Earlier this month, WIRED discovered code in the public-facing Meta AI app, suggesting that Meta was gearing up to debut a face recognition feature in its consumer smart glasses, technology that may have been trained by a company that builds surveillance tools for the US military and police departments. After WIRED’s report, Meta deleted the code, and none of this technology is present in the new Meta Glasses. Ankit Brahmbhatt, senior director of Product Management for AI Glasses at Meta, tells WIRED there are “no plans for facial recognition,” as it’s not the focus for what the company is building here.
Meta’s goal with these glasses is to get them onto more faces. “It’s more than just whether they fit—fit and comfort are extremely critical to get right—but it’s also your personal brand,” Bristol says. “It’s a really important decision if we want people to wear them as daily driver glasses.” If more people start wearing these Meta Glasses, that means more people are using Meta AI.
Bristol and Bosworth both lamented that with many of today’s AI tools, you have to supply the context manually, whether by providing a picture, document, or search query. With smart glasses, the AI assistant sees what you’re seeing, and that’s one less burden on your part. “It’s not that the thing isn’t smart enough—sometimes that’s a problem—it’s the amount of work I have to do to get it up to speed,” Bosworth says.
But making smart glasses comfier is just one step. Many people are still concerned about the privacy oversteps made possible by wearable cameras that can discreetly record the user’s surroundings. Bosworth believes such anxieties are akin to what happened when smartphones first put high-quality cameras in our pockets.
“There’s this social norming thing that has to happen,” he says. “The glasses are very popular … that doesn’t mean we aren’t worried about every corner case.”
The new Meta Glasses arrive at a turbulent time for the company’s relationship with its workforce. Bosworth himself sent an internal memo to employees last week promising better communication, stability, and workplace perks to improve morale, which is at an all-time low.
Earlier this month, WIRED discovered code in the public-facing Meta AI app, suggesting that Meta was gearing up to debut a face recognition feature in its consumer smart glasses, technology that may have been trained by a company that builds surveillance tools for the US military and police departments. After WIRED’s report, Meta deleted the code, and none of this technology is present in the new Meta Glasses. Ankit Brahmbhatt, senior director of Product Management for AI Glasses at Meta, tells WIRED there are “no plans for facial recognition,” as it’s not the focus for what the company is building here.
Meta’s goal with these glasses is to get them onto more faces. “It’s more than just whether they fit—fit and comfort are extremely critical to get right—but it’s also your personal brand,” Bristol says. “It’s a really important decision if we want people to wear them as daily driver glasses.” If more people start wearing these Meta Glasses, that means more people are using Meta AI.
Bristol and Bosworth both lamented that with many of today’s AI tools, you have to supply the context manually, whether by providing a picture, document, or search query. With smart glasses, the AI assistant sees what you’re seeing, and that’s one less burden on your part. “It’s not that the thing isn’t smart enough—sometimes that’s a problem—it’s the amount of work I have to do to get it up to speed,” Bosworth says.
But making smart glasses comfier is just one step. Many people are still concerned about the privacy oversteps made possible by wearable cameras that can discreetly record the user’s surroundings. Bosworth believes such anxieties are akin to what happened when smartphones first put high-quality cameras in our pockets.
“There’s this social norming thing that has to happen,” he says. “The glasses are very popular … that doesn’t mean we aren’t worried about every corner case.”
The new Meta Glasses arrive at a turbulent time for the company’s relationship with its workforce. Bosworth himself sent an internal memo to employees last week promising better communication, stability, and workplace perks to improve morale, which is at an all-time low.
#Metas #Smart #Glasses #Sale #Todaymeta,smart glasses,design,wearables,cameras">Meta’s Very Own Smart Glasses Go on Sale Today for $299
Speaking of, Bosworth says Meta has heard feedback that some folks don’t care for the camera capabilities on its smart glasses and would prefer audio-only glasses. “There’s a market demand for that product for sure.” Bosworth then said, “one thing at a time.”
The Meta Fury.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Earlier this month, WIRED discovered code in the public-facing Meta AI app, suggesting that Meta was gearing up to debut a face recognition feature in its consumer smart glasses, technology that may have been trained by a company that builds surveillance tools for the US military and police departments. After WIRED’s report, Meta deleted the code, and none of this technology is present in the new Meta Glasses. Ankit Brahmbhatt, senior director of Product Management for AI Glasses at Meta, tells WIRED there are “no plans for facial recognition,” as it’s not the focus for what the company is building here.
Meta’s goal with these glasses is to get them onto more faces. “It’s more than just whether they fit—fit and comfort are extremely critical to get right—but it’s also your personal brand,” Bristol says. “It’s a really important decision if we want people to wear them as daily driver glasses.” If more people start wearing these Meta Glasses, that means more people are using Meta AI.
Bristol and Bosworth both lamented that with many of today’s AI tools, you have to supply the context manually, whether by providing a picture, document, or search query. With smart glasses, the AI assistant sees what you’re seeing, and that’s one less burden on your part. “It’s not that the thing isn’t smart enough—sometimes that’s a problem—it’s the amount of work I have to do to get it up to speed,” Bosworth says.
But making smart glasses comfier is just one step. Many people are still concerned about the privacy oversteps made possible by wearable cameras that can discreetly record the user’s surroundings. Bosworth believes such anxieties are akin to what happened when smartphones first put high-quality cameras in our pockets.
“There’s this social norming thing that has to happen,” he says. “The glasses are very popular … that doesn’t mean we aren’t worried about every corner case.”
The new Meta Glasses arrive at a turbulent time for the company’s relationship with its workforce. Bosworth himself sent an internal memo to employees last week promising better communication, stability, and workplace perks to improve morale, which is at an all-time low.
Its initial success hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have pulled Google, Samsung, and potentially even Apple into the mix, with the former two companies planning to release their own pair this year. And that’s not even counting the various other upstarts that have managed to carve out a niche already.
The interest in face-worn wearables is palpable, and in a lot of ways, smart glasses, for all of their obvious flaws, feel concrete. But as concrete as the interest is, the category also feels as nebulous as ever, and Meta, for all its popularity, is a perfect example.
Take apps, for instance. Meta has made some strides since the launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display last year to try to add more functionality, but for the most part, it still feels like there’s not a ton to do once they’re on your face. You can get notifications, you can get directions, and you can swipe through Instagram Reels, and sure, it’s novel to be doing those things on a small screen on your face, but they don’t necessarily add up to a game-changing experience.
Meta clearly knows that those “core” apps aren’t enough, which is why it recently opened up its developer program for the Meta Ray-Ban Display so that people can make apps that use both the built-in screen as well as the included Neural Band, the wristband you use to control the UI inside the smart glasses.
While the apps being built are in early stages and aren’t being made generally available to people who own the smart glasses yet, initial results are… something? There are people making speedometers, apps that control your smart home, and Doom (because, of course). Someone even made the bold choice of making an app that can unlock your car. Again, they’re interesting ideas, but I’m not sure that any of them will have people rushing out to spend $800 on a pair of smart glasses.
Meta’s non-display smart glasses face similar issues. While I like the fact that you can use them as an open-ear audio device—they’re great for calling and listening to music while you’re riding a bike or exercising—some of the banner features of Meta’s “AI glasses” feel less-than-useful, and one of them is the AI itself.
Features like computer vision, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to answer questions about the world around you, are somewhat novel, but maybe not altogether useful for most. Don’t get me wrong, I think it could be great for accessibility purposes—people who have vision impairments could use computer vision to parse their surroundings. But for a general audience, the AI part of AI glasses can feel underwhelming, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
“The biggest hurdle to success that I see so far for Meta is the quality of Meta AI and the slow nature of getting third-party apps onboard,” says Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, which follows the consumer tech space closely. “The ways that they enhance my life in their most simple form, as smart glasses, are still pretty much paired to just Meta apps.”
Outside of translating a menu or telling you about items in your surroundings, I’ve yet to see lots of practical uses for computer vision, and that’s not even factoring in the bad habit that Meta AI has of getting things wrong, which is a real issue in my experience using the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
I get that not every new gadget has to have a purpose right off the bat. Take the Apple Watch, for example, which entered the scene as a frivolous accessory to your iPhone. In many ways, you can write off smart glasses for the same reasons that people wrote off the Apple Watch at first. Yes, it delivers notifications and comes in a wearable form factor, but it mostly duplicates the experience of using your phone. And not only that, it’s utterly dependent on your phone to work, same as Meta’s Ray-Bans and Oakleys.
Those criticisms didn’t hold up forever, though. Eventually, the Apple Watch found health tracking features like heart rate monitoring and crash detection, and now it’s a device unto itself that also acts as an accessory to your iPhone. The thing is, health features aren’t exactly up for grabs anymore, though Meta has tried to introduce nutrition tracking as a feature, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to log what you eat and then gives you AI-powered recommendations. Whether that gets any traction remains to be seen, but I personally don’t envision loads of people lining up to have Meta AI shame them for their diets.
So, smart glasses will have to find their own niche, just like the Apple Watch, though whether such a niche really exists is anyone’s guess. It’s not that smart glasses can’t be useful at times—they can—but as it stands, even Meta lacks a “killer app” to drive adoption. Sure, people like recording stuff, but that is an entire can of worms from a privacy perspective, and for as many people that want smart glasses for their recording abilities, there are just as many that hate them for it.
Millions of units sold or not, smart glasses like Meta’s still feel like they’re a long way from the proverbial Apple Watch moment—a holy grail that is never guaranteed to arrive.
Its initial success hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have pulled Google, Samsung, and potentially even Apple into the mix, with the former two companies planning to release their own pair this year. And that’s not even counting the various other upstarts that have managed to carve out a niche already.
The interest in face-worn wearables is palpable, and in a lot of ways, smart glasses, for all of their obvious flaws, feel concrete. But as concrete as the interest is, the category also feels as nebulous as ever, and Meta, for all its popularity, is a perfect example.
Take apps, for instance. Meta has made some strides since the launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display last year to try to add more functionality, but for the most part, it still feels like there’s not a ton to do once they’re on your face. You can get notifications, you can get directions, and you can swipe through Instagram Reels, and sure, it’s novel to be doing those things on a small screen on your face, but they don’t necessarily add up to a game-changing experience.
Meta clearly knows that those “core” apps aren’t enough, which is why it recently opened up its developer program for the Meta Ray-Ban Display so that people can make apps that use both the built-in screen as well as the included Neural Band, the wristband you use to control the UI inside the smart glasses.
While the apps being built are in early stages and aren’t being made generally available to people who own the smart glasses yet, initial results are… something? There are people making speedometers, apps that control your smart home, and Doom (because, of course). Someone even made the bold choice of making an app that can unlock your car. Again, they’re interesting ideas, but I’m not sure that any of them will have people rushing out to spend $800 on a pair of smart glasses.
Meta’s non-display smart glasses face similar issues. While I like the fact that you can use them as an open-ear audio device—they’re great for calling and listening to music while you’re riding a bike or exercising—some of the banner features of Meta’s “AI glasses” feel less-than-useful, and one of them is the AI itself.
Features like computer vision, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to answer questions about the world around you, are somewhat novel, but maybe not altogether useful for most. Don’t get me wrong, I think it could be great for accessibility purposes—people who have vision impairments could use computer vision to parse their surroundings. But for a general audience, the AI part of AI glasses can feel underwhelming, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
“The biggest hurdle to success that I see so far for Meta is the quality of Meta AI and the slow nature of getting third-party apps onboard,” says Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, which follows the consumer tech space closely. “The ways that they enhance my life in their most simple form, as smart glasses, are still pretty much paired to just Meta apps.”
Outside of translating a menu or telling you about items in your surroundings, I’ve yet to see lots of practical uses for computer vision, and that’s not even factoring in the bad habit that Meta AI has of getting things wrong, which is a real issue in my experience using the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
I get that not every new gadget has to have a purpose right off the bat. Take the Apple Watch, for example, which entered the scene as a frivolous accessory to your iPhone. In many ways, you can write off smart glasses for the same reasons that people wrote off the Apple Watch at first. Yes, it delivers notifications and comes in a wearable form factor, but it mostly duplicates the experience of using your phone. And not only that, it’s utterly dependent on your phone to work, same as Meta’s Ray-Bans and Oakleys.
Those criticisms didn’t hold up forever, though. Eventually, the Apple Watch found health tracking features like heart rate monitoring and crash detection, and now it’s a device unto itself that also acts as an accessory to your iPhone. The thing is, health features aren’t exactly up for grabs anymore, though Meta has tried to introduce nutrition tracking as a feature, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to log what you eat and then gives you AI-powered recommendations. Whether that gets any traction remains to be seen, but I personally don’t envision loads of people lining up to have Meta AI shame them for their diets.
So, smart glasses will have to find their own niche, just like the Apple Watch, though whether such a niche really exists is anyone’s guess. It’s not that smart glasses can’t be useful at times—they can—but as it stands, even Meta lacks a “killer app” to drive adoption. Sure, people like recording stuff, but that is an entire can of worms from a privacy perspective, and for as many people that want smart glasses for their recording abilities, there are just as many that hate them for it.
Millions of units sold or not, smart glasses like Meta’s still feel like they’re a long way from the proverbial Apple Watch moment—a holy grail that is never guaranteed to arrive.
#Metas #Smart #Glasses #Long #Ways #Eureka #MomentMeta,Ray-Ban Meta,smart glasses,The Next Interface,Wearables">Meta’s Smart Glasses Are Long Ways From Their ‘Eureka’ Moment
Smart glasses have come a long way since the days of Google Glass. For one, they actually exist in a way that has been commercially viable, thanks mostly to Meta. With the help of Ray-Ban branding, Meta has sold millions of smart glasses, and, if recent reporting is any indication, it already has several more pairs on the way this year alone.
Its initial success hasn’t gone unnoticed, either. Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have pulled Google, Samsung, and potentially even Apple into the mix, with the former two companies planning to release their own pair this year. And that’s not even counting the various other upstarts that have managed to carve out a niche already.
The interest in face-worn wearables is palpable, and in a lot of ways, smart glasses, for all of their obvious flaws, feel concrete. But as concrete as the interest is, the category also feels as nebulous as ever, and Meta, for all its popularity, is a perfect example.
Take apps, for instance. Meta has made some strides since the launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display last year to try to add more functionality, but for the most part, it still feels like there’s not a ton to do once they’re on your face. You can get notifications, you can get directions, and you can swipe through Instagram Reels, and sure, it’s novel to be doing those things on a small screen on your face, but they don’t necessarily add up to a game-changing experience.
Meta clearly knows that those “core” apps aren’t enough, which is why it recently opened up its developer program for the Meta Ray-Ban Display so that people can make apps that use both the built-in screen as well as the included Neural Band, the wristband you use to control the UI inside the smart glasses.
While the apps being built are in early stages and aren’t being made generally available to people who own the smart glasses yet, initial results are… something? There are people making speedometers, apps that control your smart home, and Doom (because, of course). Someone even made the bold choice of making an app that can unlock your car. Again, they’re interesting ideas, but I’m not sure that any of them will have people rushing out to spend $800 on a pair of smart glasses.
Meta’s non-display smart glasses face similar issues. While I like the fact that you can use them as an open-ear audio device—they’re great for calling and listening to music while you’re riding a bike or exercising—some of the banner features of Meta’s “AI glasses” feel less-than-useful, and one of them is the AI itself.
Features like computer vision, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to answer questions about the world around you, are somewhat novel, but maybe not altogether useful for most. Don’t get me wrong, I think it could be great for accessibility purposes—people who have vision impairments could use computer vision to parse their surroundings. But for a general audience, the AI part of AI glasses can feel underwhelming, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
“The biggest hurdle to success that I see so far for Meta is the quality of Meta AI and the slow nature of getting third-party apps onboard,” says Anshel Sag, principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, which follows the consumer tech space closely. “The ways that they enhance my life in their most simple form, as smart glasses, are still pretty much paired to just Meta apps.”
Outside of translating a menu or telling you about items in your surroundings, I’ve yet to see lots of practical uses for computer vision, and that’s not even factoring in the bad habit that Meta AI has of getting things wrong, which is a real issue in my experience using the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
I get that not every new gadget has to have a purpose right off the bat. Take the Apple Watch, for example, which entered the scene as a frivolous accessory to your iPhone. In many ways, you can write off smart glasses for the same reasons that people wrote off the Apple Watch at first. Yes, it delivers notifications and comes in a wearable form factor, but it mostly duplicates the experience of using your phone. And not only that, it’s utterly dependent on your phone to work, same as Meta’s Ray-Bans and Oakleys.
Those criticisms didn’t hold up forever, though. Eventually, the Apple Watch found health tracking features like heart rate monitoring and crash detection, and now it’s a device unto itself that also acts as an accessory to your iPhone. The thing is, health features aren’t exactly up for grabs anymore, though Meta has tried to introduce nutrition tracking as a feature, which uses the camera on the smart glasses to log what you eat and then gives you AI-powered recommendations. Whether that gets any traction remains to be seen, but I personally don’t envision loads of people lining up to have Meta AI shame them for their diets.
So, smart glasses will have to find their own niche, just like the Apple Watch, though whether such a niche really exists is anyone’s guess. It’s not that smart glasses can’t be useful at times—they can—but as it stands, even Meta lacks a “killer app” to drive adoption. Sure, people like recording stuff, but that is an entire can of worms from a privacy perspective, and for as many people that want smart glasses for their recording abilities, there are just as many that hate them for it.
Millions of units sold or not, smart glasses like Meta’s still feel like they’re a long way from the proverbial Apple Watch moment—a holy grail that is never guaranteed to arrive.
Smart glasses have come a long way since the days of Google Glass. For one,…
Xiaomi first released the Watch S5 in China back in March, but the company launched it internationally this week, with global availability starting in late May and early June depending on the region. While the Watch S5 hasn’t been announced for the U.S., the European pricing (€179.99 or €199.99 depending on the color and strap style) gives us an idea of what to expect should you want to import one. You’re looking at somewhere around $210 to $233.
How exactly does Xiaomi’s Watch S5 get up to 21 hours of battery life when competitors like the Apple Watch Series 11 ($400) and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 ($350) can only muster around a day? There’s always a big asterisk next to battery life, but in this case, it seems pretty reasonable.
Light use of the Watch S5 allows the 815mAh battery to last up to 21 days. Xiaomi defines light use as receiving up to 100 messages per day with up to six daily incoming call alerts, three alarms per day, 30 minutes of Bluetooth calls per week, 30 minutes of music playback per week, and 90 minutes of exercise recording. Normal use will drop the battery life down to 14 days and using the always-on display will reduce it to about 9 days.
Other smartwatches that offer days of battery life don’t seem to come close to the Watch S5, either. The OnePlus Watch 3 ($350) and Amazfit Active 3 Premium ($170) provide around 3 days and up to 12 days, respectively. If you want truly “unlimited” battery life, you’ll need to consider a solar-powered watch like the Garmin Instinct series (starting at $300).
Other than its long battery life, the rest of the Watch S5 looks solid. Highlights include a 5-system dual-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), over 150 sport modes, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and an enhanced cycling mode that turns your phone into a bike computer.
Of course, there are some features the Xiaomi Watch S5 lacks compared to its flagship competition, like an EKG sensor and depth gauge functionality. However, the Watch S5 includes professional skiing and cycling modes among its more than 150 sports.
The Watch S5 works best with a Xiaomi phone for shared ecosystem quality-of-life features, but it can connect to any smartphone via the Mi Fitness app for deeper sport mode tracking and health data storage.
As with all Xiaomi product launches, the main downside is that the company isn’t officially selling the Watch S5 in the U.S. Third-party sellers might stock it, but you may end up paying more than international MSRPs.
Xiaomi first released the Watch S5 in China back in March, but the company launched it internationally this week, with global availability starting in late May and early June depending on the region. While the Watch S5 hasn’t been announced for the U.S., the European pricing (€179.99 or €199.99 depending on the color and strap style) gives us an idea of what to expect should you want to import one. You’re looking at somewhere around $210 to $233.
How exactly does Xiaomi’s Watch S5 get up to 21 hours of battery life when competitors like the Apple Watch Series 11 ($400) and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 ($350) can only muster around a day? There’s always a big asterisk next to battery life, but in this case, it seems pretty reasonable.
Light use of the Watch S5 allows the 815mAh battery to last up to 21 days. Xiaomi defines light use as receiving up to 100 messages per day with up to six daily incoming call alerts, three alarms per day, 30 minutes of Bluetooth calls per week, 30 minutes of music playback per week, and 90 minutes of exercise recording. Normal use will drop the battery life down to 14 days and using the always-on display will reduce it to about 9 days.
Other smartwatches that offer days of battery life don’t seem to come close to the Watch S5, either. The OnePlus Watch 3 ($350) and Amazfit Active 3 Premium ($170) provide around 3 days and up to 12 days, respectively. If you want truly “unlimited” battery life, you’ll need to consider a solar-powered watch like the Garmin Instinct series (starting at $300).
Other than its long battery life, the rest of the Watch S5 looks solid. Highlights include a 5-system dual-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), over 150 sport modes, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and an enhanced cycling mode that turns your phone into a bike computer.
Of course, there are some features the Xiaomi Watch S5 lacks compared to its flagship competition, like an EKG sensor and depth gauge functionality. However, the Watch S5 includes professional skiing and cycling modes among its more than 150 sports.
The Watch S5 works best with a Xiaomi phone for shared ecosystem quality-of-life features, but it can connect to any smartphone via the Mi Fitness app for deeper sport mode tracking and health data storage.
As with all Xiaomi product launches, the main downside is that the company isn’t officially selling the Watch S5 in the U.S. Third-party sellers might stock it, but you may end up paying more than international MSRPs.
#Xiaomi #Claims #Watch #Days #Battery #LifeSmartwatches,Wearables,Xiaomi">Xiaomi Claims Watch S5 Has 21 Days of Battery Life
Charging up a smartwatch every night is a pain in the ass. But what if you only needed to charge it once every 21 days? Enter the 46mm Xiaomi Watch S5.
Xiaomi first released the Watch S5 in China back in March, but the company launched it internationally this week, with global availability starting in late May and early June depending on the region. While the Watch S5 hasn’t been announced for the U.S., the European pricing (€179.99 or €199.99 depending on the color and strap style) gives us an idea of what to expect should you want to import one. You’re looking at somewhere around $210 to $233.
How exactly does Xiaomi’s Watch S5 get up to 21 hours of battery life when competitors like the Apple Watch Series 11 ($400) and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 ($350) can only muster around a day? There’s always a big asterisk next to battery life, but in this case, it seems pretty reasonable.
Light use of the Watch S5 allows the 815mAh battery to last up to 21 days. Xiaomi defines light use as receiving up to 100 messages per day with up to six daily incoming call alerts, three alarms per day, 30 minutes of Bluetooth calls per week, 30 minutes of music playback per week, and 90 minutes of exercise recording. Normal use will drop the battery life down to 14 days and using the always-on display will reduce it to about 9 days.
Other smartwatches that offer days of battery life don’t seem to come close to the Watch S5, either. The OnePlus Watch 3 ($350) and Amazfit Active 3 Premium ($170) provide around 3 days and up to 12 days, respectively. If you want truly “unlimited” battery life, you’ll need to consider a solar-powered watch like the Garmin Instinct series (starting at $300).
Other than its long battery life, the rest of the Watch S5 looks solid. Highlights include a 5-system dual-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), over 150 sport modes, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and an enhanced cycling mode that turns your phone into a bike computer.
Of course, there are some features the Xiaomi Watch S5 lacks compared to its flagship competition, like an EKG sensor and depth gauge functionality. However, the Watch S5 includes professional skiing and cycling modes among its more than 150 sports.
The Watch S5 works best with a Xiaomi phone for shared ecosystem quality-of-life features, but it can connect to any smartphone via the Mi Fitness app for deeper sport mode tracking and health data storage.
As with all Xiaomi product launches, the main downside is that the company isn’t officially selling the Watch S5 in the U.S. Third-party sellers might stock it, but you may end up paying more than international MSRPs.
Charging up a smartwatch every night is a pain in the ass. But what if…
recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.
As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.
Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.
It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.
On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.
If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.
I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.
recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.
As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.
Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.
It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.
On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.
If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.
I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.
#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables">Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On
If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.
As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.
Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.
It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.
On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.
If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.
I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.
If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like…
L’Atitude 52°N’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.
CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.
“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”
I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.
“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”
Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.
Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”
The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.
How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.
L’Atitude 52°N’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.
CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.
“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”
I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.
“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”
Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.
Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”
The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.
How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.
#Smart #Glasses #ExOnePlus #Engineers #Hidden #Costsmart glasses,wearables,design,gadgets">These New Smart Glasses From Ex-OnePlus Engineers Have a Hidden Cost
Lots of smart glasses have AI bots inside them now. The one in L’Atitude 52°N’s glasses is called Goya, named after Francisco Goya, the famous Spanish artist who painted renowned masterpieces of romanticism.
CEO and founder Gary Chen, who has worked on wearable devices for companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and HTC, says his company’s glasses are focused on travelers, with AI features that act like a tour guide and talk about all the paintings in famous museums.
“Basically, you can say, ‘Hey, Goya, what is the story about Mona Lisa?’” Chen says. “You can ask anything and, with your permission, they will take a photo to analyze what’s in front of you.”
I ask if you could quiz it about perhaps the most famous Goya painting, the terrifying, Gothic horror-esque image of Saturn devouring his own son.
“Yes, yes,” Chen says, “It can also give you some recommendations about restaurants.”
Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N is a new player in the smart glasses space, selling its first pairs on Kickstarter in September 2025, where the campaign surpassed its funding goal and raised more than $400,000. There have been some bumps since then, as shipments were delayed from an originally announced release date in February 2026, and one model in development was scrapped outright. Now, L’Atitude 52°N has announced an official release date for its smart glasses.
Preorders for one model, called Berlin, start on May 19. The glasses actually go on sale on May 26. This might be a disappointment for Kickstarter backers, as the most recent official update from the campaign came in March and said shipping would begin on April 15 for Berlin units and June 7 for the second model, called Milan. L’Atitude 52°N still hasn’t set an official launch date for the Milan, except to say that it will be “arriving in the second quarter of 2026.”
The Berlin glasses cost $399. Add another $50 for the photochromatic lenses. There is one very big catch: The AI features enabled on the device will only work for 12 months, which L’Atitude 52°N calls an “AI feature trial.” After that, customers have to pay for a subscription service, or will be limited to the base features, like playing music and capturing media.
How much will that subscription service cost? Chen says he doesn’t know.
Lots of smart glasses have AI bots inside them now. The one in L'Atitude 52°N’s…
Every time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses andworkout headphones in one!
Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.
Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.
Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.
Every time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses andworkout headphones in one!
Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.
Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.
Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.
#Meta #Glasses #Comfortable #Functional #Spouse #Recoil #Fearbuying guides,accessories and peripherals,wearables,meta,smart glasses,shopping,outdoors,fashion,lifestyle">Meta Glasses Are Comfortable, Functional, and Make My Spouse Recoil in Fear
Every time I’ve written about Meta’s AI-enabled glasses, I invariably get asked these questions: Why do you even want these? Why do you want smart glasses that can play music or misidentify native flora in a weirdly cheery voice? I am a lifelong Ray-Ban Wayfarer wearer, and I’m also WIRED’s resident Meta wearer. I grab a pair of Meta glasses whenever I leave the house because I like being able to use one device instead of two or three on a walk. With Meta glasses, I can wear sunglasses andworkout headphones in one!
Meta sold more than 7 million pairs in 2025. Take a look at any major outdoor or sporting event, and you’ll see more than a few people wearing these to record snippets for Instagram or TikTok. Meta’s partnership with EssilorLuxottica has made smart glasses accessible, stylish, and useful and is undoubtedly the reason why Google, and now Apple, are trying to horn in on the market. After the notable flop that is the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is recalibrating its face-wearable strategy, moving away from augmented reality (AR) toward simpler, display-less, and hopefully good-looking glasses.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be careful how you use these glasses. Meta doesn’t have the greatest track record on privacy, and the company has continued to push forward with policies that are questionable at best. Even if you’re not concerned that face recognition will allow Meta to target immigrants or enable stalkers to find their victims, at the very least, people really do not like the idea that you could start recording them at any moment.
Probably the biggest hurdle to wearing Meta glasses is that even doing so seems like a gross violation of the social contract. After all, these are Mark Zuckerberg’s “pervert glasses.” When I pop these on my head, I’ve had friends (and my spouse) recoil and say, “I have apps to warn me away from people like you.” The best part, though, is that Oakley and Ray-Ban already make really great sunglasses. Even if the battery runs out or you don’t use Meta AI at all, these are stellar at shading your eyes from the sun.
Last year, Meta upgraded the original Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarers that became a smash hit. These are Meta’s entry-level glasses, and they come in a variety of lens styles. You can order them with clear lenses, prescription lenses, transition lenses, or the OG sunglass lenses, as well as in a variety of fits, including standard, large, or high-bridge frames. Improvements to this generation include an upgrade to a 12-MP camera and up to eight hours of battery life; writer Boone Ashworth’s testing clocked in at five to six hours.
Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.
The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.
It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.
“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”
Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.
Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi
The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.
“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.
The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.
Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.
The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.
It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.
“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”
Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.
Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi
The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.
“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.
The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.
#Beanie #Designed #Read #Thoughtswearables,neuroscience,artificial intelligence,brain-computer interfaces">This Beanie Is Designed to Read Your Thoughts
Speech-to-text capability is now baked into all modern computers. But what if you didn’t have to dictate to your computer? What if you could type just by thinking?
Silicon Valley startup Sabi is emerging from stealth with that goal. The company is developing a brain wearable that decodes a person’s internal speech into words on a computer screen. CEO Rahul Chhabra says its first product, a brain-reading beanie, will be available by the end of the year. The company is also designing a baseball cap version.
The technology is known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, a device that provides a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device. While many companies such as Elon Musk’s Neuralink are developing surgically implanted BCIs for people with severe motor disabilities, Sabi’s device could allow anyone to become a cyborg.
It’s not exactly Musk’s vision of the future, which involves implanted brain chips to allow humans to merge with AI. But venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who was an early investor in OpenAI, says a noninvasive, wearable device is the only path to getting lots of people to use BCI technology.
“The biggest and baddest application of BCI is if you can talk to your computer by thinking about it,” says Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, one of Sabi’s investors. “If you’re going to have a billion people use BCI for access to their computers every day, it can’t be invasive.”
Sabi’s brain-reading hat relies on EEG, or electroencephalography, which uses metal disks placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity. Decoding imagined speech from EEG is already possible, but it’s currently limited to small sets of words or commands rather than continuous, natural speech.
Photograph: Courtesy of Sabi
The drawback of a wearable system is that the sensors have to listen to the brain through a layer of skin and bone, which dampens neural signals. Surgically implanted devices pick up much stronger signals because they sit so close to neurons. Sabi thinks the way to boost accuracy with a wearable is by massively scaling up the number of sensors in its device. Most EEG devices have a dozen to a few hundred sensors. Sabi’s cap will have anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 miniature sensors.
“Given that high-density sensing, it pinpoints exactly what and where neural activity is happening. We use that information to get much more reliable data to decode what a person is thinking,” Chhabra says.
The company is aiming for an initial typing speed of 30 or so words per minute. That’s slower than most people type, but he says the speed will improve as users spend more time with the cap.
The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.
The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.
Best Titanium Apple Watch Band
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.
The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.
The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.
Best Titanium Apple Watch Band
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.
#Favorite #Apple #Watch #Bands #Avoidwearables,apple,health,fitness,gear,buying guides,shopping,accessories">My Favorite Apple Watch Bands (and the Ones to Avoid)
Apple Watches are smart little gadgets, but they don’t always fit the vibe. There were plenty of nights and dressier events when I left mine at home because—as much as I wanted to check my notifications discreetly—it didn’t match my outfit. I’ve also had my fair share of faux pas and just let the neon orange sport band clash with my neutral ensemble.
Fortunately, Apple Watch bands are a simple and relatively affordable way to zhuzh up the look of your wearable. Beyond aesthetics, different styles also impact performance and functionality. For example, I don’t want a heavy stainless steel or high-quality leather band weighing me down during a sweaty workout, just as I wouldn’t wear a flimsy silicone band to a dinner party.
At WIRED, we’ve been testing bands since the very first Apple Watch launched in 2015. After years of wearing and swapping, I’ve rounded up the best bands for every occasion. Be sure to check out our related product guides, including the Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Apple Watch, and Best Smartwatches for more recommendations.
Jump to
Best Band for Everyday Wear
The Nike Sport Loop has been my everyday band since 2020. I bought another in 2023 because I wanted to swap colors, and I figured after three years, I should buy a brand-new one, but it has held up remarkably well. Made from a blend of recycled polyester, spandex, and nylon, it’s breathable and lightweight. The double-layered nylon weave is designed with dense loops that help prevent moisture from getting trapped against your skin. As long as you regularly hand-wash it to rid it of sweat buildup and dirt, it stays odor-free.
The hook-and-loop fastener and pull tab make it easy to adjust with one hand. It is Velcro, so beware, it can snag on softer fabrics. Still, for a band designed with sports in mind, it’s understated enough to wear almost anywhere. I wouldn’t wear it to a formal event, but for the office or casual social events, it’s perfect.
Best Titanium Apple Watch Band
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Photograph: Boutayna Chokrane
Nomad originally designed the Stratos Band for the Apple Watch Ultra, but it fits just as well with the SE and Series 1 through 11. It’s easy to adjust, refined enough for the office, and backed by Grade 4 titanium hardware with a scratch-resistant DLC coating. FKM rubber links (PFA-free and antimicrobial, according to Nomad) add flexibility, durability, and water-resistance. The clasp is made with corrosion-resistant N52 magnets, which make it effortless to snap on, and it’s designed with a manual release button, so you don’t have to worry about it accidentally falling off. It’s technically suited for workouts and outdoor use, but it is a hefty band that I personally prefer for casual everyday wear.
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