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IRL Glasses block screens when you put them on

These '80s-looking shades let you see everything except screens.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
Expertise Apple, iPhone, iOS, Android, Samsung, Sony, Google, Motorola, interviews, coffee equipment, cats Credentials
  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
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These sunglasses block digital screens.

IRL Glasses

Digital screens are everywhere: on buses, in cabs, on people's wrists, and even on the doors of refrigerators . This proliferation of screens seem to constantly vie for our attention on a daily basis.

The antidote in the form of a pair of sunglasses called IRL Glasses. When you wear them, screen appear black.

The glasses use horizontal polarizers to block the light from LCD and OLED displays found in TVs -- they also work to as sunglasses to block UV light.

The glasses use horizontal polarizers to block the light from the LCD and LED displays found on TVs.

IRL Glasses

IRL Glasses look like a cross between a pair of shades from the '80s and the free sunglasses you get after having your eyes dilated by an optometrist. The design is cleverly modeled after glasses from the John Carpenter film They Live that block subliminal ads.

IRL Glasses are currently in beta. They work to block LCD and LED screens on most TVs and some computers; however, they don't work on smartphones or digital billboards just yet. The price is $79, which converts to £60 and AU$110 but can be purchased at a discount for $49 through Kickstarter and is supposed to ship in April 2019.

As always, please note that CNET's reporting on crowdfunding campaigns is not an endorsement of the project or its creators. Before contributing to any campaign, read the crowdfunding site's policies to find out your rights (and refund policies, or the lack thereof) before and after a campaign ends.

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