Herefordshire firm invents sunglasses you can search the web with (From Hereford Times)

Herefordshire firm invents sunglasses you can search the web with

9:30am Saturday 16th June 2012 in News By Mark Bowen

The days of staring at a mobile phone could be numbered if a Herefordshire firm’s invention - sunglasses that allow users to navigate the internet - catches on.

Binz Intelligent Eyeware is set to take on Google in September with the launch of their sunglasses that allow users to navigate the internet.

The company, from Whitchurch, near Ross-on- Wye, has already launched sunglasses that connect to mobile phones via Bluetooth, a wireless connection that allows different devices to link up.

These glasses can be used to take calls on the move because they include a microphone and detachable ear pods. They work in a similar fashion to handsfree headsets used by motorists.

“All the products are based around the concept of intelligent eyewear,” said Marcus Battersby, of Binz.

“Eyewear will be the concept of the future. Rather than staring at a mobile phone screen or lap top, everything will be in glasses.

“We are going head-tohead with Google. We are going to release our glasses that allow navigation to the internet in September. Google is going to release its product some time next year. We are a long way ahead of them.”

The glasses also allow users to listen to music, connected via Bluetooth to an audio device or phone, while being able to answer calls from their mobile without wires.

“They just look like normal glasses but you can be driving to an event, listening to music, and make and receive mobile calls,” said Mr Battersby, adding that “about four or five years of research” and “many millions of pounds” had gone into the invention.

The company, part of the Solutions Group, is the official partner and supplier to the McLaren Formula 1 team.