I mean, this is obviously where its going, but the tech isn't there yet without seriously compromising on some axis (looks, size/weight, etc) I think its a great way to get people used to the paradigm of smart glasses and further develop the other components that are already mature on phones (camera, compute, speakers, etc.)

Google Glass was released almost a decade ago, I'm not convinced the tech isn't there. I also had a RECON Mod Live HUD for my Snowboard Goggles which was released in 2011 which had a unit size not that far off from the Google Glass.

It's disappointing that in 2023 there isn't something even remotely close (or better) to tech that was available 10+ years ago in the case of the RECON Mod Live.

...which is why its available for the already chunky wayfarer frames and not the svelte Aviators. Past camera spy glasses were so chunky as to be obvious if you know to look what to look for. Can't say how unobtrusive or obvious the lens is for the Metas but the Temples are not discernably thicker or different in appearance from non-enhanced Wayfarers. Wishing they'd Add an inertial sensor making them quite useful for tort / crim evidentiary purposes.

A readier-to-access camera means I could take pictures I can't now, since by the time I get my phone out the moment has passed.

To me an always-on display in my glasses, on the other hand, seems like a ramp-up of screen-time-interruptions and very diminished gains compared to a phone or watch.

Cameras like this have been available for years. They're typically sold as "spy cameras", because that's how they're perceived. Amazon alone lists a few dozen models of various degrees reasonable appearance and features, most of them in the $40-$100 range.

This is old enough that at least one startup has already failed to get traction for trying to establish a standard to clip cameras onto glasses...

What you're paying for here is the Ray-Ban branding, not innovation.

> Pair it with my phone, give me driving directions which don't require me to take eyes off the road.

I already do this with mine using audio.

sometimes audio is not enough, e.g. when driving motorbike/scooter in big city (Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur) audio navigation is not enough to on time figure out which lane ramp you have to use at some intersection.

For motorbikes there are already options to get a HUD in the helmet, i.e. a CrossHelmet or Argon Transform.

This is not an endorsement of these products, I have no idea if they are actually any good.

Yeah, that’s just not what the product is. It’s not targeted at helping people navigate roads, it’s for giving creators a more seamless way of getting footage in their everyday life.

Meta spent a crazy amount of money hosting a giant party at VidCon (a YouTube/TikTok/Instagram focused convention) and I haven’t really seen them pushing these glasses anywhere else. Casey Neistat did a review on the first-gen version in the context of how it helped him film. This really seems like a tool for creators at this point, even if it may morph into something else later.

Interesting - this is pretty insightful in terms of product market fit.

It seems more of a convenient GoPro POV camera form factor that allows more freedom from extra equipment (sunglasses versus some sort of helmet strap/chest strap) and less pre-planning.

I could also see some sort of application where the creator is live-streaming a concert or event to Instagram reels and getting feed back via the headphones from the internet audience on where to go/what to do next.

Definitely can see how it fits directly with FB/Insta in that it gets more people "creating" content for the rest of us (ergo more content to monetize for ads).

  > I could also see some sort of application where the creator is live-streaming a concert or event

Or police encounter.

"Spy cameras" like these have been available cheaply for years. The only thing new here is the Ray-Ban brand connection.

Well, the integration into social media is novel too. When I did a demo I signed into my account and when I filmed something it went directly as a post to my IG.

If there were more ability to do more editing and get access to the raw footage that would be helpful; I haven’t tested this version though so I don’t know what it does/doesn’t offer.

There are several glasses that allows live-streaming over wifi to your phone, and that will give you access to the raw footage.

These aren’t even new. They have been available for years.

True, but the first version was garbage, the resolution was like 2007 Razr quality. I feel like the better image quality, battery life, and form-factor this gets, it will become a lot more compelling a product.

I would never have bought the last version, but with the image quality on this one it may be worth it (plus the call-related stuff, although I normally have AirPods with me).

how many "spy cameras" allow you to live stream? "the only thing" here is your lack of imagination. not that I'm a proponent of these devices, as they are on the verge of creepCentral, but i'm not going to make an outlandish comment about them "only" being branded.

The very cheapest don't, but there are several who do, so again the only "new" thing is here is the branding.

It would probably be pretty awesome at navigating roads too. I remember citibiking in nyc and basically having to memorize directions and street names, or constantly pull out my phone and figure out where i'm going. Having audio through the glasses would work great and still be able to hear your surroundings.

I’ve been biking around nyc boroughs for over a decade now and I still follow directions from mapping apps!

I’ve found Apple Watch to be okay (they give instructions on directions via haptic feedback) and AirPods with spoken directions to be even better.

I wear glasses too, but for directions I think I’d prefer haptic and/or audio even if visual was an option just for safety purposes.

The one pain point I have found with biking directions is that sometimes the directions come way too late to be useful (maybe I bike too fast haha).

> I don't want cameras strapped to my head

Not only is VR/AR hard, a camera is still very aligned with their business model :)

Yes, it's the creep factor of Google Glasses without the utility display

This is more simstim a'la neuromancer than robocop.

Imagine that while you're driving, a big line of text that you can't see through appears on your windshield.

Worse yet the text is opaque but you have to concentrate on it to read it.

All this would do is give drivers a false sense of security in your directions example. You'll be concentrating on the text regardless, meaning your concentration is off the road.

Even that autopilot sense where you drive your daily routine for 30 minutes and don't remember minutes 20 of it still has your subconscious aware of obstacles in the road, etc. This would require your concentration to be on the text. Whether you want it to or not.

HUDs like this are already common on fighter jets, and even some passenger aircraft, precisely so you don't have to look away to check gauges. Are you saying riding a motorcycle requires more concentration than flying an FA/18 Hornet?

In the jets, are all parts of the HUD always visible and they train to work around them as if it weren't part of the window but rather a permanent obstruction, or does the text pop up unexpectedly while they're flying?

> Are you saying riding a motorcycle requires more concentration than flying an FA/18 Hornet?

Are you saying that building strawmen is more important than the visibility of an FA/18 Hornet?

the BMW motorcycle HUD doesn't have text that pops up unexpectedly, as far as I can see from the demo video. quite the opposite: the HUD stays in one place, and it only displays speed and navigation info, and it doesn't seem very obstructing.

maybe we're talking about different smart glasses?

In that case yes I believe I envisioned it differently than you. If the text is correctly sized and in a box that's always there, where you expect information to be and doesn't block your view, I don't think that would be distracting.

Have you seen this:

https://www.visor.com/shop

Disclosure, I'm an investor. But I share this as a fellow technologist who just bought one.

It's meant for working in VR/AR so it only ties to computers, but it might still work for you.

Cool tech but those are hideous compared to a slightly thicker pair of Ray Bans

It is impossible to have a good display with a transparent lens, because you have to overlay the light that passes the lens with an even brighter light. Unless they find a way to dim shapes on the lenses, this will always be sub-optimal.

What will work is a camera on your VR device, that will give you a quasi-AR device, but those are still clunky and as you can see with the iGlasses they look a bit spooky from outside.

Unpopular opinion (even wsj wrote this product off [1]) but as a new dad these things have been an absolute game changer.

I continue to play with my toddler at all times but I can also capture critical moments without my kid thinking I’m constantly on my phone.

The grandparents have the footage on loop. This is just a win-win-win all around tbh even without any displays.

[1]: https://www.wsj.com/articles/metas-ray-ban-smart-glasses-fai...

PS: added benefit that when I don’t pick up my phone to get to the camera constantly I conveniently miss the attention destroying notifications most times from other Meta products

PPS: Caveat: I live in a sunny location so sunglasses make sense most days.

This was what made the original Glass interesting - being able to live your life while also archiving memories for Future You etc.

Still, Facebook isn't exactly a company that has earned trust to fill that role.

Honestly this single HN comment may have turned my opinion of the product category around.

Wearing the same glasses constantly just in case your kid makes a thing?

There is a reason why people get lasik.

But hey if people start wearing more sunglasses outside good for them it's better for the eyes.

Yeah this would be a great way to market them!

Or … you could try not constantly filming your children — and avoid creeping out everyone with your spywear.

> I want a lightweight display I can wear unobtrusively and doesn't make anyone near me nervous

The BWM Connected Ride Glasses are close to this:

https://www.bmw-motorrad.ie/en/wear/Apparel/connectedride-sm...

They're specific for motorcycle riding (vs, you know, a pasta timer), but that's a detail of application.

Other than that, it's a pair glasses with a built in HUD for...HUD things.

It is extremely bizarre to advertise with typical Mixed Reality use cases (with display elements overlaid in your field of vision).

Is this actually true or do the people here who say "it lacks a display" mean something else? That it's not suitable for VR or non overlay applications?

Look at the Product Tour part of the page. Zero mention of a display = no display.