Oakley Inc. said it has partnered with Garmin International Inc., which makes GPS navigation devices, to “expand functionality” of its Oakley Airwave 1.5 alpine ski and snowboard goggles.
The Foothill Ranch-based sunglasses and apparel company’s goggles can already track how fast wearers are moving down the slope; provide jump analytics that show distance, height and airtime; locate users or their friends on a map; and via users’ smartphones, view incoming calls, text messages and music playlists.
The new deal with Olathe, Kan.-based Garmin will allow snow sports enthusiasts to wirelessly connect Garmin’s VIRB Elite camera to the Airwave goggle so it can serve as “a live video heads-up display”—a transparent screen that presents data without requiring users to look away. The goggle can also be used as a remote to control the camera, show live video previews and sync them with data from camera’s built-in GPS sensor.
“It is an honor to partner with Garmin, and we are excited to further expand the already stunning array of capabilities offered by Airwave goggles,” Chris Donnelly, Oakley’s senior vice president of research and development and optics, said in a statement. “Garmin’s solid reputation in the sport performance market and uncompromising level of quality matches up well with the Oakley brand.”
