aigo iSonic MP3 Glasses

Good sound Sturdy build

Lens flip looks funny Prolonged use may cause headaches Earphones are irreplaceable

We've been seeing some revolutionary technologies lately. Not on some techblog either; we called them in, tried them out, and got a hang of true Chinese-style innovation. Often I have found no use for many of these contraptions. such as the MP4 watch that requires you to hold your hand up at a rather inconvenient viewing angle akin to the 80s TV program 'Giant Robot'. This we shall feature in a few days. Right now the object that holds my fascination happens to be the aigo iSonic MP3 sunglasses.

Although this isn’t the first of its kind to come into being, nor the only one we've laid our hands on, it still finds itself in a rather niche spot. For the most part, products like this don’t have the versatility and flamboyance to meet everyone’s fashion sense. For another, there’s a long way to go before such products are perfected to strike a harmonious balance between utility and comfort.

The pair in question here come in a light brown tint firmly placed in what feels like nylon fiber frame. You can flip the lenses and according to promotional material there's mention of a certain number of changeable lenses, yet we couldn’t lay our hands on a single one.

Now to talk about what you would really be buying this for — the music. It’s surprisingly good. Surprising because they really didn’t pay too much attention to the ergonomics, but have provided a good warm sound. I like the fact that it’s pretty loud for outdoor listening, since I don’t see why anyone should wear this indoors at all. You can always flip the lens when you listen to music at night. This will make you look quite silly though.

You cannot replace the earphones, but the existing ones (that when left dangling looks like sidelocks) are good. The bass is quite effective and there's not a lot of treble response. Just the way I like it.

It comes with precious few buttons, because you have to use them while the glasses are on. Each button has a dual function, and these are easy to remember. The pair we got comes in 512MB, although you can also get these glasses in 1GB capacity as well.

I tried these glasses on ten different people, and only one managed to carry them off with aplomb. The rest, including me, looked like nincompoops. That's the problem with such accessories; you can choose them only if they suit you. For biking purposes, I think they will work just fine though.

The aigo iSonic MP3 sunglasses cost Rs 6,000. This is quite steep, considering they are rather uncomfortable and can give you a headache in a few minutes. If you are an outdoorsy kind of a guy it makes some sense, otherwise imagine sitting at your desk in office wearing these!

Moreover, consider this: if the earphone breaks or retires, you'll have to throw the whole kit away. And much as I hate to say this, you'll have to resign yourself to using them as regular sunglasses.