Gadgets: Push a button, make your glasses stronger

January 14, 2012 at 9:57PM
A product shot of Speck's CandyShell Grip for the iPhone, in an undated handout photo. The new CandyShell Grip is an iPhone case designed with gamers in mind, adding soft-finned grips so that gamers won't suffer thumb cramps and finger fatigue. (Handout via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH STORY SLUGGED CIR-GEEK-NOTES. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED.
A product shot of Speck's CandyShell Grip for the iPhone, in an undated handout photo. The new CandyShell Grip is an iPhone case designed with gamers in mind, adding soft-finned grips so that gamers won't suffer thumb cramps and finger fatigue. (Handout via The New York Times) -- NO SALES; FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY WITH STORY SLUGGED CIR-GEEK-NOTES. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. (Associated Press - Nyt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

emPower eyeglasses, $1,200-$1,500, www.pixeloptics.com

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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