Brett H. Craig was appointed president and chief executive officer of electronic-focusing eyeglass company PixelOptics, it announced Thursday. Craig, who has more than 14 years of experience in the optics industry, will be responsible for leading the enterprise in its entirety. This includes the company’s patent-protected, transformational spectacle eyewear product, emPower! Resembling traditional eyeglasses, emPower! features microchips, micro-accelerometers and miniature batteries hidden inside the temples of the frames. The transparent liquid crystal layer in each lens can electronically activate the near-focus lens only when needed, with no moving parts and without making a sound. The device makes it possible to see clearly at all distances, and wearers can operate the glasses in three different modes: manual on, automatic and manual off. The emPower! brand is a finalist in the 2011 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation competition, sponsored by SPIE and Photonics Media. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on Jan. 25 during Photonics West in San Francisco. (See: 2011 Prism Award Finalists Announced) For more information, visit: www.pixeloptics.com