Summary
- New Meta smart glasses feature fresh designs and AI capabilities for better user experience.
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced new colorways and features to enhance the product’s appeal.
- Users in select countries can expect video calling capabilities and Apple Music support as well.
AI is all-pervasive, and quickly making its presence felt across hardware form factors and software experiences in the Android ecosystem. Meta is also riding the hype train with its AI, which is slowly seeping through the company’s social media properties like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Now, Meta is taking things to the next level with the latest version of the Meta smart glasses created in collaboration with Ray-Ban, and AI infusion isn’t the only change.
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Meta introduced the second-generation Meta smart glasses in September last year with quirky new features that enabled convenient POV video recording for social media creators. Although the eyewear was created in collaboration with Ray-Ban, the resulting design was rather drab, especially considering the visual flair one immediately associates with the brand. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg just announced a slew of new colorways and designs for smart glasses.
New frames and new AI were the need of the hour
Source: Meta
Moving on from the classic black Wayfarer frame and the round Headliner design, Meta has introduced a new Skyler frame with a cat eye design and a low-bridge option for the Headliner variant to prevent glasses from slipping down your nose. Each frame has a few new colorways available immediately, and several other frame and lens color pairings are in the pipeline for launch later this summer.
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The new designs are available in 15 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, and all of Europe. Starting tomorrow (April 24), the company is also unveiling a special edition Scuderia Ferrari colorway in collaboration with the Italian carmaker.
Functionally, Meta is upping the smart glasses’ capabilities from video recording to straight-up video calling via WhatsApp and Messenger. Using the glasses while on a call would allow you to share your point of view on the call, hands-free. It can come in clutch if you want to demo something with both your hands, or just show off your culinary chopping skills on a call. This feature is rolling out gradually, even though Zuckerberg showed it off in an Instagram post.
The Verge also reports that Meta’s View companion app for these smart glasses was recently updated with Apple Music support. With this integration, the wearer can control music playback and even request recommendations or a specific artist’s work, album, or song.
Lastly, users in the US and Canada are also getting beta access to Meta’s new multimodal AI, which has been in testing since December. Like Google Assistant, you can just preface any question with “Hey Meta,” and anticipate a suitable response from the smart glasses. Real-world applications could include translating a road sign you’re staring at, or identifying a flower at the florist.
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