"BluShades" - $0.99 Bluetooth Sunglasses

by usamerican

8.5K1422

Intro: "BluShades" - $0.99 Bluetooth Sunglasses

Use a $0.99 pencil grip to turn your Bluetooth headset and sunglasses into "BluShades", Bluetooth sunglasses that work better than commercial units selling for $hundreds more!

22 Comments

Steve Potman 13 years ago

Cool. That is a really nice design. Thanks for posting. I really think you have a great product but just need a little business guidance. If you increase the price, and advertise the product as being discounted, the consumer will feel that they are getting a deal and still want to buy your product.

On a different note, The heat shrink idea might work and it definitely would be for a more permanent solution. I get my heat exchangers and all of my heat shrink tubing needs at Fluorotherm. They provide a good product at good pricing. That could help out. Thanks again for the post and good luck!

usamerican 13 years ago

Thanks for the helpful comments Steve!

netboss 16 years ago

You stole this Instructable. I've seen it before. This is the capstone project for the Ole Miss Electrical Engineering major...

usamerican 16 years ago

Actually, other way around. I've done this same thing with MP3 earhook headphones and selling them on Ebay for years under the name "iShades". I also have a patent pending, and have a prior patent in this area. I am curious about the capstone project you're referring to. Do you have more info or a weblink to it?

usamerican 15 years ago

Yes. The ones I'm selling on ebay have specially made tubes, that are a better fit than the pencil grip ones.

Sandisk1duo 15 years ago

so, you're making ~$4 from each one you sell

usamerican 15 years ago

Actually, I'm losing money (between the cost of the bluetooth headset and the sunglasses that are included). But that's the price to pay when you're launching a new product.

kedwa30 14 years ago

Consider the value of your time as well. If you want to hand craft and sell proto-types then you should put them for sale on Etsy for a huge amount of money. You are a great inventor, but your business model needs work. Don't let the comments about the look of your product discourage you. I'm no fashionista but I do know that sometimes gaudy things can become trendy in the fashion world. If you can't hide it, then punk it!

Sandisk1duo 15 years ago

that's why you raise the price!

netboss 15 years ago

Clever project... but I was trying to irritate my Ole Miss grad friend since there is actually no electrical engineering involved in this project (or at Ole Miss).

uberchoob 14 years ago

I love simple ideas that take care of potentially complicated problems. Perhaps they would be more fashionably acceptable if you used a glossy black heatshrink tube instead of pencil grips?? would still be removable, would fit tighter, and would also appear as though they were originally manufactured that way (maybe?)

usamerican 14 years ago

Good idea! Heat shrinking would be a bit more permanent (removable by cutting the heat shrink), but, like you said, fit tighter and look slicker. You should do your own instructable! :-)

Spywell 15 years ago

Better than Oakley? IMPOSSIBLE, Cheap and practical SURE, Would wear these out in public? NEVER. I would rather spend money on Oakleys then be caught dead in these.

ferny121 15 years ago

i agree..these are embarassing.there is no way anyones gonna do this unless they wanna make themselves look dumb. bad instructable.. -.-

monterto 15 years ago

Oakley glasses are expensive because the lenses are optically correct. This makes them more costly to produce. But you're also paying for the name. I actually don't doubt that this would work better than the Oakley sunglasses because the functionality comes from the bluetooth earpiece only.

mspark400 16 years ago

clever! good job cheers, mspark400

heavy.metal.nguyen 16 years ago

Do you think this could also be done with heat shrink tubing, or would that do something to the electronics?

usamerican 16 years ago

Heat shrink would work for a more permanent solution, as long as you keep the heat away from the main body. For Jabra headsets, and a lot of others, that is pretty easy, because the earhook is removable.
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