One of the everyday items that the tech industry has become interested in is glasses. A lot of interesting ideas have come about surrounding glasses, such as adding Bluetooth speakers and headphones to the earpieces, or even guidance for visually impaired people, But, Amonpere has a new way of looking at glasses with their Dusk line of sunglasses.
What are Dusk sunglasses?
Dusk sunglasses are a new take on both the smart glasses concept and the transitional sunglass lens concept, all in a single product line. These glasses don’t use a photochromic lens film to transition from regular glasses to sunglasses. Instead, they use an electric lens film to make the change. This gives a number of interesting and unique benefits.
First, the glasses can be changed manually. This is accomplished either through a button on the frame or through your phone. On the frame, you can press a button and have it cycle through a couple of preset states. This can be regular glasses, full sunglasses, or several steps in between. From your phone, the same thing can be accomplished, but with a higher degree of granularity. You can also set the presets on some models from the app.
Another big difference is the ability to set a darkness level on a whim. Rather than being saddled by the sun and the rules created by the manufacturer, you get to respond to your environment as you please. Do you want to set the lenses to be full sunglasses inside in the dark? You can do it. Are you trying to look at something in detail outside and need clear lenses? You can do that, too.
However, if adjusting manually isn’t what you’re after, you can also activate the company’s InstaOptic feature. While this may sound like standard photochromic lenses, they respond differently. They use light sensors to tell the onboard computer that the light has changed. The user can then decide how to respond to these changes – they can be immediate, like other transition lenses, or they can wait for a period to ensure the change is permantent.
In addition to the lenses, the higher-end devices also integrate Bluetooth audio into the frames. Since you’re already connected to your phone, you might as well use the same devices to listen to music or podcasts while you walk or run.
The new Dusk Sport
The Dusk Sport model is the newest addition to the lineup. These glasses have all of the features of the regular Dusk sunglasses, but in a style that is designed for outdoor activities. It comes in two frame styles – Speed and Action. The lenses also come in a selection of colors, so you can make the glasses your own. These frame styles have become popular even outside of athletes, as they are fashion-forward and interesting looking.
Summary
The Dusk and Dusk Lite glasses are already available. The Dusk is available for $299 and the Dusk Lite is available for $199. The Dusk Sport is available through crowdfunding now with a retail price of $399, but a pre-order price of $279.
Interview by Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.
Get $5 to protect your credit card information online with Privacy.
Amazon Prime gives you more than just free shipping. Get free music, TV shows, movies, videogames and more.
The most flexible tools for podcasting. Get a 30 day free trial of storage and statistics.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
Over the past decade, it seems that everything has become smart. From lightbulbs to refrigerators, to even glasses, everything is getting smarter. In some cases, the benefits have been obvious, such as being able to control lightbulbs without having to go to a particular place in the room or having special wiring. However, some items being smart have mostly been gimmicky, like glasses. That is until now – as 
