Testurteil: "3 out of 5"
Test: Einzeltest: Oakley Airwave Goggles
Zitat: The good: + It goes without saying that Oakley goggles are good quality goggles - they’re solidly built, don’t steam up and let plenty of light through. What’s new here is the HUD, a screen in the bottom right hand corner which you can glance at whenever, and that feeds you with vital statistics like the speed you’re going and even the airtime you get on a jump. In practice, the HUD doesn’t seem quite as big as Oakley says (Supposedly, it’s like viewing a 14-inch screen from five feet away), but it is sharp and clear. Most useful though is the durable wrist strap, with great big buttons you can prod with a ski glove on to toggle the settings, and best of all, control the music playing on your iPhone or Android phone using the accompanying Airwave app.
The bad: - That HUD can be more than a little distracting when you’re chucking it down the slopes: we also tested out the AlpineReplay app (For Android and iPhone) at the same time, and it accurately logged much the same data, from speed to vertical descent and jumps and airtime data. Here’s the thing though: with the app, you see it afterwards, when you take your phone out of your pocket and you’re nice and safe and stationary. With the goggles, you’re seeing it there and then, when newcomers should really be concentrating on avoiding other skiers instead. There’s also the issue of overkill. Getting your text messages instantly just shouldn’t be a priority whilst falling down a mountain - this addition particularly seems like a feature for feature’s sake. Of course, you might be a better boarder than us (it wouldn’t be hard) and it’s not for us to say if you’ll end up as crushed ice trying to read an SMS at speed. What everyone will find distracting however is the sheer size of the Oakley Airwave Goggles. They. Are. Huge. Compared to more low-tech goggles, they jut out from your face massively - one skiier told us we looked like the human fly wearing them - and while they’re wearable for long periods by themselves, combined with a helmet, your head suddenly becomes rather heavy, and your neck extremely uncomfortable. Then there’s the price. At £500, these are not cheap, and unless you hit the slopes regularly, rather than one week a year, they’re pretty hard to justify - especially after you’ve forked out for travel, accommodation, gear, ski passes and insurance.
The Oakley Airwave Goggles are as cool to use as they are to look at, but their size, weight and price ultimately render them overkill. They offer only marginally more than a smartphone app, but with much more potential for ending up splattered across a tree. Unless you know what you’re doing, and doing it all the time, they’re sadly an extravagance you just won’t need. Oakley Airwaves Goggles are available at store.apple.com