Meta has officially unveiled its new line of smart glasses, moving away from the Ray-Ban brand to embrace its own design while continuing the partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The three models are called Meta Fury, Meta Adventurer, and Meta Glasses by Kylie (also known as Starfire), with prices starting at $299 for the first two and $399 for the Kylie Jenner edition.
Shared hardware but expanded styles
According to Ming Hua, Meta's VP of wearable devices, these new glasses are built on the same hardware platform as the successful Ray-Ban Meta. They feature a multi-array microphone setup, spatial audio, and 3K video cameras. However, the company has expanded style, color, and material options, offering 26 total combinations. The Meta Adventurer has a classic, rectangular shape, while the Fury is more square with more color variants. The Starfire resembles the small oval frames Jenner favors, available in black or tortoiseshell, with a small gem on the right lens.
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Ergonomic improvements for a perfect fit
All models feature a three-way adjustable nose pad to fit different face shapes, over-extension hinges, and user-adjustable temple tips. These features, already appreciated in the Ray-Ban Meta, have been refined for comfort even after hours of use. One interesting detail: the Starfire's metal nose bridge makes it easier to wipe off makeup, a direct request from Kylie Jenner for those wearing foundation and powder.
Updated software: translations in 20 languages and pedestrian navigation
Meta announced significant software updates. The Meta AI Companion app benefits from the Muse Spark update, already rolled out to previous models, for more accurate answers. The main new feature is support for 14 new languages for live translation, bringing the total to 20, including Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, and Hindi. We tested the function with a Mandarin native speaker: the translation was smooth, with a new code-switching mode that handles terms in other languages without interruption. Additionally, the pedestrian navigation feature provides voice guidance like "turn right" while walking in an unfamiliar city.
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Hands-on with the Starfire by Kylie Jenner
We wore the black version of the Starfire for about an hour. The frames, reminiscent of cat-eye glasses, fit surprisingly well. The gem on the lens, though subtle, catches light like paparazzi flashes. The battery life dropped from 96% to 66% in roughly an hour of heavy use, but real-world testing is needed. Kylie Jenner's voice as AI assistant was available, though not active on our test unit. Other features include dynamic photos that capture multiple images in succession to select the best one.
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The new Meta Glasses represent a step forward in the smart glasses market, offering more styles and a lower price than the Ray-Ban models. For those seeking accessories, clip-on covers like Lorika's Ontop are already available. With AI integration and multilingual translation, these glasses could revolutionize how we interact with the digital world, as explained also on Wikipedia about smart glasses.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2199519/meta-ai-glasses-hands-on-kylie-jenner-edition
