CrunchGear

It’s hard being NinjaMan, Ninja of the Future. Just ask the stewards on my last flight. They had to put up with me looking like a total moron and loving every minute of it. Why? Because I was wearing the Myvu Universals, a pair of video glasses for the iPod — or any other device with a video output — that basically turns you into the coolest guy on the plane.

These glasses allow you to watch standard definition video and listen to stereo sound without having to stare at a tiny physical screen. They have a small LCD embedded near the front of the glasses and the picture is sent to both eyes simultaneously, creating a tiny screen directly in front of your field of vision. The best thing is that it works amazingly well.

The glasses are quite light and compact. They include a pair of soft earbuds that hang down from the frame and the entire rig fits snugly and comfortably. I was able to watch movies for about 5 hours on one charge — it charges over USB so there are no issues with odd wall warts or extra gear to pack. The glasses have contrast and brightness controls and you control volume on the iPod itself.

The Universal works with almost any device with video out including the video iPod, Zune, Archos devices, DVD/video players with RCA jacks. The picture is a bit grainy but quite watchable and my eyes didn’t get tired at all the entire time, which was amazing. I could lie back, watch my flicks, and not get neck strain or nearsighted from staring at a tiny screen on my lap.

The glasses come with extra ear pads and nose pads and you can even buy prescription lenses for them if you’re a four-eyed freak. You will look like a douche with them on — that’s the price you have to pay for coolness — but they work amazingly well.

One pet peeve? I would have loved to be able to use my own earbuds or headphones with the device. Maybe Myvu can include an adapter to add a line-out? It’s not too much to ask and it would let me look like super nerd with a pair of fat noise canceling headphones over the glasses.

I’m rarely excited by technology any more but the Myvu Universals are great. If you travel at all and use a video iPod or Zune, get them. You won’t be disappointed. They’re a bit pricey ($199.95 online) but they work and are quite fun to wear and use.

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