Oakley Thump MP3 Sunglasses

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Mike McCormick
Kurtis
Oakley
Feb. 23, 2005

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Introduction

Take Oakley's high-tech eyewear technology, morph it with an MP3 player built on a SigmaTel chip and out comes Oakley Thump. Though you will need some major coin ($395 for the 128 MB version up to $545 for 256 MB model) to get a hold of a pair of Oakley Thump, it does separate the men from the boys when it comes to cutting edge style and technology. Lil' John even has his own limited edition Thump color scheme (WHAT?!? YEAH!!!).

First Impressions

Oakley has done a fine job with the packaging. The glasses come nicely secured with a foam shell in a box. Also included is a USB cable for charging and file transfer, a soft case to protect the shades, two CD's (operating instructions / firmware upgrade), a quick start guide and a little self-promotional Thump accessories pamphlet.

Breathtaking. Oakley has really outdone itself with the THUMP; combining Oakley optics with an MP3 player can't be an easy task, but they sure made it look simple. The glasses have a sleek appearance, complete with polarized lens to give you the super pimped-out look. They are pretty light-weight (1.8 Oz.) and aren't much bigger than your average shades. The frame feels solid, so don't worry about breaking the Thump the first time you try them on. If you do manage break them, Oakley has a replacement plan. Eagerly, I put them on and found the power button. The Thump comes pre-loaded with 5 songs, which got me grooving to some tunes right away.

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Page 1: Introduction & First Impressions
Page 2: Taking a Closer Look
Page 3: Testing
Page 4: Conclusion

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24 User Comments

1 - Posted by mike on February 23, 2005 - 6:36 pm

My first review... snif snif. Damn this cold sucks.

2 - Posted by Kurtis on February 23, 2005 - 6:40 pm

Yeah I've got a cold too... you must have attached it to your email along with the review. Damn you! *sniffle*

3 - Posted by mike on February 23, 2005 - 8:21 pm

The only way to send a virus baby. Hidden .exe

4 - Posted by kamesen on February 24, 2005 - 3:42 am

Snazzy, convenient, high-tech...BUT CAN THEY MAKE TOAST?! I'd be tempted to try them out...if only I could find that extra 500 bucks I had lying around...

5 - Posted by Kurtis on February 24, 2005 - 9:42 am

lol. welcome to the forums kamesen, and I'm sure that the $500 will turn up somewhere!! ;-) ;-)

6 - Posted by J2T on February 24, 2005 - 9:45 am

Oh, so that who is throwing the cold around. I'm fighting one too...though I am sitting here at work feeling like I have the flu coming on as well.

7 - Posted by Kurtis on February 24, 2005 - 9:46 am

isn't that weird that the whole country is getting sick at the same time? everyone but my dentist friend, he's got the immune system of... a horse... or something...

8 - Posted by kamesen on February 25, 2005 - 1:57 am

Thanks : ) I'll keep my eyes open for the cash. ...*starts digging around under my couch cushions some more*

9 - Posted by PennyManDeux on February 27, 2005 - 12:17 pm

Those rock! If I had the cash... oh man...

WHAT? YEAH!

10 - Posted by MaNiAk21 on February 27, 2005 - 1:00 pm

Or you could buy a nice pair of sunglasses and a nice flash mp3 player and not look like something from Star Trek. :)

11 - Posted by mike on February 27, 2005 - 1:28 pm

I am glad someone read between the lines. Go get an Ipod-mini and a pair of oakleys and spend the rest of the $$$ on women and beer. You'll be much happier.

12 - Posted by J2T on February 28, 2005 - 8:44 am

I personally thought this was a stupid product the first time I saw it and a waste of money. And to me it looks tacky as hell.

13 - Posted by PennyManDeux on February 28, 2005 - 7:26 pm

I think they are cool. If I was athletic or something I would love those. Otherwise I agree that they are a bit over the top.

14 - Posted by Kurtis on February 28, 2005 - 9:29 pm

I look stupid as crap in them, as I do with most Oakley sunglasses :-D

15 - Posted by SlipSand on March 3, 2005 - 4:31 pm

Wait you got those for free? To review? You must be stylin now man.

16 - Posted by freespo on March 21, 2006 - 8:44 pm

Two patents can be searched on Chinese Intellectual Property Office http://www.sipo.gov.cn against Oakley's Thump mp3 eyeglass and Razrwire sunglasses.
The Chinese patent Nos. 200530061016.5 and 200530059453.3 respectively.
Oakley always liked to suit others, but instead this case it will be suited again, just another hard task after American lawyer Mr. Weyer has launched patent suit against it with a 1990s patent. ( Weyer vs. Oakley link http://www.redherring.com/article.aspx?a=15190 )
Sale of Thump may be deemed an infringement on patents. Be careful.

17 - Posted by Kurtis on March 21, 2006 - 8:50 pm

I don't think the consumer is responsible lol... if Oakley infringes on patents, that's their own deal, customers don't know or care who owns the patents for the products they use

18 - Posted by blackjet on March 22, 2006 - 3:46 am

You know how I know they're cool?

Dog The Bounty Hunter wears them! ;-)

19 - Posted by Rich on March 22, 2006 - 8:34 am

As for patents in China, unless they apply for a US patent, then patent protection isn't afforded here. Of course, if you want to sell in China, then you will have to abide by their patent law. But the end user is not responsible for a product that infringes on someone elses patent, only the person or entitiy which sells the infringing product. Of course, if you have a product that uses a service, such RIM, then a shutdown of the company could have repercussions on the end user.

20 - Posted by mambo on March 23, 2006 - 8:44 am

Thats gangsta b*atch! :D

21 - Posted by blackjet on March 23, 2006 - 11:21 am

he's my hero ;-)

".....now kids if you see a man in a red shirt running this way you shout for uncle Dog!"

22 - Posted by freespo on November 24, 2006 - 12:26 am

Patents protect new technology for innovativeness. Oakley must obey the laws, such as Chinese laws. Such patent owners (more than two) have rights to suit Oakley and let its THUMP and Razrwire in illegal situation. Compensation and loyalties can be decided by the courts. Though, there are many more patents and applications for patents in other countries except for US.

23 - Posted by rickikool on March 13, 2007 - 6:09 pm

these glasses were sold in other parts of world in the 1960s then these clowns come and say they own technology can you say land of oppourtunity

24 - Posted by Max Slowik on March 15, 2007 - 6:33 pm

The Chinese and US patent offices are Best Friends 4 Ever now. China is seriously interested in protecting IP. Weird, though.

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