The History of Contact Lenses

March 15, 2017October 17, 2017 Craig J Todd 2 Comments

Contact lenses are incredibly popular nowadays, but have you ever thought about their origins?

As you’ll discover below, the development of contact lenses is a fascinating story filled with inspiration, perseverance – and timing.

The Da Vinci Codex

Go back more than 500 centuries to the year 1508 where contact lenses were first born.

The same year that Leonardo da Vinci introduced the concept of contact lenses in his Codex of the eye, Manual D.

In the book, he sketched ideas for vision correction through a contact lens/water combination. It’s believed that his inspiration for these ideas was from noticing... read more

Your Eyes are Your New Password with Windows Hello

September 15, 2016September 19, 2016 Craig (SelectSpecs) Leave a comment

The eyes have it… access to your phone, computer or tablet, that is. Well, maybe not necessarily right now – but, sooner than you might expect, they could do. And that’s largely down to the introduction of Windows Hello, which enables users of Windows 10 devices to log into them simply by looking at them. Confused? Allow us to explain…

Right now, you probably unlock each of your devices by typing in a password or passcode. However, imagine how much more quickly you could start using a device if, the moment you looked at it, it immediately unlocked. That’s what Windows Hello allows,... read more

Unlock Your Next Phone Just by Looking at It!

September 13, 2016September 13, 2016 Craig (SelectSpecs) Leave a comment

At the moment, you probably unlock your smartphone by quickly tapping in a passcode or placing your finger on a sensor. However, in the not-too-distant future, you might be doing it by looking at the phone and… actually, that’s it. Yes, just looking at it! That’s thanks to more and more phone makers integrating iris-scanning technology into their devices.

Lumia on the horizon

For several people, looking at a smartphone to unlock it is already pretty routine. That’s because a number of respectable phones already come with the necessary technology. The first phones that ... read more

Scissors-Glasses: A Fascinating Relic from Eyewear History

Scissor-Glasses: A Fascinating Relic from Eyewear History

August 4, 2016August 5, 2016 Craig (SelectSpecs) Leave a comment

Imagine that it’s the late eighteenth century and you are King Louis XVI of France. There’s a court event to attend, but your near-sightedness will prevent you seeing enough of what is going on. So, what do you do? Bring “scissors-glasses” – a peculiar type of eyewear actually used by Louis. In this article, we look closer at these frames and see who else in history used them.

The Origin and Form of Scissors-Glasses

Where and when were scissors-glasses invented? According to Professor Albert von Pflugk, ... read more

A Spectacular Look Back at Novelty NHS Glasses

July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 Simon (SelectSpecs) 3 Comments

Back in the day the National Health Service glasses were all the rage – colourful acetates adorned millions of people’s peepers in post-war Blighty.

For the best part of four decades until 1985, the NHS provided a range of glasses for the masses, known for not being so easy on the eye, they definitely still had plenty of admirers. Most notably, these came from abroad, as paid-for state medical appliances grew in their appeal across the continent.

Consumer choice during the mid 20th Century period was very much price-led and the aftermath of World War II saw the Brits embrace eye health... read more

The Fascinating Evolution of VR Eyewear Since the 1980s

July 7, 2016July 8, 2016 Craig (SelectSpecs) Leave a comment

Virtual reality might be increasingly “in”, but it’s taken a while for the technology to progress beyond being merely a slightly amusing gimmick. The eyewear for escaping into virtual worlds has become more stylish-looking, too! To see just how far VR eyewear has come, here are some notable examples of it through recent history – dating right back to the 1980s.

Sega 3-D Glasses

Remember the Sega Master System? Okay, you probably don’t – but your Dad might. Anyway, in 1987, the same year that the Master System console arrived in Europe, Sega brought out ... read more

How iPhone Users Can Enjoy Virtual Reality Right Now

June 21, 2016June 13, 2016 Craig (SelectSpecs) Leave a comment

While Google has obviously been very busy with its exploits in virtual reality, it’s not so obvious how Apple plans to utilise this technology. Still, there remain many ways in which iPhone users can don a fancy headset and throw themselves into awesome virtual worlds.

Could Apple be working on a VR headset?

Could we soon see an Apple-branded VR headset hit the market? It certainly looks probable. On his company’s quarterly earnings call in January, Apple CEO Tim Cook remarked: “In terms of VR, I don’t think it’s a niche. It’s really cool and has some interesting applications.”

Given how incredibly secretive Apple tends... read more