Once again, our staff at Pointed Magazine is dedicated to bringing its readers the hottest products for the Year 2005-06.  We have found another product, the Oakley Thump 2 that is sure to make more than a couple of holiday gift lists this season. With a new look and improved quality and price from the original Oakley Thump we reviewed last year, this is a great idea for all music lovers and is sure to be a challenger to the IPod NANO this holiday season.

For anyone who may have read our first review of Oakley's Thump product, well then you would have seen what a cool pair of sunglasses we thought they were... that was until we tried the Thump 2.  WOW! is the best way to describe the experience and quality consumers will gather from these glasses.

The original Thump made the wearer look more like an outfielder for the Nationals or Yankees. With it's flip up glasses it  made a perfect fit for Jose Guillen and Manny Ramirez, both of whom we saw wearing the original Thump during the 2005 season.

Once you have tried on the Thump 2, you will automatically feel you are wearing more than sunglasses and you are! Instant transform yourself Rockstar and rock your favorite tunes with its improved 1MB of storage. These sunglasses are great for running outside, walking your favorite K-9 or your next poker tournament. If you're into this style of sunglasses, have deep pockets, and aren't too concerned with things like extra features, the sound quality and comfort might justify the 1GB model's $449 price tag for you.

Oakley has made the Thump 2 very user friendly, similar to the first model and again has the earbuds attached to the sunglasses via small swiveling arms. These now give you far more control over the positioning of the earbuds, thanks to an extra ball-and-socket joint. From the 8 staff members that tested the sunglasses, only one of our female staff correspondents did not have a comfortable fit and said the glasses were built with more a of male in mind.

During the 585 times we moved  the earbuds from the stationary position to playback position or if they would loosen or become unable to reach any of our staff members ears, we were truly impressed with how new they looked after the testing.

Our testing simulated approximately a year of taking the glasses on and off. Very impressive and again shows the improvement in longevity that these sunglasses will give consumers. Oakley has always been a reputable name and the longevity and the performance will impress all consumers.

Just like in the first model, the volume controls for the Thump 2 are located on top of the left arm, while the track forward and back buttons as well as the play, pause and power buttons are located on the right arm. To turn the player on or off, all that needs to be done is hold down the power button briefly and you will hear Oakley's distinctive "thump, thump."  This occurs both on startup or shutdown. The first song will automatically begin to play on startup.

A tiny LED is located on the inside of the right arm indicates the player's status. A solid green light means it's fully charged and powered up; blinking green means the PC connection is working (when the device is connected via USB) or that the battery charge has dropped one level (when it's not connected). It blinks amber and then red as the battery level gets lower, and the light is accompanied by a warning tone when the battery dips below 20 percent. Again Oakley makes these glasses foolproof and that the rubber buttons are easy to find and press, even when you're wearing the glasses. If you wear your sunglasses at night, you will still find your music controls.. impressive.

The output is strong enough for all listening situations. Our staff measured  the music in several different areas, a recording studio, the airport and at basketball game. All three areas we were able to sustain right around a level of 102dB, with peaks of 106-108 dB using our hip-hop song "Fireman" test track. You also get an added benefit because the earbuds are held firmly in place by the swiveling booms, allowing for a little extra bass and overall volume. The battery is rated for 6 hours. In our tests with five different reviewers, we had an average of 5 hours 36 minutes with the lowest being 5 hours and 20 minutes. It was enough to get us from Washington to Vegas without making any changes.. They are great sleeping aids for red eye flights too with the dark tint and dark frames that our test model was provided to our staff.

If you are looking for a great pair of sunglasses and like music, then once again Oakley has made a winning combination for you. While some will like the better look of the glasses, others might not like the fact that these music gems are for daylight only. While the original thump sunglasses flipped up, we felt that they looked a bit goofy in comparison to the new and improved Thump 2. Add these to your holiday gift list, you will be glad you did.

For more information and all of the colors and pricing available visit your local Oakley dealer or visit their website at www.oakley.com