I saw the MyVu video glasses last holiday season and was intrigued by the many good-to-extremely positive reviews I read. It sounded like this technology had finally arrived at the true consumer level, but was still pricey, at $300, and had a somewhat bulky battery pack. When I saw that the 2007 version, the iPod Solo Plus, had dipped below $200 ($165 at Amazon) and the battery had gotten much smaller, I jumped at the chance at reviewing it.

You’ve likely seen similar video glasses floating through the tubes for a few years now. You plug the glasses into an A/V output source, in this case, a video-capable iPod, and their dual mini-monitors embedded in the lenses create a single binocular video image that seems to float in the air in front of you. The virtual monitor that you see might be equivalent to about a 25-30″ TV set. Earbuds attached to the glasses provide the audio, and the battery/control puck (power, volume, contrast, brightness) is found in-line with the A/V/power cable. The battery is charged by a mini-USB jack on the puck (a cable is provided). You get at least two movies worth of power out of a charge, maybe more (I didn’t do a well-timed test).

The experience offered by the MyVu is surprisingly satisfying. It certainly beats the screens on iPods, at least in terms of size. The 320 x 240 screen is definitely not hi-res and the “screen door effect” is evident (visible lines of pixelation). The earbuds used are also not the best, so if you’re used to high-quality sound, you’ll hear a downgrade (and you can’t use other phones with the glasses).

I also found it a little strange the way the glasses are designed. They certainly look cyber-chic, but they’re so narrow across your eyes, they let in a lot of ambient light. Given the low-resolution of the image, darker is definitely better. In testing, I was happiest in a darkened room, where I was really able to feel true movie immersion. The positive aspect of this design is that you can still see to move around (though I wouldn’t recommend getting too comfortable with that capability).

Given the new, reasonable price and capabilities of the MyVu, I would definitely recommend it. If you plan to watch a lot of videos on your iPod, this will save your arm from holding the player up (or craning over to see the screen). Where this device becomes perfect is on a plane (or bus, train, or other mode of human-cattle transpo) where you’ve really got nothing better to do (and you have serious reservations about wincing your way through “No Reservations” for a second time. And wearing these cyberpunky shades, you”re guaranteed to get lots of bewildered stares and good-natured chuckles.

MyVu Corporation also sell a “Universal” model for the same price, which can work on DVD players, the Zune, digital cameras, and other digital devices with a stereo A/V output jack. For some devices, you may also need a different cable/adapter, sold separately. My only real gripe with the iPod Solo is that it doesn’t work on my iPhone (but it DOES work with the iPod Touch).