To use the binoculars, users simply point them away from their feet and toward a bird and allow the red target to hover over one. Within a few seconds, a name like tufted titmouse or ruddy turnstone pops up — as well as other species with less silly-sounding names. A built-in GPS helps the processor identify the types of species that may be in your region. So if you’re in Cleveland and see a bird that’s indigenous to Japan, it may be lost and need directions.
The 32 mm binoculars feature 10x magnification with a 1,000-yard field of vision. They can take pictures and video at 13MP and 1080p, and the media can be transferred to a connected smartphone with the Swarovski app. If you’re with a friend, and they can’t see the bird after repeatedly pointing at it, a “share discoveries” function allows users to place arrow markers in the viewfinder display so your friend can finally see it and say, “Oh.”
While the Optic AX Visio binoculars are unlikely to scare birds away, the price tag of approximately $5,000 may ward off people. That’s about one dollar for every two species of birds. But if you get a few thousand birds to chip in, it probably won’t be so bad.
