This year, sound-tracking your summer is as easy as reaching for your sunglasses: Bose’s latest smart speaker is packed into a pair of sleek, black Frames.
From directions in your ear to augmented reality gaming, this is the low-down.
Sunglasses with a soundtrack
Bose’s new Frames solve the discomfort of wearing headphones with sunglasses by building powerful, miniaturised speakers into the arms of the shades themselves.
The glasses use bone conduction technology, which transmits the sound of your music or phone call through your cheekbones, so your eardrums are free to hear that speeding bus or bike coming up behind.
The best part is nobody else knows you are listening: even on full blast, only about one per cent of the sound leaks into the room.
Hands-free help
Seeing your screen is difficult in shades so the Frames are designed to be hands-free. The glasses are equipped with a Bluetooth connection and there’s a gold control button on the right temple for power, Siri and Google Assistant, calls and commands, and directions.
Smarter still, you can access content through gestures: nod your head to say yes and shake your head to say no — handy for changing tracks and accepting phone calls.
Looking to the future
Frames have also been enabled for augmented reality, opening up fun possibilities for gaming and entertainment.
Unlike other AR glasses, this doesn’t mean Bose alters what you see or superimposes futuristic objects into your field of vision. Instead, it adds a layer of audio to certain AR-enabled apps, thanks to a nine-axis head motion sensor and GPS.
Use the Naviguide or Otocast apps to turn your Frames into a next-gen audio guide — they’ll give you commentary on buildings or landmarks you’re looking at, or Bose’s own AR app, Radar, featuring 360-degree virtual audio soundscapes.
Substance and style
Bose Frames are designed to look like your favourite pair of Ray-Bans — sleek, matte black and surprisingly lightweight.
Shape-wise you can choose between Alto, a square style, or Rondo, which is smaller and more rounded. You can swap the tinted lenses for any of Bose’s new lens collection, including a blue-gradient non-polarised option.
Charge them up using a pogo-pin cable for 3.5 hours of playback and up to 12 hours on standby — and just place them upside down on your desk to turn them off.
From May 31, £200, bose.co.uk
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