See into the future.
Ray-Ban and Meta teamed up to unveil an artificially intelligent pair of sunglasses that can scan into the world around a person as they walk down a street, among many other bells and whistles.
Although released last fall, the shades — which come in all sorts of colors and cost between $300 to $500 — were just named by the Wall Street Journal as the high-tech, AI gadget worth buying.
“Not only are Meta’s AI tools fun and reliable but the glasses’ built-in cameras make it easier to take pictures and videos when I’m playing with my kids,” wrote tech columnist Joanna Stern.
A few of those other features on the smartphone-linked glasses include the ability to make calls, listen to music, and even live stream, need — or want — be.
They are outfitted with small but mighty speakers in the back of the glasses to hear and interact with its artificially intelligent assistant. The glasses come with a chargeable case as well.
As for the stunning visuals, Stern tested the sunglasses and their subtle cameras at the tips of the glasses at an NYC pet adoption center. It was able to differentiate dog breeds, she noted.
“When I stared at an adorable puppy and asked what I should feed him, the Meta assistant replied, ‘A Great Dane puppy requires a high-quality, large-breed puppy food that is rich in protein, moderate in fat and contains appropriate vitamins and minerals.’”
Stern also compared the Meta Ray-Bans to two other pieces of hot, virtual assistant tech on the market.
One was the Rabbit R1, a $200 Palm Pilot and iPod-hybrid-looking AI device, and the other was the $700 Humane AI Pin, which can be attached to clothes as a personal assistant with a camera.
Stern panned both in favor of the glasses, which “did a better job with contextual answers, too.”
“When I asked the Rabbit to play Taylor Swift’s latest album, it promptly played a song from 18 years ago! Plus, getting an answer from Humane and Rabbit can take so long there should be hold music.”