Key facts
- Meta is emphasizing its smart glasses line at the annual Connect event.
- New audio-only smart glasses were demoed, featuring six microphones but no camera.
- These glasses are designed to play music and handle phone calls.
- The glasses will integrate with Meta's personal agent system, Muse, for verbal commands.
- A separate pair of audio-only glasses for the hearing impaired was also presented.
- The hearing-impaired glasses will sell for $150, significantly less than many hearing aids.
At its annual Connect event, Meta demonstrated a strong focus on its smart glasses, with the technology prominently featured throughout the proceedings. The company is pushing its burgeoning line of smart eyewear, aiming to make them stylish, functional, and useful.
Among the notable products showcased were new, still-unreleased audio-only smart glasses. These devices are equipped with six microphones but lack a camera, addressing privacy concerns that arose from earlier camera-equipped models. They are designed for entertainment and communication, allowing users to listen to music and take phone calls comfortably, and are lighter and more comfortable than earbuds.
These new glasses will integrate with Muse, Meta's personal agent system. This integration, not yet publicly available, will enable users to issue verbal commands to Muse, which can then perform tasks such as sending emails or reciting to-do lists. Meta also plans to offer personalized digital avatars to represent the agent. During a demonstration, the agent occasionally became confused when the user spoke to other people simultaneously, but the potential usefulness for hands-free task management was evident.
Additionally, Meta presented a second pair of audio-only smart glasses specifically designed for individuals with hearing impairments. Development for this device has been ongoing for approximately five years. Unlike many hearing aids that can cost up to $1,600, these glasses are slated to sell for $150. The glasses can amplify sound, with users able to switch between a focused mode that targets the voice of the person directly in front of them and an omnidirectional mode that picks up sound from all around.