Meta Ray-Ban glasses: Now you can stream live videos, take photos, translate signs and more
Many people believe that technology has prevented us from living in the present moment. While it is true that technology can help us capture and remember moments, it has also made it more difficult for us to fully experience them. However, tech companies such as Meta are developing new technologies, such as smart glasses, that allow for a more "hands-free, on-the-go experience," which could help us to be more present in our daily lives.
Meta's Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, Sept. 27 announced the release of the second-generation Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica.
"Advances in AI allow us to create different (applications) and personas that help us accomplish different things," Zuckerberg said at the annual Connect 2023 event. "And smart glasses are going to eventually allow us to bring all of this together into a stylish form factor that we can wear."
One of the main features of this eyewear is its new ultra-wide 12 MP camera and Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen1 Platform for higher-quality photo and video processing.
If you want to share these with your contacts, a simple "send a photo" voice command will let you do so.
You can also record 1080p videos of up to 60 seconds long. And if you want to share what you're seeing, you can stream it live on your Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Aside from taking photos and videos, the new smart accessory allows Meta AI assistants to "see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing." Imagine you're on vacation in a foreign country and you see a sign in a language you don't understand, or you want to identify the name of a building. With Meta Ray-Ban glasses, you can translate the sign instantly without having to take out your phone—just say “Hey Meta” to ask for information!
Meta has also improved the quality of its audio as it now features a newly designed five-microphone array for better audio recording—"exactly how you originally experienced them."
Each pair comes with a sleek charging case that can charge up to eight times or 36 hours of use.
The starting price of the smart glasses is $299 and will be available on Oct. 17.
The eyewear comes in two styles: the classic Wayfarer and the new Headliner. Both are available in Matte Black and Shiny Black.
For a more fashion-forward look, there are also three new transparent frame colors in Jeans, Rebel Black, and Caramel, and over 150 different custom frame and lens combinations which they could customize on the Ray-Ban Remix platform.
The Connect 2023 event also saw the release of personalized AI chatbots based on celebrities like Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, and more that users can message on WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
"This is our first effort at training a bunch of AI that are a bit more fun," Zuckerberg said. "But look, this is early stuff and these still have a lot of limitations, which you will see when you use them."