Audio giant Bose on Tuesday announced the launch of a new product called Frames. Frames is claimed to be the world’s first audio augmented reality platform embedded into a pair of premium sunglasses. Using features like micro-acoustics and voice controls, Bose says Frames is the tiniest, thinnest, and most lightweight audio system it has ever unveiled. This pair of sunglasses can be used to stream music and other information, take or make calls, and trigger voice assistants. It is the first commercial product embedded with the Bose audio augmented reality platform.
Priced at $199 (around Rs. 14,100) in the US, the Bose Frames is up for pre-orders on Bose’s official website and will start shipping sometime in January 2019 on Bose.com and Bose retail stores, followed by select resellers and global markets in Spring 2019. The company announced that Bose AR apps are “coming next year”, an update for which will be shared at SXSW 2019 in March next year. The sunglasses have been launched in Matte Black colour, and two styles — square and angled (Alto), and round and slightly smaller (Rondo). They are claimed to be scratch and shatter resistant, and weigh about 45 grams.
Bose Frames claim to blocksup to 99 percent of UVA/ UVB rays. The battery on the Bose Frames offers up to 3.5 hours of playback and up to 12 hours of standby time. Bose claims Frames can be fully recharged in less than two hours using the included pogo-pin cable. In the box are a cleaning cloth/ bag and a protective case.
Styling includes tinted lenses, distinct accents, and gold-plated steel hinges and charging pins. The pair of sunglasses feature “miniscule, wafer-thin” acoustic packages set in each arm’s interiors that act as truly wireless earbuds, but really are not. An ultra-small microphone and multi-function button are embedded on the right temple for power and pairing, Siri and Google Assistant, calls and commands, or to pause and skip songs.
As for AR capabilities, Bose Frames has a 9-axis head motion sensor that — combined with your phone’s GPS (iPhone or Android) — automatically adds a layer of audio offering use cases for travel, gaming, learning, entertainment, and more. Every pair is Bose AR enabled which will be unlocked via a software update in the future through the Bose Connect app.
“Bose Frames are both revolutionary and practical,” said Mehul Trivedi, Director of Bose Frames. “They look and act like classic sunglasses — until you turn them on. And then you’re connected to your phone, contacts, the web, and all its audible content, just like headphones. There’s nothing else like them — they’re a breakthrough you have to see, wear, and hear to believe.”