Bose - Frames Alto Large — Classic Angular Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses - Black

The Bose Frames Alto are very well built, have better than average sound quality, fun augmented reality apps, good battery life, and sharp looking! I was a little hesitant in trying these for walks around town but the sound quality is quite good! There are going to be a few occasions where the music will be drowned out, most notably for me was while walking down city sidewalks that also had road and building construction going on. This was one of the few times the music was completely drowned out, most of the time simply turning the volume up briefly would fix the issue. This is to be expected as there is nothing in your ear to block outside sounds out. The ability to hear your surroundings is a huge benefit for these sunglasses as it allows you to be more aware of your surroundings and be able to hear and respond without having to remove earbuds or turn off your music/directions. The augmented reality is still very new and I was only able to try out the apps with my significant other's iPhone (Android apps are still in development) but they worked well, the most helpful are the directions and location apps, especially Walc! Walc is a navigation app that uses landmarks instead of cardinal directions and distance to direct you where you are going. The Earplay app was interesting and weird, quite fun but I'm not sure how the replay-ability will be down the road. Overall The best part of these sunglasses is the look and sound quality, I do wish they would have shipped with other options for the lenses, like polarized lenses, but they are reasonably priced on the Bose website.

These are amazing. I work in retail and not allowed to wear headphones or earbuds at work. I went to glassesusa.com and got prescription lenses in these. Now I have my own background music whenever I want! No one notices thanks top the subtle lack of branding. They also look great.

It’s great to be able to drive down the road and just touch your glasses and not have something hanging in your ear and having that wonderful Bose stereo sound the only problem is that they slide down my nose a little and I wish there was a way to take care of that

WOW what can you say but Thank You Bose. These are awesome to have i ride a mountain Bike play golf and Run and have to say these work and sound great. The sound is clear and at the right volume light weight and look good. It's nice not to have ear buds in and to be able to hear your music and people around you. These will last 2.5hrs they do charge fast. The mic is clear and people can understand you you don't have to yell for them to hear you. You will get some wind noise but you get that with every headset out there. The style is clean looking scratch resistant lens are nice. They don't squeeze your head and don't push down to hard on your nose. Just one push button to use and hold upside down for 2sec and they turn off. You must download Bose App to use the functions and this makes it easy to connect and control your music. The only bad thing about these is the charging cable its to short. That is the only thing i found bad. I wouldn't knock it down for that. Clean look Clear Sound Good App Nobody makes these out there that i have found. Just need to make some that are polarized lenses and maybe some kind of sports style.

Dont think about it. Go get them. You can even switch lens if you want a different shade!

Using the Bose Alto Frames has been a blast and I can’t say I have much to complain about. Inside the box came the Alto, a proprietary charging cable, a cloth bag, a sturdy magnetic case and the usual paperwork. The case specifically seems like it can take punishment and I have no doubt it will protect the Alto when stashed in your bag. The cloth bas is also very good at keeping the Alto clean and looking fresh. Design wise, I am pleased with basically everything. I like the boxy, square-like lens/ frames that are both black and give off a low-profile look, not drawing attention to them. The frames have a matte finish and stainless-steel hinges finished in gold. From daily use I can tell that both the frames and the lens appear to be scratch resistant, which is always a plus. The lens are also effective at blocking out a lot of UVA rays and I also like that they are not really reflective. On both the left and the right arm close to where they would rest on either side of your head is the mini Bose speakers, positioned in an effective way to direct audio to your ears without anything actually being in your ear. On the inside of the right arm is the charging connector, while on the underside is a singular gold button that operates all the functions of the Alto. How do they sound? Better than you would expect. I was pleasantly surprised the first time I powered them up and still am today. The sound it produces is clear and satisfying across a variety of genres that I tested this with. Interestingly my friends who were at times close to me while I used the Alto were at first puzzled then impressed when they found out why I was bopping my head, when I apparently wasn’t hearing any music. They were surprised at how they couldn’t hear anything while beside me (meanwhile I was hearing my music quite well) and well it sounded when they tried it for themselves. There is sound leakage yes but the way Bose deals with directing the sound directly to the user is impressive. It seems only at 80% volume and up the sound from the Alto can be heard someone other than the user. The microphone is also very decent as the person on the other end of my phone call could hear me clearly whether in a quiet room, or out walking around on a busy street. This will not appeal to bass heads or those who prefer their music totally isolated, but that’s not the purpose of Alto now is it. There is an associated app called Bose connect, but I never used it much since I could use the Alto without using the app. The one gold button not only turns on and off the Alto but also operates like you would expect, with one quick press for pause/play, double press for next forward and triple press for previous track. It can also be used to answer and end a call with single press, and for long holds it can activate your assistant. With regards to the battery life I got between 3.5- 4.5 hours of use which varied based on volume output which I kept around 50%. Overall, I had a satisfying and experience using these and would definitely suggest to others.

Ever have a toy that you just have to show off to everyone you know? Well, these glasses are currently that toy for me. I love them. They could be better and I look forward to seeing where this technology goes, but as is: they sound amazing. Of course they sound amazing, they’re Bose! Whether you are taking a phone call, listening to music, or enjoying the sound escapes of one of the many apps with incorporated support, you will never be disappointed in the sound. The glasses look... okay. They honestly look a bit like something I would have expected from a 3D movie theater. Of course style is in the eye of the beholder. I think they look fine, but they won’t ever be confused with designer frames, either. They aren’t always the most comfortable glasses. The glasses need rubber tips on the arms and some type of rubber grip for the nose piece. As it is, they move around a lot. These glasses are great for walking or enjoying a day at the pool / beach, but I find myself constantly adjusting them and they pinch my ears a bit. No deal breakers, but it could be better. The app support shows a lot of promise. As an augmented reality device, there is a ton of potential. Imagine a relaxing scene with sounds that envelop you. If you turn your head, you can focus on individual sounds or change the course of an audio story. With some of the navigation apps, you can get information based on what you are looking at. The app potential is amazing. I can only imagine this technology at a zoo or incorporated into a motorcycle helmet. The glasses are simple and intuitive. A button on the right arm wakes them up, plays and stops music, and answers phone calls. If you place the glasses upside down on a table, they instantly turn off and disconnect from your phone. I wish there was google assistant integration built-in, but maybe that could be added later? We’re getting closer and closer to my own personal Jarvis! In conclusion: I loved these glasses. There are things I would love to see improved upon, but as is, these are my new favorite toy.

At first, I didn’t know what to think of the Bose Frames – it seemed like such an odd idea. I wear sunglasses almost daily, and always carry at least one pair of wireless headphones with me. As a Californian entering summer, I knew I was going to get a good amount of wear time in before making a judgement. Pros: Let’s start with the best feature – the audio. I’m completely blown away by the quality and projection of these. It feels like the sound is in your head – or maybe a bubble of sound has engulfed your head. Either way, it sounds great without shutting out the outside world. I can still have conversations and hear the outside world. Imagine walking around with a sound track, that’s how these feel. Connectivity is solid, no complaints there. Package and presentation are also top notch. Finally, I really enjoyed the style of the Alto frames. They are sized well for me and have a classic “loc” style that I love. Cons: Charging cable is a little short. They “feel” like cheaper sunglasses to me, but I guess they aren’t really the star here. Proprietary charging cable – not the end of the world, but just another cable I have to manage now.