Oakley’s Airwave goggles: Fighter pilot gear for the slopes?
Oakley, the Irvine-based company best known for its sunglasses and visors, is rolling out a high-tech snow goggle that lets you see your speed, location and even text messages while skiing down a slope.
The Airwave, which goes on sale Wednesday for $599, has a build-in display that provides features similar to what a fighter pilot has on their helmets.
The display screen, about the size of a finger nail, is located just inside on the right side of visor. Despite the size, the image you see is comparable to viewing a 14-inch monitor displayed about five feet away.
Oakley’s Airwave goggle features Bluetooth and GPS technology as well as a gyroscope and accelerometer.
That and the display, built by Recon Instruments, can be used for a multitude of tasks ranging from checking a map of the ski resort runs to seeing how much elevation you’ve gained and lost throughout the day.
For snowboarders who like to do tricks it also keeps track of how high you got on your jumps.
The goggle comes with a remote control wristband and an app that works with the iPhone and Android phones. Users can also can check the temperature, see their altitude or select a music playlist on their smartphone before rushing down a snowy path.
The Oakley goggle display will also show users where their friends are located if the friends are also running the Airwave app on their smartphones and have enabled a tracking feature.
Maps for about 600 resorts worldwide are currently included in the Airwave’s technology. Oakley told The Times that nearly every major and medium-size resort in North America, most resorts in Europe and a decent portion in South America are included and that more throughout the world will be continually added.
The goggle is available in a black model with a black iridium lens or a white version with an orange fire iridium lens.
The Airwave goes on sale at Oakley and Apple stores, as well as their online counterparts, Wednesday. The Android and iPhone app will also be available for download the same day.
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