrast, hue and color saturation.
For $399 a pair, the sunglasses can be used to allow multiple users to videoconference from a single laptop, to watch DVDs without ceasing other activities and as a viewfinder for camcorders. Eyetop Centras can be purchased from http://www.eyetop.net
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Kristin V. Johnson is a Madison-based writer. She can be reached at kristin@wistechnology.com.)