Gadgets

Take calls, hands- and earphone-free

Buhel SoundGlassesBuhel SoundGlasses is a wireless headset that relays sound via bone conduction and doubles as a pair of sunglasses. It communicates with the user’s iOS, Android or Windows smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. Phone call audio (or music from the mobile device’s library or from a Bluetooth-enabled MP3 player) is played back through two transducers, one located in each arm of the glasses. The vibrations from the transducers travel through the bone in the sides of the user’s skull to their inner ear, where they’re heard as sound. This leaves the ear canal open to hear other sounds such as oncoming traffic. Users converse via a bidirectional noise-cancelling mic in the bridge of the sunglasses, plus a multi-function button can be utilized to place and end calls. One 3-hour charge of the glasses’ lithium-ion battery is good for about three hours of talk time. SoundGlasses come with multiple interchangeable Category 3 UV-certified lenses and an adapter for allowing users to mount their own prescription lenses.