Lily Snyder

My husband surprised me with a new gadget. A pair of Bose Frames – Bose sunglasses with built in audio in the temples. Bose augmented reality sunglasses talk to you, play music from your phone, and can handle phone calls all as if you had headphones in your ears.

I’ve been wanting a pair of these for a while. Walking with a dog and toddler in the Tennessee heat with sunglasses, phone, and headphones while chasing said creatures was a challenge. Plus, I don’t like keeping headphones in my ears if I’m not listening to anything. I don’t want complete noise cancelling so I can keep an ear out for cars or other environmental factors.

Bose Unboxing

Fit

After trying many drugstore sunglasses, I’ve come to determine that I must have a small head because I can hardly find sunglasses that fit! These however fit snug. I’m not afraid of them falling off chasing after a toddler or my dog.

Style

I think the Frames are pretty stylish. You can’t go wrong with classic black, right? The temple part of the sunglasses where the speaker, charger, and power button are is a little bulky but I don’t think they mess with the design.

The only thing I wish is that the lens were a bit larger.

Function

On first try, they work great. I had to download the Bose Connect app for the headphones to pair with my phone. I didn’t have to do any troubleshooting to get them to work. Once I downloaded the app, the Frames pair with my phone and I was able to play music or make phone calls.

I haven’t tried the Frames out on a walk yet but as far as sunglasses, they did the job outside on my back porch. I called my husband as a test. He said he could hear our dog bark in the background. I thought his voice sounded as if it was in my ear. Same with playing music.

But wait, didn’t Bose stop making Frames?

It’s true. In June 2020, Bose announced it’s stepping away from “bringing augmented reality to your ears.” It’s a bummer to hear (get it? 😂). Unfortunately, augmented reality as a technology is still finding its footing, especially outside of the enterprise and outside of visual mobile experiences. As of 2019, augmented reality was still in the trough of disillusionment.

What does that mean for my new Frames? It means that apps in the Bose AR ecosystem will no longer work on the Frames. No new app development will take place for the Bose AR audio sunglasses. That’s OK with me. They fix my pain points as is. I’m excited to test them out in more strenuous environments than my back deck. As for Bose? I’m sure AR audio will stay part of their road map. I’m excited to see companies experiment with augmented reality by “breaking through the glass” and focusing on sense other than vision.

Would you try a pair of Bose Frames? Do you think audio augmented reality will catch on with consumers? Let me know in the comments below!

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