Inspired by @tmcw’s post (which you should read), I decided to write some notes about my generally positive experience with the Meta Ray-Ban glasses so far.
(Caveat: I got the sunglasses version, so I only use them outdoors. Also, this is the “old” Gen1 version without a display.)
The feature I use the most is the (surprisingly good) speakers. I love going on a walk/run and being able to listen to a podcast or take a phone call without needing earbuds.
Unless you crank the volume up unnecessarily, people nearby cannot hear what you’re hearing.
A distant second feature is photos/videos. One niche use case that’s very helpful for me is taking photos/videos of my car navigation app (which comes in handy for work reasons).
If they sold a version without the camera, I would be okay with it. In fact, it’s the only likely scenario where I would consider making my regular indoor glasses smart.
I rarely use the AI, and when I do, it’s to add a reminder or event to my calendar during a walk.
I wish I could play with the instant translation or captioning, but I haven’t found a need for it yet.
I saw the announcement of the new version with a display, and I’m not sold just yet. Even less so if I have to wear a wristband to control it, no matter how fancy it is. I’d rather have a simpler, low-resolution display à la Google Glass, if at all.
Battery hasn’t been an issue (95% of the time I wear them, they’re off or simply playing audio).
I haven’t encountered a single situation where someone realized or brought up that I was wearing smart glasses.
I want to see others try a different take on smart glasses. I’d love to see more options without a camera (although I understand the interest in having one for accessibility purposes). Ironically, I think audio, not vision, is the killer feature for smart glasses.
→ Have thoughts? You can comment on the Bluesky post.