Meta Unveils New Smart Glasses, Rebranded as “Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses”
San Francisco, CA – Meta, formerly known as Facebook Reality Labs, has announced the launch of its latest smart glasses, which are now rebranded as “Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.” The company is adamant about dropping the name “Stories” and simply referring to them as smart glasses.
Available for preorder now and set to hit the market on October 17th, the new glasses come with several notable features. First and foremost, they aim to replace traditional headphones, featuring a personal audio system similar to Amazon’s Echo Frames and the Bose Tempo series. This system ensures that only the wearer can hear the music playing.
One significant improvement is the upgraded microphone system, with the new glasses equipped with five microphones, including one in the nose bridge. This enhancement ensures clearer voice commands and improved call quality, addressing the previous generation’s limitations under loud or windy conditions.
Besides their audio capabilities, the glasses also serve as a camera. Each right temple of the smart glasses sports a small camera lens, capturing 12-megapixel photos and 1080p videos. With a storage capacity of 32GB, users can store roughly 500 photos and 100 30-second videos before needing to offload them to the Meta View app. The app also enables seamless sharing to various social media platforms.
Additionally, users can now livestream directly to Facebook or Instagram with just a few taps on the stem of the glasses. While this feature enhances the glasses’ usability, it also raises serious privacy concerns.
Recognizing the challenge of keeping users engaged, Meta has shifted its focus from messaging to pitching the smart glasses as a creator tool. This repositioning allows users to record content while engaging in two-handed activities such as cooking or playing musical instruments. While media reports suggested that viewers could interact with the content, Meta did not confirm this feature.
In terms of design, Meta and Ray-Ban have introduced a range of new colors and multiple lens options, catering to different style preferences. As part of the new lineup, a rounder style called “Headliner” has been added in addition to the classic Wayfarer design.
Under the hood, the smart glasses are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 processor, known for its on-glass artificial intelligence capabilities. Meta claims the glasses’ battery life can last between four and six hours of active use. To ensure prolonged usage, the included case can charge the glasses up to eight times.
While these smart glasses do not possess the advanced functionalities that Meta plans for future releases, the combination of improved aesthetics and expanded features gives them a better chance of gaining user traction. Time will tell whether the integration of audio systems and camera functionalities into eyewear proves to be successful. Regardless, the stylish shades offer a favorable outcome as a standalone fashion accessory.
Meta’s Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are available for preorder, starting at $299, and are set to enter the market on October 17th.
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