NEW Oakley "Airwaves" Goggle . . .

[Rustpot]

My right eye can't read things that close.

 

[GRFMotorsports]

I just looked at the listing on the O site and it mentions nothing about HUD so that must have been something someone else added in to the description at some point in time. It does specifically mention HUD on the Apple website and in the promo video. Maybe by the time they got it on the website for sale they actually figured out what HUD really is. Cool technology but the execution is lacking in my opinion.

 

[Batwolf]

Maybe their terminology was incorrect but early reviews always showed that small screen being on the bottom corner.

 

[Yeti]

I tried them on today at the vault...and I am not impressed.

They are rather bulky and extremely heavy, and i found it very uncomfortable to strain my right eye down enough to see the entire image.

I like the idea, and i know it will only get better but I feel it kind of missed the mark on their first try.

 

[Batwolf]

Did you try adjusting the screen? It was annoying for me too upon initial fit but once you get the angle and adjustment of the HUD right it makes all the difference.

 

[Yeti]

Did you try adjusting the screen? It was annoying for me too upon initial fit but once you get the angle and adjustment of the HUD right it makes all the difference.

I didn't fiddle with them too much, but unless it moved about a half inch up it wouldn't have been comfortable...however it could be my odd head.

I was mostly just surprised to see them at the Vault in Calgary...i figured with a limited release they wouldn't show up there.

 

[Batwolf]

They are only available in select Oakley stores and Vaults. Most of them being either premium stores or near prime snow locations.

As well as Apple stores.

 

[sideways]

Perhaps it didnt, but they did use the words "heads up display" which is most commonly referred to as the information is projected on to whatever you are looking through. To me this is the equivalent of GM saying a car has heads up display and you actually have to look at the NAV screen.

This is HUD

Head-up display - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HUD means exactly that. You don't have to physically tilt your head down to view the display...I'd say that oakley is pretty spot on with the terminology. The whole projection thing is just a common idea everyone has had of HUD.

 

[whirrx]

Hello everyone,

Wanted to get a post out there from my first two weeks of ownership for the Airwave Goggles. I will try to answer as many questions/concerns as I have read while reading through here and post pictures as I go.

So I have owned the Airwave for about 2 weeks now, and haven't had MUCH time to play with them as it was a purchase my wife would NOT approve of (even though she keeps asking when I will get the C6 Al...) Initial reaction from wearing in store was that the HUD was a little difficult to adjust to looking at, but I didn't care, I had to have them. As you can see above, the packaging was not as awesome or special as I might have expected from Oakley on a first-of-its-kind product such as this. I was happy that the goggles came with both the new universal soft goggle case and a white goggle microbag, I was supremely disappointed that a special edition microbag was not included though.

The accessories included are the white microbag, wrist control and strap, USB cable, wall charger (with US and Euro plug adaptors), warrant and manual. Interestingly, and what really made my decision to buy a first edition of something like this, is that the technology is covered by a TWO year warranty. I liked that a lot, and gave me the comfort to make the purchase.

The goggles themselves are great. I don't really feel like they are too cumbersome on my face and they don't feel overburdening with weight to me either. I could understand why some might think so, but I did not experience any uncomfortable fit. I chose the gunmetal/black iridium selection solely because I am a sucker for Oakleys in Matte Black (why they called it gunmetal is beyond me, but the frame contains matte black and matte grey). As far as the SwitchLock on the goggle goes, this is NOT something you can do on the fly. If you get the chance to play with these in store, MAKE SURE you attempt to remove the lens, because it IS hard. I was in the O Store when they first put these on display and it took myself and 2 employees a good 10 minutes to get the goggle off. I think it is something you could do in the car before heading up the mountain, but definitely NOT on the lift.

A little background on the HUD, it is created by Recon Instruments. Recon Instruments also manufactures the HUDs used in the helmets for NASA astronauts. Just a cool tidbit. I applaud Oakley for contracting the HUD out, instead of trying to struggle through creating one. I reported the HUD as being very cumbersome to view upon my first view, but there actually is a slight adjustment to be made to the HUD. Upon adjusting, the HUD was much more comfortable to view. Using the HUD with the wrist control took a little getting used to, but with time came ease of use, and I can blaze through the menus without thought now. After watching the video, I definitely thought the buddy tracking was the coolest and most useful feature for the HUD. I have discussed with O Store managers, and they confirmed that your buddies do NOT have to also have the Airwave to be tracked, you can track them by entering their phone info into the tracking system. I have not confirmed this, but will this weekend when I head to the slopes, along with providing a much more in depth review of the HUD.

Above are the pictures of the fit, and yes, they are a little bit larger on the head than most may like. The second picture is the goggles under my Oakley Landic Mint Camo Jacket. In the end, I may look a little funny, but at least I will have the most bad ass goggles on the slopes. I will update this post after this weekend to give my slope review. Also, below I have posted a picture of my Crowbars under my Landic hood as well as side-by-side with the Airwave. I have found that the added size is on the BOTTOMLINE of the Airwave, as the topline in comparison to the Crowbar is about the same.

One more note on the Universal Goggle Soft Case, it has an elastic pouch on the inside and two zipper pouches on the outside which is great for storing all the accessories and some more. The goggles are packaged with a plastic "stand" inside of the case, I have not yet decided on leaving the plastic "stand" in or removing it for more storage, but hopefully I will remember to touch on that in my next review as well.

Hope this helps, and I will try to respond to any questions as you ask them.

 

[GRFMotorsports]

HUD means exactly that. You don't have to physically tilt your head down to view the display...I'd say that oakley is pretty spot on with the terminology. The whole projection thing is just a common idea everyone has had of HUD.

Actually I will have to respectfully disagree. The idea of heads up display has to do with taking your eyes off what you are doing, the actual tilting of the head has nothing to do with it. Whether you move your whole head or your eyes off of what you are doing your still not watching where your going and distracted.