Despite his publicly documented financial woes, Nicholas Cage is returning to the hot seat in this hellish action flick called Drive Angry 3D (notice that 3D is actually in the title, that was probably intentional). Though the film isn’t set to be released until February 2010, a scorching trailer was unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con festival last week. In the trailer, Cage is prominently wearing Oakley Full Cell sunglasses, which have a big and black mysteriousness that seems to match his character. The movie also stars new Hollywood hottie Amber Heard, along with Billy Burke, who played the dad in the Twilight series. Though you’ll have to wait until next year for the movie, you can get the sunglasses now right here.
Here’s the trailer, you can see the sunglasses right about five seconds into the clip.
Do you like to match? Or, do you hang around outdoors a lot? Boy, are these sunglasses for you.
Chemists at the University of Washington in Seattle are working on “smart” sunglass lenses that will be able to change to any color of the rainbow with just the turn of a knob.
The scientists working on this project predict that these sunglasses won’t cost much more than regular ones, but they won’t be available for several more years as there’s still lots of testing to be done.
So far, the prototype that has been produced has a dial attached to the frame that controls the color of the lenses from clear to deep blue or any shade in between. They have also produced the lenses in red and in green. Chunye Xu, Sc.D., a chemical engineer at the University of Washington said, “We are working on a multicolored device as well, but no prototype is available yet.”
In addition to their superpowers, these lenses will still be able to undergo traditional lens treatments such as coatings to block ultraviolet light, and will be shaped to fit into trendier frames than the goggles that were used for the prototype.
The idea for the lenses came from polymer chemistry. There is an electrochromic polymer that can change color when prompted by an electric current. The current that powers the prototype lenses is a watch battery, which is only used while color is being changed. Xu said a single watch battery will power thousands of color changes, and once the lenses are set, they should stay that color without power for around 30 days.
Along with their appeal to the matching-savvy population, these will be a downright great purchase for anyone who spends time outside in different light conditions.
Different colors of lenses are for different situations. Golfers wear copper-colored lenses to help with depth perception and seeing detail on the green. Skeet shooters wear orange-colored lenses to enhance the color of clay targets against the sky. See what I mean? These smart sunglasses will be hard to beat!
With everything being labeled as “HD” or “Smart,” it’s hard to define what really is high definition or technologically advanced. HD televisions, music players, and even Internet sites are popping up all over the Web boasting HD capabilities. The extremeness of this propaganda has breached the point of absurdity, so the line between high definition and marketing speak is blurred. Oakley sunglasses, however, have gone the extra mile to prove the patented high definition technology behind their HDO sunglasses.
You’ve probably seen “HD” sunglasses on TV commercials and Internet ads. Most of these companies offer sunglasses with polarized lenses or anti-glare, it’s lens technology that’s been around for years. Oakley’s HDO website compares HDO lenses with several other major competitors to prove that the HDO science is really HD. Here’s a snapshot below taken from the Oakley HDO Proven page, you can visit the actual page right here.
~ Carson Barker
Oakley's Proof of concept behind their HDO sunglass technology.
May God strike me down with a feverish bolt of lightning the day that I wear these sunglasses. As if social media, Internet, and digital technology haven’t invaded daily life enough already, a video that’s been floating around the Internet for the past few weeks proposes a pair of sunglasses like something you’d see from a wicked sci-fi film. The lenses to these fictional frames have a digital display and Web capabilities, so wearers can do anything that is possible on a computer or iPhone through these hands-free sunglasses. Imagine walking around town wearing shades that have digital menu bars and readouts, geo and iPhone apps, and fully functional social media tools. Now that’s frightening.
Here’s the catch, the product in the video isn’t real. Though you may find blog posts and whatnot that state otherwise, this video is really just a viral marketing campaign for Iron Man 2. And a clever one at that.
Here’s the second catch, in the near future these sunglasses might very well exist. The technology isn’t that far off, and as addicted to “augmented reality” as society is becoming, sunglasses like the Stark HUD 2020 will probably have a huge market and be in high demand. Personally, I prefer to keep those augmented life filters off my face. Give me my reality straight, no chaser.
It’s hot outside. The sun brings in a wave of heat and piercing light that’s almost unbearable without sunglasses. You step outside for one second, and it’s like your looking into the headlights of an oncoming car.
Sunglasses are a necessity for vision and health purposes. Fortunately, there are thousands of fashionable and cool-looking sunglass designs out there, but you can’t forgo the most important features like UV blockage. Here are 9 tips to abide by when buying your next pair of sunglasses that are savvy and protective.
1. Avoid Cheapies. Get Designers Generic sunglasses can have all kinds of problems. Distorted lenses, faulty frames, and no warranties are just a few of the problems that in the long run, can cost you way more money than the price of a good pair of designer frames.
2. UV protection of 400 This cannot be stresses enough. UV rays from the sun can cause all kinds of damage to your skin and your eyes, so make sure your sunglasses have the highest amount of UV protection, which is 400.
3. A Style that fits Your Lifestyle
If you’re a New York fashionista that spends most of your time downtown, by a pair of fashionable frames that go with your lifestyle. However, if you spend most of your time outdoors doing sports or some other type of aggressive activity, make sure your sunglasses are shatter resistant, scratch resistant, and polarized.
4. Distortion-free Lenses Distorted lenses actually make your vision worse. Even if you have 20/20 vision, distorted lenses can impair vision by forcing your eyes to focus harder on objects that are blurred by imperfect lenses. The best way to avoid buying distorted lenses is to purchase designer sunglasses.
5. Polarized Polarized lenses cut glare from a number of sources, which improves all types of everyday vision. There is really no reason not to get polarized lenses.
6. Accessorize
The lifetime of your sunglasses can be ensured by using the proper accessories. These accessories include a case, cleaning cloth, cleaning fluid, and frame lanyards to keep the sunglasses from hitting the ground when they fall off your face.
7. Warranties Almost all designer sunglasses come with a warranty, make sure you check the company’s website to find out more info about it.
8. Buy From a Legitimate Source
If you buy sunglasses from a non-accredited or unauthorized site, chances are the sunglasses aren’t warranty-protected. Most sunglass websites have logos and seals at the bottom of their page to let the customers know that they are an official dealer.
9. Prescription (if needed) If you have impaired vision, you might want to go ahead and invest in a pair of prescription sunglasses for those days that you forget to wear your contacts.
Seems like every female celebrity is jumping on the sunglasses bandwagon these days. Celebrity twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are set to debut their own line of stylish sunglasses this November. Working with Absolute Black, a manufacturer from Hong Kong, the twins have two styles so far called Fairfax and Hudson. Fairfax is a sleek, black rimmed large frame, while Hudson is a spin off of Ray-Ban Aviators. Around the same time of the sunglasses release, Mary-Kate’s newest film Beastly will debut as well. Check here for breaking news of where these sunglasses will be available.
Never known for being coy, Madonna released a new, semi-provocative commercial promoting her MDG sunglasses yesterday. Madonna announced a few months back that she had been working on her own sunglass product line with D&G, which will be released later this month. So far the styles shown are mostly black and bug-eyed. You can watch the commercial below, I’m sure there’s millions of Madonna fans salivating over a pair of MDGs.
Remember the days of going to the eye doctor and setting your face on that giant, robot-looking machine to test for glaucoma? That awkward blast of cold air into your eye that always makes you want to blink? Those days might soon be over thanks to companies like BiCOM, who are inventing new ways to test for glaucoma which are much less rigorous.
Back in 2008, BiCOM started supporting and representing the Diaton Tonometer, which is spreading across optometry facilities around the world. This portable device can test for the early stages of glaucoma, and it fits in the palm of your hand. Also, the Tonometer doesn’t have any direct contact with the face or eye, only the eyelid, so the days of fastening your face to the traditional glaucoma machine may soon be over. Below is a video on the Diaton Tonometer, you can read more about it here.
Have you seen Iron Man 2 yet? Notice the sunglasses that Robert Downey Jr. wears while he’s in the Iron Man suit with his helmet off? They’re Von Zippers, and FramesDirect.com has ‘em for sale on their Web site. The red checkered style matches his suit perfectly, and Von Zipper has this style in several different color options to match your suit as well. Check out the sunglasses here.
~ Carson Barker
These are the sunglasses that Robert Downey Jr. wears in Iron Man 2
If you’re like me, you’re always finding excuses NOT to buy things for yourself. I’m anything but an impulse buyer: I’ll see something I want and need and I’ll put off buying it for weeks out of sheer paranoia that I won’t need it. Yet every time I muster up the courage to buy something, I’m usually very grateful that I did for years to come.
That being the case, I’m having a hard time finding a reason NOT to buy one of these Anarchy, Oakley, or Wiley X sunglasses. Not only have their prices been marked down considerably, but a portion of sales go to really worthwhile charities like the National Kidney Foundation and Breast Cancer Awareness. Here’s a list and some pics of some of these charity sunglasses below. Buy one these pairs, and you’re buying something for yourself and someone else.
~ Carson Barker
For this frame style only, Anarchy Eyewear will donate $5.00 from each sale to the National Kidney Foundation to help increase the number of transplants available for kidney patients.
Oakley is supporting the YOUNG SURVIVAL COALITION® (YSC) by donating $20 from each sale of the Ravishing Breast Cancer Awareness Edition sunglasses.
Wiley X is donating $2.50 from the sale of each non-polarized pair Lacey sunglasses and $3.50 from each polarized pair to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
