I tried out the latest AI features of the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and they are a much better – and cooler looking – companion
Meta isn’t busy revamping the increasingly popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, but the company is giving them more attention in the form of new colors, faster transition lenses and many more Meta AI capabilities.
At Meta Connect 2024 at Meta’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, I got the chance to try out the latest capabilities of the smart glasses. It’s clear to me that this little brain transplant will expand the Ray-Ban Meta’s capabilities as a wearable.
Most of my experiences were at a sample Ray-Ban Meta Pop-up store, the first of which will be opening soon in Los Angeles. It’s a place where you can experience all the different features of the smart glasses, including the Meta AI-powered glasses, purchase the glasses, and even have them personalized with a custom engraving.
Some of Meta AI’s updated capabilities come from better third-party app integrations. Meta AI can now play Spotify Music, and requests can be based on artists, tracks, or even moods.
Sing a song
I put on a pair of tortoiseshell Ray-Ban Metas and asked Meta AI to play me an upbeat Taylor Swift song. Admittedly, that was a bit of a clumsy request, so I guess I wasn’t surprised when Meta started playing the Happy Birthday song through the smart glasses’ speakers, which sit in the stems and by my ears.
I pulled myself together and asked for a Taylor Swift song (I know, shockingly not Warm to take away by Chappell Roan) and after a second delay Shake It Off was played.
Meta AI now has visual capabilities, allowing me to look at things in different places in the demo store and ask Meta AI what I was looking at.
There was an LA city street diorama in the middle of the store. I looked at it and asked Meta AI with the prompt, “Hey, Meta” what I was looking at. It took a moment for Meta AI to respond, and I thought it didn’t hear me, but then it finally said, “You’re looking at a diorama with various cars and palm trees,” which was correct.
With Meta AI, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses also have some basic translation capabilities. I was looking at a Spanish sign in the pop-up store and asked Meta AI to “translate this sign.” I heard the smart glasses take a picture (it sounds like a camera shutter) and then Meta AI said, “Flower market, Mercado De Flores.” I thought the Spanish pronunciation at the end was a nice touch.
You can also use Meta AI to set visual reminders, but it’s a kind of clunky process where you look at something and then ask Meta AI to remind you to do something later. I asked it to remind me to buy a book in five minutes. It might be just as quick to grab your phone and set a reminder, but if you do this often, using Ray-Ban Meta and Meta AI could save you time.
We also used Meta AI to read a QR code and send the link to a phone, and I watched a few people in the corner of the room get their glasses engraved. One cool little demo was Ray Ban Meta’s enhanced transition lenses. I watched as a Meta employee used a blue light to quickly tint lenses to a nice, dark tint. I didn’t even know blue light could do that.
The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses are still available starting at $329. Note that not all Meta AI features (such as Vision) are available globally, so be sure to check before purchasing this wearable companion.
