A week ago I purchased a pair of Bose Frames. They are innovative in that they look just like an ordinary pair of glasses, yet they have a superpower: They beam high quality stereo sound into your ears from the two earpieces.
During my recent trip to France, I proceeded to walk around Paris wearing them all week while listening to music. Now, back in Manhattan, I continue to listen to music with my Frames every day.
This was very surprising to me, because for years I have thought of myself as the sort of person who never walks around listening to music. So what is different now?
Well, two things. First, since the Frames don’t cover your ears, there is no disconnect with the world around you. You can still hear traffic, conversations, all of the details of the city. As an inveterate pedestrian, that just makes me feel safer.
The second thing is that there is no “social signaling” involved. Since the Frames just look like an ordinary pair of glasses, they are not telling the world “this person has checked out of reality.” I like that.
In my opinion, they may be the first truly successful wearable input device. For that reason, I think they represent an important milestone in the march to future reality.