PTron VIKI Bluetooth Sunglasses review: A gadget that looks cool enough to belong in a James Bond movie, but that’s about it.
My favourite scene in every James Bond movie is when Q shows 007 all the cool gadgets, so when this pair of ‘chic’ shades were handed over, I was quite excited. After all, which millennial does not like technology attached to accessories, especially those that would further connect us to the latest human organ – the awesome cellular phone.
So, with a smooth Rajinikanth-like swish of the hands I took on these high-tech PTron Viki Bluetooth sunglasses – ambitiously worthy of an international spy – twirled them around and placed them squarely on my ears.
Problem No. 1, they were too big and refused to sit comfortably. No big deal, the makers had thought of a solution and the built-in earpieces were adjustable.
Problem No. 1a, they could only be extended further and not be made more compact. Ergo, my 22.1-inch round head was too small for said uber-cool device, which meant that for the next two days the glasses were sitting on the tip of my nose, and not the bridge.
PTron Viki Bluetooth sunglasses look ambitiously worthy of an international spy when you try them on.
Undeterred by such a minor setback, I switched them on by long-pressing the middle button on the right side of the clunky – yet intriguing – black frame. Smooth. It quickly paired with my phone’s Bluetooth and I was set for some super-cool travel experience 2.0 to work. Soon I was grooving to my current favourite Illegal Weapon by Jasmine Sandlas and Garry Sandhu. The sound was clear, though the treble was a bit too sharp on high volume. Just to test, song switches and volume control worked just like any other Bluetooth device through the trio buttons on the frame. Hindustani classical music and Mozart weren’t as holistic as I would have liked, but passable nevertheless. Alas, the sound range is of around 20 steps, so crossing that Lakshman Rekha means compromising on sound quality = Problem No. 2.
Educated and all set, I stepped out into the glaring sun at 11.30 am (yes, I start at noon, so go on and be jealous). The rather sad-looking packaging box claimed that it was anti-glare and the earphones “noice cancelling (sic)”.
Problem No. 3, the rickety glasses were NOT anti-glares as the sun pierced through and because of Problem No. 1, they didn’t even fit well enough to protect the eyes from the sun, which also led to Problem No. 4, I heard every single traffic noise clearly alongside the music. So, no cancellation anywhere.
Problem No. 1, they didn’t even fit well enough to protect the eyes from the sun,
Pre-orchestrated call from the father came in after 15 minutes, with an automated voice spelling out the phone number, instead of the caller name (and this was after it had been granted access to my contact list). I picked up the call with a press of a button at digit 6, to hear his voice crystal clear. Though, my voice through the auto movement and traffic was not as clear to him.
Problem No. 5: Cannot use said device for chasing criminal while asking MI6 HQ for back-up.
Problem No. 6: The USB 2.0 in-built charging point means that one can’t use the regular pin to charge the glasses, and honestly, I didn’t have the patience to see if the charge lasted for the claimed 6 hours either.
So far the sunglasses weren’t faring too well on the tech front, but what of the cool fashion quotient?
Immediate response to the ‘look’ of the Rs 2,500 glasses from multiple people was that it would work for a wannabe biker at best, and a teenage kid acting like a spy at worst. Even if the glasses flip up to give you clear vision, I don’t think any adult would want walk on the road sporting Viki and expect to be taken seriously. Alternatively, they would make for an excellent choice of expensive, limited timeframe gift for a child who likes gadgets.
PTron VIKI Bluetooth Sunglasses in a nutshell
Price: Rs 2500
Interface USB 2.0
16 Ohm built-in, stereo sound, ‘noice’ cancelling earphones
Built-in mic
For calls and music
Anti-glare glasses
Comes with a nice hard-shell zip case with a belt latch