Meta today unveiled three new smart glasses models: Adventurer, Fury, and Starfire. Priced at $299, matching the first generation but significantly cheaper than last year's Ray-Ban Gen 2, these glasses carry no Ray-Ban branding and are simply called Meta Glasses. A strategic move to establish Meta's own brand in the smart eyewear market, made possible through a partnership with EssilorLuxottica for manufacturing and distribution.
Three styles from classic to glamorous
Adventurer and Fury offer classic rectangular shapes with 26 customization options including tinted lenses and frame colors like Racing Green or Sandstone. The highlight is Starfire, designed in collaboration with Kylie Jenner. This model features a gemstone on the lens, a metal nose pad to avoid makeup absorption, and an AI-generated voice assistant in Jenner's voice. The case includes a mirror and a personal note.
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Enhanced comfort with adjustable nose pads and flexible hinges
Meta focused on three comfort improvements: adjustable nose pads that tilt in three directions, temples with a core wire to fit face shape, and hinges that flare out slightly when putting on the glasses, making them easier for wider heads. These details are crucial for daily use, as CTO Andrew Bosworth emphasized: comfort and fit are essential to encourage people to wear them as everyday glasses.
Familiar hardware with upgraded software
Specs mirror the Ray-Ban Gen 2: 12-megapixel camera, 3K video, five-microphone array, speakers in the arms, and touch controls. Battery life is about 8 hours, extendable to 48 with the charging case. Meta also sells a new desktop charging stand compatible with previous models. On the software side, Meta Glasses run the latest Muse Spark multimodal model, enabling more natural interactions and translations in Japanese, Chinese, Hindi, and Korean. A Dynamic Photo feature is coming soon to select the best shot from multiple frames.
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Privacy and facial recognition: no plans for now
Bosworth reiterated privacy efforts, noting that the devices use the same tamper-detection technology as Ray-Ban models. However, he admitted it is a cat-and-mouse game with bad actors. After WIRED discovered facial recognition code in the Meta AI app, the company removed it and stated no plans for such features. The focus remains mass adoption, while competitors like Snap AR Specs have struggled with size and pricing. Meanwhile, demand for audio-only glasses remains a future possibility, but Meta is prioritizing these models for now.
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The launch of Meta Glasses occurs amid intense tech competition. As we reported in a related article, ASML's lithography achievements highlight rapid hardware evolution. For more on smart glasses, refer to the Wikipedia page.
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/meta-new-smart-glasses-are-cheaper-colorful-and-meta-branded
