GADGETS by Gregg Ellman :: March 17, 2021
Smart tech glasses have been around for a few years. Many of us know they exist but don’t know a lot about them. So before agreeing to test Italian-made Fauna audio glasses, I did something I rarely do before receiving a product – I read about them.
I know what glasses are, I know what smart glasses are. But there are different kinds that produce different results. Fauna focuses on eyewear and audio, I figured that would be a winner in my book, and it turned out it was.
I wear eyeglasses so it’s pretty mainstream to adjust to new glasses. In this case since they weren’t prescription I used them while wearing my contacts. My sample glasses were the spiro transparent brown model, which translates to sunglasses with speakers with transparent frames.
Fauna describes the eyewear as designer audio glasses with speakers. They look just like glasses, attractive but as described they sound awesome by playing your music with crystal clear and vivid audio.
When you first see the Fauna, they appear to be just glasses, which is a good thing. With what they have built-in, you’d think they are big, bulky, and flat-out ugly, but they are far from that.
First, the frames are built with Bluetooth 5.0 for easy pairing to an Android or iOS wireless device. The arms of the speakers have water-resistant USound Mems micro-speakers and electrodynamic woofers on both sides, a touchpad for controls, and a pair of microphones on the right for hands- and ears-free calls.
With the speakers not being earbuds in your ears, they can be considered safer for hearing ambient noises while exercising or walking busy streets.
The sound produced is excellent for what these are. If you’re expecting a full surround sound system to be blaring in your ears, this is not for you. The Fauna audio wear is built on convenience and they did a great job with it. The audio is crystal clear and when I was sitting in my yard, they were even better.
The lenses are available in four attractive styles with each having a different frame design, lens color (blue light filter lenses, sunglasses, or cat-eye sunglasses), and the built-in speaker system, which can reach volume levels of 80 dB @ 1 kHz. The glass is interchangeable enabling an optician to change the lenses to your prescription.
One thing you’ll have to know going in is they are going to be yet another device, which will need a charge. A hard storage case is included, which doubles as a powered charging case for up to four full eyewear charges. A USB-C cable is included for charging the case along with a cleaning cloth.
The glasses have a built-in 100 mAh rechargeable battery; the case’s battery is 1300 mAh and takes about 2 hours to charge the glasses to full power. The glasses will be ready for up to 20 hours and can play up to 4 hours of music and calls.
https://wearfauna.com $298
Satechi has introduced new slim Bluetooth backlit keyboards designed for Macs. The Slim X3 ($89.99) full-sized keyboard features an extended layout with a numeric keypad.
Measuring 16.65-by-4.5-inches and just 0.4 inches thick, the X3 features everything you need for a wireless home computing keyboard. The USB-C port is on the backside for recharging the keyboard or it can work directly plugged into any compatible USB-C device.
For a wireless connection, it will connect with up to four Bluetooth devices. Keys to assign specific Bluetooth devices are on the top right, which makes alternating between the paired Bluetooth devices simple and instant. With just the press of a button, assuming pairing has been done, the keyboard instantly toggles between a desktop, laptop, iPad, or iPhone.
The keys are illuminated and backlit but most importantly it’s a comfortable keyboard for typing.
The body is built with an Apple-looking space gray aluminum finish and rubber feet on the back keep it in place. Another Apple touch has built-in function hotkeys for working with Mac and iOS devices.
The Slim X1 ($69.99) Bluetooth backlit keyboard is a smaller option without the extended layout and numeric keypad, designed for a more on-the-go user. It is built with three assigned keys for Bluetooth devices and macOS function keys built into an 11.14-by-4.5-by-0.39 inch body.
A USB-C port keeps the battery charged and has backlit keys. A small power switch on the front right lets you turn both keyboards on and off.
Both the X1 ($59.99) and X3 ($69.99) also come in wired versions.
satechi.net
by Gregg Ellman (@greggellman)
