The RayBan Smart Glasses are back. Mark Zuckerberg revealed the next generation of smart glasses during the Meta Connect keynote which also saw the full details of the Meta Quest 3 and a new library of AI avatars played by famous faces.
These second-generation glasses come in more styles. In addition to the classic Wayfarer design, they will also come in a new Headliner style. Both styles will be available in a choice of frame colours and finishes, with lots of lens choices, giving you over 150 combinations.
The main features of the smart glasses have been upgraded. There’s a new 12MP ultra-wide camera for stills and 1080P video for clips of up to 60 seconds. The audio has also been improved with up to 50% more volume, with more bass and reduced audio leakage.
One addition to the video abilities here is that you can now live stream from the glasses straight to Instagram or Facebook, allowing you to share your first-person view in real-time. I’m sure somewhere there’s a bunch of copyright and IP lawyers having a stiff drink ahead of what this could lead to.
But live streaming isn’t even the biggest addition to these glasses. Meta is building it’s new AI system into the glasses to provide answers on the go, to just about anything. The voice-controlled version of Meta AI will only be available in the US and in Beta form at launch, but there are already plans to expand what it can do.
An update in 2024 is expected to incorporate the camera in the glasses, allowing you to ask the Meta AI questions about things that you are seeing. The potential here is huge.
With this AI integration, these RayBan Meta smart glasses are some of the most advanced we’ve seen to date. While the Google Glass offered a form of projection into the lens, these are far more interactive in terms of content. And while Amazon’s Echo Frames are likely to harness the power of the next-generation Alexa in time, they don’t offer the camera functionality.
Meta AI integrated with the camera in the RayBan Meta Smart Glasses (coming next year)
While I’m still not sure everyone will be comfortable putting cameras and AI powered by Meta on their face, they are impressive. Not only do they look great but they can now offer more useful features, and having the AI integration opens up a world of possibilities for them – especially once the camera is integrated as well.
The RayBan Meta Smart Glasses go on sale on 17th October, priced from £246 / $299 / AUD$449. Pre-order now at Meta.
