"Highly complete as eyewear."Gizmodo Editor, who loves glasses and owns nearly 20 glasses, talks about HUAWEI's smart glasses.

Good as eyewear, I see!

Among the many wearable gadgets, eyewear is currently evolving. It is a so-called smart glass.

There are various directions for smart glasses, such as AR display and display glasses, but HUAWEI's smart glasses "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II", which we will discuss this time, is a type equipped with a speaker and a microphone. Glasses type "SMART KUBO" and sunglasses type "SMART LANG" are available.

It is a model that collaborated with an eyewear brand called GENTLE MONSTER, and it is also worth noting that it is a fashion brand x smart glasses.

This time, we asked Gizmodo Japan's editor-in-chief Oda, who likes glasses, owns nearly 20 glasses, and also loves smart glasses, to check out "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II." It seems that he was stabbed by the editor-in-chief, who is more noisy about fashion and design than anyone else.

Listen without blocking your ears = mentally easy

──Can I delve into Mr. Oda's love for glasses before listening to the story?

Oda: Yeah. I've always loved foreign artists who wear glasses and have a slightly nerd feel, and I've been imitating myself and continuing to buy them, and when I counted them the other day, there were nearly 20 (laughs). So, I also use contact lenses because I have myopia, but at home I mainly wear glasses. I think I've been wearing glasses more time because I've been at home more often at my stay home.

──By the way, I don't wear glasses at the company, but I often wear glasses at web conferences.

Oda: I often wear glasses with astigmatism and sunglasses outdoors. Also, in terms of smart glasses, I like it so much that when I went to CES (the world's largest consumer electronics trade fair) with Tsunafuji of the editorial department, I went around many smart glasses booths by myself. I personally have some.

──The "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" that you checked this time is a smart glass equipped with a speaker and a microphone. How was it when you tried it?

Oda: Above all, I'm really excited about the collaboration with GENTLE MONSTER, but I'll talk about that later, but let's talk about the function as smart glasses first.

The sound sounds pretty clear. I sometimes thought that the sound pressure wasn't enough, but because it was a semi-open type speaker, it felt natural and familiar to my ears, and I could listen to music comfortably. I'm worried about sound leakage when I turn up the volume, but it is equipped with a technology called "directional sound system" that suppresses sound leakage by reverse sound waves, and it reduces sound leakage by up to 12dB. It's pretty amazing as a technology.

──It seems that it will be useful for purposes other than music. Calls, web conferences, etc.

Oda: Personally, that was an ant. "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" can be used as glasses if you put in a prescription lens, so you can use one earphone / microphone and glasses for a web conference, and it's comfortable because it doesn't block your ears. ..

Recently, the number of web conferences has increased due to the influence of remote work, and there are many scenes where earphones and headphones are used, but it feels awkward to block my ears. Also, if you close your ears before a meeting or a phone call, you'll feel a sense of tension. Of course, I think it's important for concentration, but on the other hand, there are some places where I can't relax.

──Web conferencing may be one of the causes of fatigue.

Oda: Deputy Editor-in-Chief Kanemoto also said, "It's great not to block your ears," but I really think so!

── "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" has a touch control sensor on the frame, but how was the operation feeling?

Oda: The operation feeling is very good. You can adjust the volume and skip songs by swiping the side of the frame, you can play / stop the right frame by double tapping, and you can start / end the call by double tapping either frame, but the touch accuracy is also good. Excellent usability. Also, when you pinch the left frame, you will hear a clicking sound and you will be in pairing mode.

──Is it possible to pair with the main unit without putting it in the case?

Oda: That's right. I thought this was smart.

The charging method is also smart

── How do you charge the battery?

Oda: This is smart again. If you install a charging terminal on your eyewear, it will spoil the design so much, so every manufacturer is creative, but "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" can be charged wirelessly from the storage case, and there is no terminal on the main body. As a spectacle lover, I feel like "I know!" I basically carry my glasses with my glasses case, and the design is as important as the main body.

This case is a double zip with the original logo, but I've never seen a case that is so particular about it. It looks like a nice apparel brand outerwear (laughs). The only regrettable thing is that the case itself doesn't have a battery.

──Ah, I see. It can be charged only when the power cable is connected to the case. How about the battery life of the main unit?

Oda: I used it for music playback and web conferencing for about 3 hours in a row, but I can afford it. With nominal data, it takes about 5 hours to play music and about 3.5 hours to talk, but I think it's enough. Rather, I think that the slimness of this body often makes it possible. It is easy to use without compromising the design of eyewear.

Comfortable and design that you can't think of as a smart glass

──When you talked about "design as eyewear," please tell us about your collaboration with GENTLE MONSTER, which was mentioned at the beginning.

Oda: I originally liked this brand. It's something that everyone in the know knows from a glasses freak. Many Korean brands have a piercing design, but this one is especially piercing.

──When I checked the glasses of GENTLE MONSTER, it seemed to be for advanced users, or it seemed to be a hitokuse.

Oda: Yes, that's good! It's a high-end and experimental concept, and the interior of the actual store is like a museum, so it's quite aggressive. Of course, not only fashionability but also quality as eyewear is guaranteed. Japan is definitely a world-class eyeglass powerhouse, and although its quality is top class, there are many consavative designs in terms of design, and there aren't many aggressive designs.

── If you ask me, it's true. I also use glasses for astigmatism, but I thought that looking for glasses would make a slight difference, so I was overwhelmed by glasses with strong claims like GENTLE MONSTER.

Oda: GENTLE MONSTER also collaborated well, and the collaboration with AMBUSH was also good. The latest model has a design that combines a carabiner with the temple of the glasses, and that also penetrated.

──What did you think of the collaboration “GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II”?

Oda: It has a high degree of perfection as eyewear. Isn't there some smart glasses that give priority to functionality and are secondary to comfort and texture? As a spectacle lover, I feel sorry for that for many years. I thought HUAWEI did it well. In addition to the quality and comfort of eyeglasses, I think that the rigidity of the hinges is also a part of the collaboration with GENTLE MONSTER.

Editor-in-chief Oda's long-standing wish has been fulfilled. "Find the main unit" function!

Oda: Also, I think there are myopia glasses users, but when I lose my glasses, I can't see the surroundings without them, so I need glasses to look for them. Because of that, I put glasses around the house.

── A style that goes on the ground with the old gag "glasses glasses ...".

Oda: That's right. However, "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" is premised on using a HUAWEI smartphone, but it has a function to search for the main unit using the app. This feature is what I have been looking for in smart glasses for many years!

──It's hard to lose even ordinary glasses, but smart glasses are even more damaging.

Oda: There are some, but I also have some painful memories of losing sunglasses at a music festival. I just want to have a HUAWEI smartphone just for this feature. I think this feeling is transmitted to people who tend to lose their glasses. No, I would rather tell you!

──The power theory is amazing. Finally, "GENTLE MONSTER X HUAWEI Eyewear II" has glasses type "SMART KUBO" and sunglasses type "SMART LANG". Which do you prefer?

Oda: I like sunglasses, but ... Wouldn't you be surprised if the editor-in-chief wearing sunglasses came out at a web conference?

──I will do it.

Oda: Until sunglasses are recognized as office casual, I wonder if I should choose the glasses type!

However, the ideal is to have both types and switch depending on the scene.

──I'm looking forward to seeing the editor-in-chief wearing sunglasses at the web conference someday!

Photo: Yasuyuki Takagi Source: HUAWEI