Video in Private

The My Vu video glasses allow you to watch video from your iPod, handsfree and in private. Unlike a standard TV-out feature that you may find in some phones, not everything you see on the iPod screen is transferred to the device. Instead, the device only gets activated after you select a video to play. The effect is akin to sitting in a darkened room with a 27-inch LCD TV placed 2 metres in front of you.

This particular one only works with compatible video iPods (iPod Video, iPod Nano, iPod Touch) and connects using the dock connector. A control pod is permanently attached and provides the power button and options to increase/decrease brightness. The control pod has a lithium-ion battery built in, which is good for about 4 hours of video. The battery is charged by USB; you can connect the standard USB-mini USB cable to a PC to charge, or to any USB wall charger.

It comes with a soft case and in-ear headphones which are permanently attached. The earphones are good, but may not be comfortable for everyone. I didn't like the fact that the screens on this are standard 4:3 aspect ratio, while the iPods (and the video on them) are widescreen. This means that many videos have black bars above and below, and waste some vital screen space.

Plus it's not a very good option if you already have an iPod Touch, the relative size of the iPod screen is still larger than the screen you get with the video glasses.

My Vu Rs 11,500	Performance Coolness
Pros Novelty factor Cons Not widescreen, expensive Sold by Vu Technologies; www.technologies.vu	Specs Dual 240 x 320 pixel color LCDs, adjustable nosepiece, built in 4-hour battery, iPod dock connector, compatible with iPod Video, iPod Touch (1G & 2G), iPod Nano (3G & 4G) Verdict

Pick them up only if you're really enthused by the novelty factor and only if you have the smaller screened iPod Nano or iPod Video.