The Gadget Show Live, April 2013: Technology in the UK
by Ian Cutress on April 4, 2013 6:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Trade Shows
- UK
- Gadget Show
My working day typically consists of 6-10 hours of looking at a monitor, often switching between three different ones for testing and writing, as well as my netbook. This is often beyond my usual forum browsing and web intrigue, as well as sport and general TV. The danger is that overtime my eyes will degrade, much in the same way that writers can get RSI – it happens to a few users and it is not that pleasant. Jarred is attempting to deal with his RSI with ergonomic keyboards, and companies like Gunnar are developing eyewear helping with long periods of looking at screens.
With these types of ailments, the solution comes from the family of a sufferer. With Gunnar, the Co-Founders husband developed headaches and eye pain when dealing with his IT career. These headaches and eye issues are often referred to as DEF (Digital Eye Fatigue) or CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome). They reached out to a friend who was a former engineer at Oakley, as well as medical experts on the issue. The solution is what we see today - a pair of glasses with an anti-glare coating that focus the light into the eye to remove the muscular work the eye has to do. The optional tinted lens helps filter out blue light and reduce onscreen contrast as well, and the design of some of the available frames hugs the face closer than normal, reducing the amount of moving air between the eye and the lens.
Of course, on first glance almost all the AT editors thought ‘it’s just a pair of tinted glasses’. So the quoted science behind their solution is the product marketing explanation – an eye normally blinks 12 times a minute, but when concentrating on a monitor this can reduce to 3 times a minute, drying out the eye. Couple this with the copious amounts of time most individuals spend in front of a screen and the eye is continuously over worked and over dried. Gunnars try to make the eye work less.
The glasses I was shown are both coated and tinted in order to adjust the high contrast background on most applications. The lenses themselves also magnify slightly (a few percent, but noticeable enough) such that the user does not have to sit so close to the screen, and a pair of non-tinted ones were on show for graphic designers who require accurate color definition.
I actually have some knowledge of this – I had a high-school friend who had concentration issues when looking at black text on a white background. The solution to his woes was a piece of colored transparent plastic, which he used in every exam with success. I can easily see where this company is coming from.
Gunnar are already selling in the US, as private sales and under prescription, and the appearance at Gadget Show Live was to drum up interest among the UK media as well as source local distributors for their product line. The lenses are essentially the same across the range with the same coating and magnification, with various tints and non-tinted available - it is all up to the style of the frame for the user. They were mainly being advertised as Gaming eyewear but the company also encourages corporate entities to consider the health of employees that work in front of a computer eight hours a day.
Aside from the current sole UK retailer, pricing for the gaming range is expected to be £49-£69+ in the UK with SCAN as the initial etailer, along the same lines as a gaming mouse or keyboard. Similar to what Jarred is doing with mechanical keyboards, I have asked for a review sample in order to see how much it may affect my IT life. My vision has classically been perfect with great range, with minor red-green colorblindness and my inability to find things like keys or memory that might be right in front of me on my desk, but I would like to see for myself if they make a difference over an extended period of time.
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jabber - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
The Gadget Show??? I must admit I don't know anyone that watches that show anymore. It was okay originally when they group tested the latest cameras and deep fat fryers but now it's all stupidly expensive Arab prince playthings. It comes to something when the cheapest stuff they show are Apple products. A reality disconnect. Oh and the presenters are dicks too.hughlle - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Have to agree. It's in the name. Gadget. An igloo 360 degree gaming experience does not really fal into the notion of a gadget for me, considering the level of sophistication, let alone the size of the thing.IanCutress - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
There are two different markets for gadgets - the consumer or the business. Now I can't imagine an individual having a 360 gaming experience in the home unless they have the space and the cash, but there is scope for businesses to hire them for events, or use them as marketing tools to build new clients. In that sense, they are very much a gadget from my POV.Also the 'Live' show floor has very little to do with the OTA TV programme, except in name and advertising. There are corollaries between items featured in the TV Show and the event, mostly by virtue that the company making the product wants to advertise it to the event audience. Not once did I see or bump into any of the Gadget Show presenters.
The TV broadcast doesn't specialise in any real field; their market is the non-enthusiast. As such, the non-enthusiast may not appreciate being told the difference between 18 different smartphones or laptops, only one or two, and they don't really care about the motherboard as they buy systems prebuilt. And in much the same way that Top Gear doesn't really review anything for regular people, TGS veers into that high end space more often than not in order to show 'here's something in the high end space''.
Ian
Modjo30 - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
Guess you don't watch it ever then because they are always testing the cheaper items, they were testing the latest touch screen camera's on the latest episode, costing £199 and £299, i wouldn't call that arab prince playthings really, However it is a bit like Top gear, an awful lot of people are interested in seeing these amazing gadgets and what peoples minds have thought up, you go back to your farm and your armish lifestylecjs150 - Friday, April 5, 2013 - link
The presenters are not dicks, they are too juvenile for their balls to have dropped yet.It is a show made by 9 year old boys for 9 year old boys (but with a pretty women as one of the presenters in case the 9 year old's elder brother (13) ends up watching it). Shame because some of the tech is truly interesting.
takuan2uk - Saturday, April 6, 2013 - link
Hi, I used to be a Gadget Show fan as well, but it has long ceased to be a show aimed at techies and gadget freaks. As is common with many programs it has dumbed down and become more sensationalised so as to appeal to a wider audience. You can tell that they're milking it for all it's worth when they sent one of the presenters to Italy just to test out some (rather ordinary) headphones!AncientWisdom - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Great write up, definitely some interesting ideas and gadgets presented.very interested in a follow-up of the Gunnar products as well as the group robot stuff which I find very stimulating intelligently speaking.
NobleKain - Monday, April 8, 2013 - link
AncientWisdom ~Following this write-up, I went and bought a pair of the Gunnar's (Wi-Five model). I love them! My assumption is that since I have a FSA (health savings account) that I haven't yet touched, I can probably get them reimburesed given their purpose (Note: I have not yet attempted reimbursement, so don't trust that it is possible... I just assume it is).
Anyway, I have had my pair since last Friday (4/5/13). I absolutely love them. I'm a comp programmer, so I spend 8+ hours a day in front of my PC, followed by an evening of reading on my iPad mini. They make a HUGE difference, but you should note: it takes awhile to get used to them (it took me a little over an hour). While the magnification is minor, it's enough to "weird" out your eyes. I presume this is because your eyes are used to working harder. Whatever the reason, it takes a bit to get comfortable with them, but after the hour, I can now wear them without issue. Also, I no longer need a "warm-up" to them. They simply work comfortably.
Another caveat; the magnification REDUCES the clarity of anything more than 10ft. away. Again, this is very, very minor, but it is worth noting. These won't be all-day replacements for all activities. These are single-purpose glasses, IMO... looking at computer screens.
I got the yellow'd tinted versions, and I'd suggest you do the same, unless you NEED the clear versions.
Anyway, as a customer, I'm very happy with my purchase - and if I'm correct that I can use my FSA funds, I'll be even happier. Either way, it's worth it (I paid $106 after tax). I'm tempted now to get a pair for home, so I don't have to bring these ones back and forth.
dylan522p - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
Great write up, but I feel like the gadget show is not about gadgets.jabber - Thursday, April 4, 2013 - link
We used to go to the Stuff show at the end of the year. Then the next day we visited Selfridge's home entertainment and computer dept. We found 95% of the gear on show at the Stuff show in there...and it didn't cost anything to go in.Suffice to say we don't bother paying/visiting that many gadget/tech shows these days.