I’ve been listening to Cinderella music through my new WearIQ sunglasses. Ah, paradise.

The $30 sunglasses don’t officially launch at Walmart for another couple of weeks, but I received an advance pair. Besides music, the frames are great for podcasts and audio books. My Jane Austen novels sound fabulous.

The frames are large on my face, just shy of dorky. But the colors are cool: dusty blue, black, “chalk,” and brown. The tint on the lens is so light, they hardly look like sunglasses, though they offer UV protection. The privacy is great: No one can hear what I’m listening to unless they’re within three feet of me.

Since they’re water resistant, I could theoretically listen while floating on a raft in the Amazon, if my phone was within 200 feet. Where I live, the traffic sounds and wind sometimes obscure an audio book, but it’s great when houseguests are trying to sleep, I’m at the gym or waiting in line. 

On the con side, I’ve had trouble taking calls by pushing a button on the frames. Sometimes it won’t connect unless I press an icon on my phone to take the call, then listen through the frames. But I’ve had no trouble making calls.

For $270 more than the WearIQs, there’s the Ray-Ban glasses from Meta. They have a five-microphone array. You can even livestream to Facebook and Instagram. 

Zap It

The new Photon Matrix can zap an army of mosquitos. It goes after five varieties, including the yellow fever kind, as well as fungus gnats, non-biting midges and drain flies. When a larger pest flies by, it’s ignored, so Tweety Bird and your favorite housefly are safe. At about the size of a phone, the system knocks out 30 flying menaces a second, even in a dark bedroom. 

The Matrix is available for preorder for $468, with an estimated delivery in October. Find it by searching on the phrase “mosquito laser” at indiegogo.com. It’s already received over $370,000 in preorders. Watch the video to see it in action.

Typing on a Phone

If you’re like me, you hate typing on a glass screen. But is it worth it to get a phone with a real keyboard, like the old Blackberry? Check out the new $261 Titan 2 smartphone. 

With the Titan 2, you swipe the physical keyboard to scroll, which you’ll do a lot of, because it only has a 4.5-inch display, about two-thirds the size of the biggest smartphones. It comes with the latest Android 15 operating system and will get automatic upgrades up to Android 17. The previous version got rave reviews. Find it at kickstarter.com.

But if the main appeal of the phone is the physical keyboard, consider a keyboard that wirelessly connects to your phone. The $35 Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480 from Logitech, for example, lets you switch your typing between a computer, phone, and tablet. 

Amazon Prime for Less

Here are two Amazon perks I never knew about.

Perk one: Adults age 18 to 24 get six months of Amazon Prime for free, plus free food delivery on Grubhub Plus. Afterwards, it’s only $7.49 a month, half what the rest of us pay. Search on “Prime for Young Adults” for the sign-up link.

Perk two: You can add a family member to your account, even if they don’t live with you. That way, they get free two-day shipping, free Prime videos and all the other perks. But keep in mind that your relative will be able to use the credit card you stored with Amazon, though Amazon will notify you if they do. For more info, search on “How to Set up Amazon Family.”

Autofocus Glasses

Goodbye bifocals and trifocals. According to Tech Radar, a Finish company called IXI has developed frames that adjust automatically, by using tiny sensors to track wherever you’re looking. The liquid crystal lenses adjust for close-up, then instantly switch when you look into the distance. Join the waitlist at ixieyewear.com.

Windows Restore Points

In the old days, when you set a restore point in Windows, it would be saved for years. Now they only go back 60 days. But Windows 11 automatically creates a restore point before installing updates. If you need more, type “restore point” into the search box in Windows. When it comes up, click “create.”  For information on the other recovery methods, such as System Restore, Reset this PC, and restoring from a backup, go to copilot.microsoft.com or ChatGPT and ask. It will walk you through each of them.

What’s Streaming Now?

“Underdogs” is a new docuseries from National Geographic, narrated by Ryan Reynolds. It focuses on the quirky and overlooked animals of the natural world. In the first episode, I watched a blind worm with forty legs become a target for an eight-eyed spider. Just when Reynolds warns us not to look, the tiny creature shoots out a sticky goo that hardens into a super glue. It’s game over for the spider. The show also features a honey badger coming out unscathed after being stung by hundreds of bees and violently shaken by wild dogs. It’s his thick hide that saves him. “Underdogs” is offered through Disney Plus. I got the Disney Plus/Hulu bundle with ads for $10 a month, cancellable any time.

Filed under: Amazon, gadgets, health, keyboards, phones, science, video