Gadgets: Push a button, make your glasses stronger

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas you can even find electronics in glasses. PixelOptics is demonstrating eyeglasses in which an electronic current is passed through liquid crystals to change the prescription on the fly.
Called the emPower line, the glasses are frames with progressive lenses with three focusing zones. Only two zones work at a time, eliminating problems some progressive lens wearers experience when the upper and lower prescriptions interfere with the middle. (It's called "swim.")
When the wearer touches the temple of the emPower glasses frame, the lower portion gets added magnification for close-up reading. The glasses can also be set to automatically turn on the magnification when the wearer's head moves down, as when reading, then turn off when the user's gaze returns to level.
Batteries in the earpieces are charged on an inductance stand. While the batteries can be replaced, most people's prescriptions will probably change before the batteries wear out.
But the price may leave you cross-eyed, at around $1,200 to $1,500.
A PHONE COVER DESIGNED WITH THUMBS IN MIND
CANDYSHELL GRIP, $35, WWW.SPECKPRODUCTS.COM
The case maker Speck has introduced an iPhone cover that is supposedly kind to the thumbs.
The new CandyShell Grip is an iPhone case designed with gamers in mind, adding soft-finned grips so that Doodle Jump fiends and Angry Bird fanatics won't suffer thumb cramps and finger fatigue no matter how many levels they clear.
The case is made of a glossy hard polycarbonate shell with a rubber lining to protect the phone from knocks. That same soft rubber is placed strategically where thumbs and fingers rest when hard at play.
The raised fins also allow ventilation in case the action is intense enough to moisten your grip.
The case comes in black, yellow, red and white and is available through Speck for $35.
While the case may help your game, there is no guarantee it will save you from the dreaded BlackBerry Thumb. You may want to put the games away once in a while, no matter how comfortable your fingers may feel.
NEW YORK TIMES
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The financial services giant Vanguard recently announced it was cutting fees on its investment products, which it said would save its investors more than $350 million in 2025 alone.