Echo Frames (2nd Gen) | Smart audio sunglasses with Alexa | Classic Black with new polarized sunglass lenses

4 reviews for Echo Frames (2nd Gen) | Smart audio sunglasses with Alexa | Classic Black with new polarized sunglass lenses

1. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   KL – 26 December 2020

   This is a total invasion of your privacy. Please don’t buy!This allows Amazon to track and record everything that you do and say. Amazon will know what you do 24/7. What you say will be recorded. It will know what you do on a daily basis, what you like and dislike, etc. This is Big Brother, Amazon edition. This is a total invasion of your privacy. Don’t sacrifice your privacy for convenience. Please don’t buy.

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2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Ethan Wells – 10 December 2020

   4 stars – but not for everyone (SEE UPDATES)I purchased the first generation Echo Frames back in February of 2020, and upgraded to the 2nd generation about a year later. My review will be divided into three parts: aesthetics, functionality and reservations.1. Aesthetics. I initially was concerned about how these frames would look. In particular, I was afraid they would be bulky – especially the temples (i.e. the part of the glasses connecting the lenses to your ears), where most of the electronics are. Have no fear on this point – I’ve been wearing these frames for the better part of a year, and not only has no one ever said anything to me about them (unless I start interacting with Alexa), but I’ve never even noticed anyone looking at them funny. I think this may be because one tends to look directly at another person’s face, thereby losing the depth perception that would make the temples more noticeable.The frames themselves are inoffensive. While they may not be for everyone, they will look fine on most people, regardless of age or gender. Think of them as new-nerdy-chic.2. Functionality. Overall, I have been very pleased with the functionality of my frames. I use them primarily for phone calls and for listening to music, podcasts or baseball games in situations were I need to be able to hear what is going on around me. The phone call quality is excellent: not only can I hear exceptionally well, but I’ve been told by those on the other end of the line that they can hear me better than when I am speaking directly into my phone. Upon a moment’s reflection, this isn’t hard to understand. The frames sit on your nose, an inch or two above your mouth. The mics have been well placed to take advantage of this proximity and – unlike when you’re holding a phone in your hand – their placement with respect to your mouth is not constantly changing.In general, listening to music, podcasts or baseball has also been a positive experience. You shouldn’t expect Bose-quality surround sound, and the frames definitely won’t bring out the best of, eg. Yo-Yo Ma, but the sound quality is fine – especially for podcasts and baseball games. In most situations, I can hear whatever I am listening to without entirely tuning out the outside world and without everyone around me hearing it too (something I wish I had 15 years ago, when I was working in a cubicle next to my supervisor). This is especially useful for me now: since the pandemic began, I’ve been at home with my 4 year old kid most of the time. I can’t afford to have earbuds in when I’m watching him, since I need to be able to respond to him and to hear him when I can’t see him. My Echo frames allow me to listen to the news or make a phone call while watching him at the playground, going on a walk, or doing things around the house. I also find them useful for outdoor activities near the home. For instance, I have a flock of chickens. I try to let them out in the yard as often as possible, but need to watch them closely to protect them from coyotes and hawks. My frames allow me to interact with my wife by phone or listen to a podcast while also being able to hear, eg., my chickens’ warning cry when they see a threat. Very useful.I have found the frames less useful in more urban settings. I live in greater Boston, in one of those quaint small New England towns 10 minutes from the city. When I am in the town center, I find the frames more or less useless. Why? When a car passes me on the sidewalk, I can’t hear whatever I’m listening to. I can turn up the volume – but once the car has passed, the volume is ludicrously loud. I can decrease the volume – but traffic is such that a car will pass every half a minute or so. So to use them effectively in this setting, I’d basically have to keep my finger on the volume button at all times – which would make me look kind of like Cyclops from the X-Men right before he blasts someone. Perhaps I would find this less annoying in Boston proper, where a steadier flow of traffic would allow me to keep the volume on max all the time.In terms of battery life: I find I can wear my glasses all day, using them intermittently, without any difficulty. In terms of continuous use: I can listen to a baseball game or talk on the phone for about 2 hours before I start getting a low-battery warning. Overall, I find this quite satisfactory.3. Reservations. As noted above, I find the frames more or less useless in situations where the background noise varies in its intensity from moment to moment. This may in part be because my own hearing isn’t great.I also find myself thinking a few easy-to-add features would significantly improve the Echo Frames. A reading light would be really useful for, eg. reading in bed without disturbing your partner. And a find-my-glasses feature would be much appreciated. This latter feature represents a level of functionality that the engineers at Amazon have not yet explored: features designed for when you’re *not* actively using your glasses.Overall, I am pleased enough with my glasses that I went ahead and purchased a Gen 2 set. I think they are ideal for parents, for folks whose work spaces prohibit listening to the radio, and for certain outdoor activities. If, however, you’re going to use them primarily in an environment where the level of background noise is constantly varying, you should prepare to be disappointed.***UPDATE ON PRIVACY 03/02/2021*** A lot of reviewers have expressed concerns over privacy. While there are very legitimate privacy concerns with respect to any Echo (Google, Facebook, Apple) device, as well as with respect to the Alexa app or, for that matter, most other apps that are *already* running on your phone, I fail to see how the frames by themselves pose any greater privacy risk than just the Alexa app, since not only can you turn off, mute, or disconnect the frames at any point, but Alexa is not actually integrated into them. Rather, the frames communicate with the Alexa app on your phone; without the app, they are glorified earbuds. So any privacy concerns – which are, to be clear, real enough – are more properly addressed to the app than to the frames. To claim, then, that the frames allow “24/7” tracking is both untrue and laughable (the frames only have an 8-10 hour battery life); the concern animating this misplaced criticism is one that could be legitimately raised against many, many apps and is, ultimately, an argument for not having a smart phone. For those who have already integrated smart phones into their daily lives, the privacy cat may well be already out of the bag…****UPDATE 04/12/22****I updated to the gen 2 frames, and was pleased with them until recently. “Until recently” because the frames have become increasingly unreliable. Over and over again, when I use the wake word “Alexa,” I am advised I need to unlock my phone. This despite the fact that my phone is (a) unlocked and (b) remains unlocked when connected to the frames. This appears to be a problem affecting many of Amazon’s wearables (eg. Echo Buds). Until it is resolved, the frames don’t accomplish their number one function, namely, allowing one to interact with the Alexa assistant. I have, for this reason, changed my 5 star review to a 2 star review. If this problem persists, I’ll change my review to a single star. I strongly urge Amazon to rectify this problem asap. Until then, these frames are not worth the investment.****UPDATE 07/06/22****Amazon appears to have corrected the problem with its wearables thinking the phone is locked, so I have restored two stars to my review.

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3. 

   Rated 1 out of 5

   Edward Carp – 22 December 2020

   A useless, expensive product that misses the mark big time…What is the point of these things? The audio quality is not good enough to listen to music on them. I imagine most of us already have echo devices throughout our homes, so why wear glasses to give echo commands or ask it questions? most of us have our phones connected to our cars bluetooth systems, so these glasses are unnecessary there….and the battery (still in this second generation Frames) went from 100% to 20% battery after only 20 minutes, so you couldn’t use them regularly for a whole day. For me this is a useless, expensive product that misses the mark big time.

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4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   C – 10 December 2020

   I like them, but might not be worth it for many people…These Gen 2 Echo Frames are a slight upgrade from the Gen 1 version; with two new colors, slightly better sound quality, and longer battery life.Here are my thoughts so far:PROS:-Hands-free Alexa: Having Alexa on your face is pretty nice. I really like taking calls or listening to text messages on the Frames, and call quality is very good. Everyone seems to be able to hear me clearly. I prefer these Frames over earbuds for hands-free calls, partly because wearing these doesn’t affect your ability to hear things going on around you. I always feel like my hearing is impaired slightly when I’m walking around with earbuds in, but these make it feel like I can still hear everything else well too. I also have enjoyed using these to access shopping lists, just to make having to shop in stores slightly easier.-Easy Setup: Setup is super easy. Just open the Alexa app on your phone, follow the instructions and you’re up and running in less than a minute.-Stylish: I personally like the way that these frames look; but of course that is personal opinion. It is nice that there are now three different color options, so there is a decent chance that at least one of them will work for you.-Battery life: These seem much batter than the Gen 1 versions so far. It seems like they have enough battery power to easily last through the day, and I recharge them at night while I sleep.CONS:– Music Listening: While the speakers are great for phone conversations, or hearing messages from Alexa, they are FAR inferior to most earbuds for listening to music. The nature of this type of speaker setup doesn’t really lend itself to producing booming bass or crisp mid-range sound. It might be adequate for elevator music; but if you are used to quality headphones or earbuds, these are not great in comparison.-Cost: At $250 currently, these seem like they are a bit overpriced for what they offer. Having Alexa access on your head is nice; but various earbuds including the Echo Buds offer that functionality as well, often with MUCH better sound quality for music listening, and longer battery life. I personally like these Echo Frames, but it would be hard for me imagine them being the best option for most people.OVERALL:Based on the current price, it seems like these will only be worthwhile to pretty small number of people. You have to remember that if you need prescription lenses, you are looking at an additional cost to get your lenses put in at Lens Crafters or another store. If you were thinking about getting some new glasses anyway, and you would find the hands-free Alexa access and calling/texting very useful, then these might be perfect for you. For many people though, I feel like any Alexa-enabled earbuds might be a better option currently, especially if you enjoy listening to music.(I will try to update this review after using these for a few more months if I have any additional thoughts)

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