Oakley's Split Thump MP3 player sunglasses' fashion offenses are too numerous to mention, and we're not sure this is helping matters. According to the folks over at Tech Digest, the wrap-around music players will be getting a very special 500-piece, 1GB Jamiroquai edition, replete with purple and white camouflage design and two new remixes from the disco-aping singer's 1993 album Emergency on Planet Earth. Grab your glasses, get out your floppy hat, slip on some Mickey Mouse gloves, and crack open a bottle of Vicks VapoRub -- it's time to party like you don't know any better.

The "Most Newest" concept of MUSIC PLAYER... for when Oakley's Thumps are just too classy.

Coming soonest.

We're not sure why Oakley keeps gluing MP3 players to semi-fashionable sunglasses and expecting us to be impressed, but they've gone above and beyond this time by calling the latest model the Split Thump. Apart from sounding like a kitchen accident, it's the same old Thump concept you know and avoid, only this time with controls integrated into the O logo and detachable earpieces so you can just be a straight-up Oakley guy instead of a giant Oakley nerd. Pricing should make you feel similarly chumpish, with 512MB going for $249, 1GB for $299, and 2GB for a whopping iPod touch five Zune 30s Archos 605 $399. Coming your way in black and white soon, according to Oakley.

[Via Acquire, thanks, Bernard]

Now's your chance to cast your ballot for the 2006 Wearable Device of the Year! Our Engadget Awards nominees are listed below, and you've got until 11.59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th to file your vote. You can only vote once, so make it count, and may the best tech win! The nominees: Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset, HAL-5 robotic suit, Motorola / Oakley O ROKR, Nike + iPod, Shure E500PTH, and Sony Ericsson MBW-100 Bluetooth watch.

It's been quite awhile since a single camcorder, of all things, got as much hype as the elusive RED machine from Oakley founder Jim Jannard, but this mysterious beast is escaping the treacherous realm of vaporware and emerging into reality according to the man himself over at DVXuser. Aside from shooting HD footage at 60fps with those fine 11.4-megapixels, the all-aluminum cam is finally making its debut, and a few glamour shots of the first prototype, dubbed "Spike," have now been released. It's noted that actual production units will not sport a shiny finish (sorry, blingsters), and the official forums will open up tomorrow at RedUser.net. Ole Jim also mentioned that the machined prototype "should be operational" within days, and hopes to garner a good bit of attention at the next NAB expo. While the initial batch of $17,000 pre-orders are long gone, the firm just might take more orders for a small window of time in "early 2007," but it's shakily committing to a "May 31st" or earlier ship date for those lucky (and loaded) individuals already on that coveted list. Be sure to tag the links below for more very-not-fuzzy sneak peeks.

[Via DVGuru]

We have a love/hate relationship with Oakley music sunglasses: we love to hate them. That's why we're overjoyed at the release and subsequent review of the brand new Oakley THUMP PRO shades. Featuring capacities of 256MB, 512MB and 1GB, the new set does manage to be the best equipped and least ridiculous member of its illustrious crew, and we're sure a select crowd might find these an attractive and convenient alternative to the armband MP3 player for active pursuits -- but that doesn't mean we can't point and laugh all the same. As expected, the THUMP PRO player is based on Oakley's BOTTLECAP line, and features "Unobtanium" nose and ear pieces to fight sweat and keep the player firmly perched on your face. CNET found 'em to be plenty comfortable, and while lacking a screen and PlaysForSure subscription support -- though regular purchased WMA tracks do work -- there were plenty enough features to be getting on with. Sadly, the audio is just OK, the 6 hour battery life might be a deal breaker for most, and the rest might be put off by hefty prices: $249, $299 and $349 for the three respective capacities. If the shades do strike your fancy, there are plenty of color options to choose from, and Oakley should be offering 'em for sale any day now.

[Via acquire]

Alright Oakley, we'll try to break this to you gently: we're not really digging this whole Thump thing. Yeah, we realise we should've come clean back in 2004 when we first spotted them, but now that we're nearing on two years of Thump versioning, we thought you might try cramming an MP3 player into something other than some silly looking sunglasses for a change. No matter, just our opinion, and it looks like you guys are already set on releasing the "Thump Pro" version this Holiday season. Oakley dropped the info during a rather boring corporate meetup of theirs, and will be basing the design on their BOTTLECAP line of shades which are pictured above.  With "Unobtainium" components, water/sweat resistance and interchangeable lenses, these Thump Pros are set to be the baddest Thumps yet, and we mean that in the kindest way possible.

[Thanks, Monster Dog]