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App-driven life: Smart ski goggle visor is like a dashboard

Oakley's Airwave ski goggles adds to its already futuristic line of eyewear. Earlier googles could connect to phones and now its newest pair of goggles can give their wearer data via a screen display on the visor. 

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Associated Press
How much hangtime did Clemens Schattschneider get on this jump at the Snowboard World Championship in Quebec, Jan. 18? Oakley's Airwave would know.
  • By Chris Gaylord

Oakley Airwave ski goggles come with a little screen built into the visor. The screen displays your speed, altitude, and the air time of your last jump.

The sports accessories company dived into application-powered apparel early on. For several years, Oakley has made a pair of shades with built-in earphones and gear that can wirelessly connect to phones.

The Airwave steps deeper into science fiction.

If you carry an iPhone or Android device in your pocket, the goggles can pull in extra information, such as incoming text messages, caller ID, and the name of the song playing in your earphones.

The app also includes a buddy tracker that gives you the location of your friends who either have a pair of Airwave goggles (which cost $600 – about twice the price of normal Oakley goggles) or have downloaded the free Airwave phone app.

All of these data points pop up in the corner of your vision like the speedometer in a racing video game. Oakley assures the safety-minded that it placed the screen in the least intrusive spot possible. 

Still, the safety disclaimer kindly reminds you that "concentrating on the display while moving may distract you and cause injury or death."

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