Keepin' it real fake, part XLVI: as if the Thump wasn't bad enough

It's one thing to fake a successful product, such as a Nokia phone or an iPod nano, but we can't really think who in their right mind would go through all the trouble of ripping off the first generation Oakley Thump. Still, we have the fruit of such insanity before us, and while the aesthetics are no win, these "MP3 Sunglass" shades actually pick up a couple extra features that might've benefited the Thump. The addition of a screen on these things has its pros and cons, but there's also Bluetooth 1.1 on board -- obviously unsuitable for beaming musics A2DP style, but at least you can chat on the phone without having to take these ridiculous things off. The shades are USB rechargeable, play a decent complement of codecs, sport 128MB to 1GB capacities and sport 6 hours of battery. Now if they only included a time travel function so we could head to the year 2004 and make sure the Thump never existed.

[Thanks, xman]

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 17th 2007 1:31PM]

Ugly. Period.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 17th 2007 1:36PM]

Ugly, yes, but I can't stop looking at them for some reason. :U

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 17th 2007 1:43PM]

Over the nose, those seem to have the same thing that tom turkeys have on their beaks.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 17th 2007 3:24PM]

seriously, i saw someone on street recently wearing those (original) oakley thump glasses.... i'm serious, he had those things on!!! AHH and i went like: wtf?
they both exist?!?! a) those ugly glasses, and b) the in some way mentally disabled people buying those things... :-(

[hikeskool Posted Feb 17th 2007 5:27PM]

The only time I've EVER seen the Thump (including a few local Oakley stores) is on Dog the Bounty Hunter, a show so bad that the Thump is really the only appropriate eye wear for the show.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 26th 2007 2:26AM]

Hey August, I see that you're not only a critic of shades, but of tv shows and heroes as well!

Pretty impressive! Now if you could only stop wetting the bed and get off welfare, then you'd really be rocking along! But I guess that may be stretching it for an obvious moron like you!!

[jaymo Posted Feb 17th 2007 6:57PM]

I have a set of 1st gen oakley thumps.. they arnt worth the crazy asking price (699 canadian!!) but I got them cheap, and for some activities they are pretty sweet.... you have to have a wide head to make them look ok on you, and the actual sunglasses are just as good as a nice set of oakleys. Just dont pay more than a set of oakley sunglasses for them and you wont regret the purchase. Battery life is really good, the sound is decent.. If you are doin somthin like mountain biking or skating they will fit the activity very well. Oh yeah.. never.. NEVER flip them up.. infact crazy glue them down so it can never happen

[hikeskool Posted Feb 17th 2007 7:43PM]

That's cool, I'm glad you like them and have seen some use from them.

My problem is that I don't think I should pay a premium for one product that is a decent pair of shades and a pretty poor mp3 [;ayer.

I'd rather throw down for a good pair of shades and a separate mp3 player. That way I could use one (or both) without looking like dog the bounty hunter.

Not a personal attack on you, but I think product convergence is just an excuse the electronics industry uses because it can't perfect just one item so it has to fool you into buying something of limited use when you can have two products of equal (and oftentimes better) functionality for a cheaper price.

[Taylor Tay Posted Feb 17th 2007 8:03PM]

You're listening to your MP3 player while MOUNTAIN BIKING?!?

Normal person: "Watch out for that sharp cliff that you can't see over there!"
Thump user: "WOOHOO!"
*Thump user rides off cliff and dies*
Normal person: "That's a Darwin Award."

[jaymo Posted Feb 17th 2007 8:11PM]

see I understand your logic.. but im a sucker for toys.. and I would buy the good pair of shades, the good mp3 player and if cheap enough (and that is the key..) the thump sunglasses cuz they are different and will be occasionally useful

Dog the bounty hunter sucks

[azrunner Posted Feb 17th 2007 9:19PM]

I agree with jason. I have the new thump pro. I got it for Christmas and I must say these things are great for my sports activity of choice, running. Pricing was pretty good, only $250. That's half the price of what the original thumps were when they came out. My girl friend said she almost bought me the original thumps because an Oakley store near us was selling them for nearly $100. Pretty good deal for a piece of equipment if you are an avid athlete.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 17th 2007 11:45PM]

Ah yes, Oakley AKA "Joakly Totally Trendy Protection"
I thought those guys disappeared years ago...

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 18th 2007 8:12AM]

dog the bounty hunter rocks.

[hikeskool Posted Feb 26th 2007 12:33PM]

I can see you either really like that show or really like those glasses. Or both. In fact, probably both.

Either way I feel sorry for you.

Bed wetting? Welfare? Come now. I'm sure you're much too smart and clever to just stop at mere toilet humor and socio-economic conditions you don't understand.

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 26th 2007 2:30AM]

As for you Jason, Dog doesn't suck, your husband does!

I mean, you're married to that August dude, right?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2007 10:21PM]

Dog the Bounty hunter sucks...... Yah and when i went down on your mom, my tongue didn't get itchy. First of all, if you have enough time to complain about a pair of sunglasses your probably unemployed and just pissed because the only glasses you can afford are those dark wrap around welding glasses for two dollars. Then you have the nerve to sit in your mom's basement and make fun of Dog the Bounty hunter. I probably assume since Sesame Street has been of the air, you have been disgruntled, but its time to take that fantasy of Bert and Ernie nailing Big Bird, while you and and that bald headed black guy watch, and go find a job and maybe for once, your opinion would really matter. Oh ya one more comment for the idiot comment about falling off a cliff because your listening to music. Dude first of all, are you slightly retarded? I mean yes the music is so loud you hear nothing, you freakin idiot, and the Darwin comment, WOW get this guy a mic!!! Move over Dave Chappelle we now have a the newest and funniest host of your show. Ok im done, I hope that one day Dog the Bounty hunters wife's bra get's caught in your bike spokes, on the day you forgot to put on your shiny helmet. lol, but for real shut the hell up!!! and get a job.

[hikeskool Posted Mar 15th 2007 5:35PM]

Bravo.

I didn't know my commentary lent to sentiments of me being gay, me being uneducated, me being employed as a welder(?), me living in my mom's (whom you apparently went down on) basement, me having an unhealthy obsession with Sesame Street, me having any kind of relationship with "that bald headed black guy", me being unemployed (hey, I thought I was a welder).

Man, you nailed it. Congrats.

I can see by your poor spelling and personal, ad homnem (go ahead, Google it) attacks that you don't have anything constructive to say. This is further compounded by the fact that you apparently enjoy dog the bounty hunter.

Also, if I, in fact "have enough time to complain about a pair of sunglasses your probably unemployed and just pissed because the only glasses you can afford are those dark wrap around welding glasses for two dollars" what does that say about you and your diatribe up there?

But the glasses aside, because almost everyone here on Engadget thinks they suck and are a waste of money, why do you like that show? What kind of person enjoys an old, mullet-sporting piece of trailer park trash run down bailees while calling everyone "brother") while his portly wife watches from the side?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 14th 2007 4:47AM]

Thump glasses and Dog the Bounty hunter sucks...... Yah and when i went down on your mom, my tongue didn't get itchy. First of all, if you have enough time to complain about a pair of sunglasses your probably unemployed and just pissed because the only glasses you can afford are those dark wrap around welding glasses for two dollars. Then you have the nerve to sit in your mom's basement and make fun of Dog the Bounty hunter. I probably assume since Sesame Street has been of the air, you have been disgruntled, but its time to take that fantasy of Bert and Ernie nailing Big Bird, while you and and that bald headed black guy watch, and go find a job and maybe for once, your opinion would really matter. Oh ya one more comment for the idiot comment about falling off a cliff because your listening to music. Dude first of all, are you slightly retarded? I mean yes the music is so loud you hear nothing, you freakin idiot, and the Darwin comment, WOW get this guy a mic!!! Move over Dave Chappelle we now have a the newest and funniest host of your show. Ok im done, I hope that one day Dog the Bounty hunters wife's bra get's caught in your bike spokes, on the day you forgot to put on your shiny helmet. lol, but for real shut the hell up!!! and get a job.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 17th 2007 3:13AM]

First of all scholar, you misspelled Ad hominem , you can wikipedia that one. I wasn't really serious about my rant just trying to be funny, but really why make fun of the dog? Oh my he wears the glasses because they can be bluetooth for a cell phone. Oh my what a loser, a criminal rehabilitated trying to do the same for other criminals, wow again what a loser. If the show bothers you so much why bring it up, and the glasses , if they bother you so much why even comment on them, you have the most posts here, it seems like you have a hard on for something in here. Well i'll give you a couple days to google search nice big words so you can sound SO intelligent . Peace BROTHER.