Gear Review: Columbia Specs
We've been given an exclusive opportunity to write a gear test for a product that has been kept under wraps deep in the testing facility at Columbia Sportswear. A product like this would have only been the work of science fiction before, but now will tie together numerous technologies to make the outdoors more connected. At first glance these look like an ordinary pair of glasses, but we would like to introduce you to "Columbia Specs".
Columbia Specs offer similar features to Google Glass such as internet connectivity, picture taking and video recording in a very modern design with no silly prism attached to the outside. After a morning of learning the eyeball gestures, you will be effortlessly navigating the user interface, snapping photos and sharing them with your friends on social media with a wink. Where the Specs really shine however is in the outdoors, and leave it to a company that embraces #TryingStuff to tie it all together. GPS navigation is front and centre with a full suite of features...
- Altimeter
- Trip duration
- Upcoming weather alerts
Auto-diming to help reduce the glare off the water
Night vision for when you crawl out of your tent in the dark, trying to find the thunderbox
Saved YouTube videos. Handy for looking up "how to start a fire" or "how to hang your food bag"
Auto sensing, for when you're in the backwoods and puts you in DND mode. "The customer you are trying to reach is connecting with nature"
Bear radar, with proximity alerts. Moose alerts to come. Don't enable mosquito alerts, you won't be able to sleep at night.
If you plug in the included ac-adapter into the Specs protective case, it becomes a charging basestation. Simply placing the glasses in the case at the end of the day will charge them through contact alone. Put them back on the next morning and the battery will be topped up and ready to tackle another day.
Recording a beautiful moment is just a wink and eyebrow furrow away.
Columbia Sportswear has found a solution to a problem that not even one of Silicon Valley's largest companies could solve... Putting form and function into a wearable device. Although this is in late beta, we believe it will all come together and you won't want to miss the Columbia Specs when they hit the market later this year.
