Volkswagen Thinks Your E-Bike Needs a Pair of Smart Glasses
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses.
The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team.
The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals.
These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn.
Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear.
The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision.
“[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release.
The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray.
Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at $3,999, while the Crossover starts at $4,349. The optional smart helmet costs $399, and the smart glasses will set customers back another $499.
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses.
The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team.
The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals.
These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn.
Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear.
The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision.
“[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release.
The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray.
Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at $3,999, while the Crossover starts at $4,349. The optional smart helmet costs $399, and the smart glasses will set customers back another $499.
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#Volkswagen #Thinks #EBike #Pair #Smart #Glasses
Taylor Farms donated more than $2 million to conservative political groups in 2025, according to Federal Election Commission filings. That includes a $1 million donation to MAGA Inc., the Trump-centric super PAC, and $1.1 million to other super PACs dedicated to electing Republicans.
From 2020 through the end of 2024, the company donated more than $1.6 million to conservative PACs, including a total of $850,000 to AFP Action, an anti-regulation super PAC with ties to the Koch network.
Bruce Taylor, the chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, is also a longtime donor to Republican causes. Since 2020, Taylor has personally donated more than $900,000 to Republican PACs and candidates, including contributions to Texas senator John Cornyn and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn.
Like many corporate giants, Taylor Farms has also spent big on lobbying related to industry regulation. In early 2025, it hired lobbyists at the firm Sidley Austin to advocate on behalf of the company on “regulation of food safety,” according to disclosure documents. Since then, the company has spent $810,000 on its lobbying efforts.
Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, said that Taylor Farms’ donations are part of a wider problem in the American food industry: that multibillion-dollar companies use their financial resources to push policies that would reduce food safety regulation and accountability when outbreaks occur.
“The FDA has regulations in place for what food producers are supposed to be doing, but nobody wants to do it—because it’s expensive and difficult,” Nestle told WIRED.
In a post on X, the US Department of Health & Human Services emphasized that Taylor Farms’ political donations did not influence the Trump administration’s response to the cyclospora outbreak.
“This is how the FAKE NEWS works: imply collusion, ignore the facts,” the HHS account posted on Monday. “Nothing influences our decisions except science and the safety of the American people.”
Taylor Farms has apparently taken issue with the CDC’s and FDA’s handling of the investigation into the current cyclospora outbreak, which has sickened thousands of people across multiple states. The company recently claimed that the FDA “apologized” after announcing a false-positive test of a sample of Taylor Farms’ lettuce; the FDA told reporters that no, actually, an official apology never happened. (The company did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.)
Prior to the false positive and the non-apology, Taylor Farms executives met with White House and FDA officials to discuss what a spokesperson for the company called “shortfalls” in the government agencies’ response. The New York Times reported that the meeting followed Taylor Farms’ recent hire of Trent Morse, the former deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, who left the Trump administration to start a government relations firm in September.
The recent diarrhea debacle is not the first time that Taylor Farms, which brings in roughly $7 billion in annual revenue, has drawn the focus of federal regulators.
In 2013, the FDA named Taylor Farms as a source of a cyclospora outbreak that sickened hundreds. In 2015, the company voluntarily recalled multiple products containing celery because they may have been contaminated with E. coli. And in 2024, the company recalled certain yellow onions as part of an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. Following the outbreak, CBS News reported that FDA inspectors found dozens of violations at the Colorado Taylor Farms facility linked to the Quarter Pounder outbreak, including minimal handwashing and dirty equipment.
Since 2025, the FDA has inspected 18 American plants affiliated with Taylor Farms. Three resulted in “voluntary action indicated,” which means that while violations were found, they weren’t severe enough to warrant mandatory enforcement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited at least 21 violations in Taylor Farms facilities across the US since the start of 2025. In one particularly gruesome case, the Department of Labor fined a New Jersey facility $1.1 million due to violations. The May 2025 inspection came after an employee died after sustaining injuries cleaning an industrial blancher at the facility.
Taylor Farms donated more than $2 million to conservative political groups in 2025, according to Federal Election Commission filings. That includes a $1 million donation to MAGA Inc., the Trump-centric super PAC, and $1.1 million to other super PACs dedicated to electing Republicans.
From 2020 through the end of 2024, the company donated more than $1.6 million to conservative PACs, including a total of $850,000 to AFP Action, an anti-regulation super PAC with ties to the Koch network.
Bruce Taylor, the chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, is also a longtime donor to Republican causes. Since 2020, Taylor has personally donated more than $900,000 to Republican PACs and candidates, including contributions to Texas senator John Cornyn and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn.
Like many corporate giants, Taylor Farms has also spent big on lobbying related to industry regulation. In early 2025, it hired lobbyists at the firm Sidley Austin to advocate on behalf of the company on “regulation of food safety,” according to disclosure documents. Since then, the company has spent $810,000 on its lobbying efforts.
Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, said that Taylor Farms’ donations are part of a wider problem in the American food industry: that multibillion-dollar companies use their financial resources to push policies that would reduce food safety regulation and accountability when outbreaks occur.
“The FDA has regulations in place for what food producers are supposed to be doing, but nobody wants to do it—because it’s expensive and difficult,” Nestle told WIRED.
In a post on X, the US Department of Health & Human Services emphasized that Taylor Farms’ political donations did not influence the Trump administration’s response to the cyclospora outbreak.
“This is how the FAKE NEWS works: imply collusion, ignore the facts,” the HHS account posted on Monday. “Nothing influences our decisions except science and the safety of the American people.”
Taylor Farms has apparently taken issue with the CDC’s and FDA’s handling of the investigation into the current cyclospora outbreak, which has sickened thousands of people across multiple states. The company recently claimed that the FDA “apologized” after announcing a false-positive test of a sample of Taylor Farms’ lettuce; the FDA told reporters that no, actually, an official apology never happened. (The company did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.)
Prior to the false positive and the non-apology, Taylor Farms executives met with White House and FDA officials to discuss what a spokesperson for the company called “shortfalls” in the government agencies’ response. The New York Times reported that the meeting followed Taylor Farms’ recent hire of Trent Morse, the former deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, who left the Trump administration to start a government relations firm in September.
The recent diarrhea debacle is not the first time that Taylor Farms, which brings in roughly $7 billion in annual revenue, has drawn the focus of federal regulators.
In 2013, the FDA named Taylor Farms as a source of a cyclospora outbreak that sickened hundreds. In 2015, the company voluntarily recalled multiple products containing celery because they may have been contaminated with E. coli. And in 2024, the company recalled certain yellow onions as part of an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. Following the outbreak, CBS News reported that FDA inspectors found dozens of violations at the Colorado Taylor Farms facility linked to the Quarter Pounder outbreak, including minimal handwashing and dirty equipment.
Since 2025, the FDA has inspected 18 American plants affiliated with Taylor Farms. Three resulted in “voluntary action indicated,” which means that while violations were found, they weren’t severe enough to warrant mandatory enforcement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited at least 21 violations in Taylor Farms facilities across the US since the start of 2025. In one particularly gruesome case, the Department of Labor fined a New Jersey facility $1.1 million due to violations. The May 2025 inspection came after an employee died after sustaining injuries cleaning an industrial blancher at the facility.
#Taylor #Farms #Spent #Big #MAGA #AntiRegulatory #Lobbying #Diarrhea #Outbreakfda,donald trump,outbreak,food,agriculture,regulation,republicans,diarrhea">Taylor Farms Spent Big on MAGA and Anti-Regulatory Lobbying Before Diarrhea Outbreak
The lettuce supplier at the center of the turbo diarrhea outbreak has spent millions of dollars to sway sentiment around food regulation and elect Donald Trump and other MAGA Republicans, according to public filings.
Taylor Farms donated more than $2 million to conservative political groups in 2025, according to Federal Election Commission filings. That includes a $1 million donation to MAGA Inc., the Trump-centric super PAC, and $1.1 million to other super PACs dedicated to electing Republicans.
From 2020 through the end of 2024, the company donated more than $1.6 million to conservative PACs, including a total of $850,000 to AFP Action, an anti-regulation super PAC with ties to the Koch network.
Bruce Taylor, the chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, is also a longtime donor to Republican causes. Since 2020, Taylor has personally donated more than $900,000 to Republican PACs and candidates, including contributions to Texas senator John Cornyn and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn.
Like many corporate giants, Taylor Farms has also spent big on lobbying related to industry regulation. In early 2025, it hired lobbyists at the firm Sidley Austin to advocate on behalf of the company on “regulation of food safety,” according to disclosure documents. Since then, the company has spent $810,000 on its lobbying efforts.
Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, said that Taylor Farms’ donations are part of a wider problem in the American food industry: that multibillion-dollar companies use their financial resources to push policies that would reduce food safety regulation and accountability when outbreaks occur.
“The FDA has regulations in place for what food producers are supposed to be doing, but nobody wants to do it—because it’s expensive and difficult,” Nestle told WIRED.
In a post on X, the US Department of Health & Human Services emphasized that Taylor Farms’ political donations did not influence the Trump administration’s response to the cyclospora outbreak.
“This is how the FAKE NEWS works: imply collusion, ignore the facts,” the HHS account posted on Monday. “Nothing influences our decisions except science and the safety of the American people.”
Taylor Farms has apparently taken issue with the CDC’s and FDA’s handling of the investigation into the current cyclospora outbreak, which has sickened thousands of people across multiple states. The company recently claimed that the FDA “apologized” after announcing a false-positive test of a sample of Taylor Farms’ lettuce; the FDA told reporters that no, actually, an official apology never happened. (The company did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.)
Prior to the false positive and the non-apology, Taylor Farms executives met with White House and FDA officials to discuss what a spokesperson for the company called “shortfalls” in the government agencies’ response. The New York Times reported that the meeting followed Taylor Farms’ recent hire of Trent Morse, the former deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, who left the Trump administration to start a government relations firm in September.
The recent diarrhea debacle is not the first time that Taylor Farms, which brings in roughly $7 billion in annual revenue, has drawn the focus of federal regulators.
In 2013, the FDA named Taylor Farms as a source of a cyclospora outbreak that sickened hundreds. In 2015, the company voluntarily recalled multiple products containing celery because they may have been contaminated with E. coli. And in 2024, the company recalled certain yellow onions as part of an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. Following the outbreak, CBS News reported that FDA inspectors found dozens of violations at the Colorado Taylor Farms facility linked to the Quarter Pounder outbreak, including minimal handwashing and dirty equipment.
Since 2025, the FDA has inspected 18 American plants affiliated with Taylor Farms. Three resulted in “voluntary action indicated,” which means that while violations were found, they weren’t severe enough to warrant mandatory enforcement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited at least 21 violations in Taylor Farms facilities across the US since the start of 2025. In one particularly gruesome case, the Department of Labor fined a New Jersey facility $1.1 million due to violations. The May 2025 inspection came after an employee died after sustaining injuries cleaning an industrial blancher at the facility.
#Dink #review #Apples #pickleball #movie #laughoutloud #crowdpleaser">‘The Dink’ review: Apple’s pickleball movie is a laugh-out-loud crowd-pleaser
With the rise in popularity of pickleball, a “pickleball movie” was inevitable. But I’m frankly relieved that The Dink is in the hands of director Josh Greenbaum. He’s the helmer of the brilliant buddy comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar and the buddy documentary Will & Harper.
Not only are both of these movies top-tier when it comes to feel-good films, but each centers on older women without making them the butt of any jokes about aging. Instead, both celebrate their heroines for their brightness, humor, horniness, and brave honesty. And The Dink follows in their footsteps, while being a bit more mainstream.
The Dink brings together Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Patton Oswalt, and Aaron Chen for a buddy comedy that’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and terrifically heartwarming. But of course, it begins with the fiery rivalry between tennis players and pickleballers.
The Dink is a sensationally silly sports comedy.
Jake Johnson stars as lovable loser Dusty Boyd, who’ll tell anyone who’ll listen about his brush with long-passed glory. As a child, Dusty was a tennis prodigy, coached by his father Chuck (a comically mirthless Ed Harris) to be the next hard-hitting legend. But after a disastrous match against Andy Roddick (yes, Andy Roddick), his reputation was destroyed. So here he is, a lollygagging tennis coach to children at a club run by his father.
But Dusty has a chance to redeem himself in his father’s eyes when a new enemy invades their pristine tennis courts. You guessed it: pickleballers.
In a deranged slideshow presentation, Chuck explains to Dusty how the pickleballers — led by Patton Oswalt — are demanding more courts, which will obviously lead to pickleball dominating the world, so no one can play tennis again! To beat them back, Chuck sets up a tournament, pitting the best tennis player against the best pickleballer. Winner makes the call on the courts.
However, Dusty’s mission to squash the pickleballers gets sidetracked when he begins playing himself, alongside some charismatic older women, including Candace (Mary Steenburgen). While it’s a rough start learning the game and its playful lingo, Dusty grows close to Candace at movie nights and country bars. And through their friendship, they both begin to realize how they’ve gotten stuck in the narratives of their past, which is inhibiting their growth toward a better future. Naturally, those lessons will be tied into a big final match, where pickleball becomes a metaphor for life.
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Don’t worry. You won’t have to strain to catch that message. Greenbaum’s got John McEnroe making a cameo in The Dink, playing an unsolicited commentator on the big match.
Jake Johnson and Mary Steenburgen lead a hilarious cast.
With many years of New Girl behind him, Johnson has a lot of practice at playing a lovelorn buffoon. And given Steenburgen’s elegance, it’s easy to see how Dusty would fall for Candace. But The Dink rejects the temptation to become a cliched rom-com of opposites attract. Instead, Johnson will play the fool, while Steenburgen will be his straight man. Their chemistry is crackling and their comedic timing sublime.
But Johnson switches gears opposite Aaron Chen, who plays a co-worker who idolizes Dusty and believes every tall tale. With Chen, Greenbaum is able to reach into more offbeat humor through goofy visual gags and a flat delivery that’s a sharp foil to Johnson’s funny floundering.
Beyond that, The Dink has a jaw-dropping list of comedians turning up for gleefully ludicrous bit parts, like Ben Stiller as a rambling doctor, Oswalt as an uptight pickleballer, Chris Parnell as a smug tennis player, Chloe Fineman as a mean ex, and the late Lynne Marie Stewart (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Pee-wee’s Playhouse) as a flirty friend of Candace’s. However, Ed Harris deserves a special shout-out here.
Ed Harris had me howling in The Dink.
This long-celebrated American actor has really sunk his teeth into playing a string of ruthless fathers, from the grisly thriller Love Lies Bleeding to the dark comedies Riff Raff and How to Make a Killing, and now The Dink. Where Johnson goes broad and Chen goes offbeat for punchlines, Harris goes unflinchingly serious. He’s treating this squabble between club members and courts as if it’s a threat to the Earth as we know it. He regards every Dusty freakout with a stern but unfurrowed brow. And that’s what makes his bits hysterical.
Greenbaum smartly blends these different styles of comedy to craft a movie that’ll be a crowd-pleaser. There are bits in here weird enough to exist in the wacky and wondrous world of Barb and Star. Then there are riffs of physical comedy or a serene absurdity that feels in line with the comedy of Will Ferrell and Harper Steele. Johnson plays more broadly, expertly hitting every beat with aplomb. Steenburgen offers support with stinging one-liners and lively reactions. And I can’t stress enough: The Dink won’t mock pickleball or those who play it.
Greenbaum’s brand of comedy is defiantly wacky, welcoming, and humane, never mean. So The Dink is sure to please, whatever your age or interest in its central sport.
I first slipped on Halliday’s original smart glasses at CES 2025. I was not a fan. The glasses had a tiny, movable display window embedded into the frame that was incredibly finicky to see, and my 30-minute demo left me with achy eyeballs. It was an interesting concept with terrible execution, especially compared to the several other smart glasses on the show floor. So I was skeptical when a few weeks ago, Halliday reached out to say its second attempt at smart glasses was much better.
Well, having tried the Halliday Gen 2, I’m happy to report these are better glasses. That secret display window is gone, replaced by more traditional but discreet waveguides. They’re not like the Meta Display’s nigh-invisible screens. You can still spot the reflection if angled just right, but they’re considerably easier to see. And inside of a single-lens display, the Gen 2 has one for each eye, giving you a much larger screen to look at. Spec-wise, the Gen 2’s displays are monochrome green, with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and 600 by 300 pixel resolution per eye.
On my face, the Gen 2 has a nondescript design but is very lightweight compared to other display glasses I’ve tried. The display was also easily visible inside a dark bar, though I didn’t get a chance to see how it’d fare in direct sunlight. The four-mic array was able to pick up commands despite the ambient noise, and Halliday told me that it gets about 12 hours of typical use. That’s partly because these aren’t camera glasses. The exclusion of the camera was a deliberate choice, both for privacy and to extend battery life. That’s because these are more so meant to be a tool for work meetings.
With the Gen 2, Halliday is launching a feature called Meeting Flow. It’s meant to help you follow along in a conversation, using AI to surface context or facts without needing to look at your laptop or phone. I’ve seen this in other smart glasses to varying degrees of success. (Mostly non-success.) More interesting are the so-called Thread Tracker, Decision Confirmation, and Commitment Check features. The idea is to provide real-time updates about what decisions have been made in a meeting, what items need following up on, and a visualization of a meeting’s overall conversation flow. For example, Thread Tracker might show that a team meeting started off talking about budget allocations, before moving on to potential new hires and timelines for those hires. Decision Confirmation might show that the meeting concluded that all new hires should be finished by a specific date. Lastly, Commitment Check verifies if action items have been assigned (and to whom) with a clear deadline. The glasses will also provide post-meeting transcripts and summaries.
I saw a brief glimpse of what this could look like at my demo, albeit a product interview is less conducive to these kinds of features than a typical planning meeting. That said, the glasses also support more general-use AI features like captioning, real-time translations for over 45 languages, the ability to take phone calls, and teleprompters/notecards for public speakers. Users can also make use of the Halliday AI assistant for voice control.
Overall, this is a much more tightly focused vision for a pair of smart glasses than Halliday’s original glasses. That said, we’ll have to see if the AI features are all that useful. So far, I’ve had little success with AI wearables successfully intuiting what I actually need surfaced in a conversation, or deriving the correct conclusions for to-do items. And at $599, the Gen 2 comes with a pretty steep price tag for the average person. That’s not including any extra costs for prescription lenses. (Halliday claims it’ll be able to handle my prescription, which is -10 in one eye and -8.75 in the other with monster astigmatism. We shall see!)
The Halliday Gen 2 are available for preorder starting today with a $10 deposit and a subsequent $100 discount on the final price. The glasses are expected to ship in September.
I first slipped on Halliday’s original smart glasses at CES 2025. I was not a fan. The glasses had a tiny, movable display window embedded into the frame that was incredibly finicky to see, and my 30-minute demo left me with achy eyeballs. It was an interesting concept with terrible execution, especially compared to the several other smart glasses on the show floor. So I was skeptical when a few weeks ago, Halliday reached out to say its second attempt at smart glasses was much better.
Well, having tried the Halliday Gen 2, I’m happy to report these are better glasses. That secret display window is gone, replaced by more traditional but discreet waveguides. They’re not like the Meta Display’s nigh-invisible screens. You can still spot the reflection if angled just right, but they’re considerably easier to see. And inside of a single-lens display, the Gen 2 has one for each eye, giving you a much larger screen to look at. Spec-wise, the Gen 2’s displays are monochrome green, with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and 600 by 300 pixel resolution per eye.
On my face, the Gen 2 has a nondescript design but is very lightweight compared to other display glasses I’ve tried. The display was also easily visible inside a dark bar, though I didn’t get a chance to see how it’d fare in direct sunlight. The four-mic array was able to pick up commands despite the ambient noise, and Halliday told me that it gets about 12 hours of typical use. That’s partly because these aren’t camera glasses. The exclusion of the camera was a deliberate choice, both for privacy and to extend battery life. That’s because these are more so meant to be a tool for work meetings.
With the Gen 2, Halliday is launching a feature called Meeting Flow. It’s meant to help you follow along in a conversation, using AI to surface context or facts without needing to look at your laptop or phone. I’ve seen this in other smart glasses to varying degrees of success. (Mostly non-success.) More interesting are the so-called Thread Tracker, Decision Confirmation, and Commitment Check features. The idea is to provide real-time updates about what decisions have been made in a meeting, what items need following up on, and a visualization of a meeting’s overall conversation flow. For example, Thread Tracker might show that a team meeting started off talking about budget allocations, before moving on to potential new hires and timelines for those hires. Decision Confirmation might show that the meeting concluded that all new hires should be finished by a specific date. Lastly, Commitment Check verifies if action items have been assigned (and to whom) with a clear deadline. The glasses will also provide post-meeting transcripts and summaries.
I saw a brief glimpse of what this could look like at my demo, albeit a product interview is less conducive to these kinds of features than a typical planning meeting. That said, the glasses also support more general-use AI features like captioning, real-time translations for over 45 languages, the ability to take phone calls, and teleprompters/notecards for public speakers. Users can also make use of the Halliday AI assistant for voice control.
Overall, this is a much more tightly focused vision for a pair of smart glasses than Halliday’s original glasses. That said, we’ll have to see if the AI features are all that useful. So far, I’ve had little success with AI wearables successfully intuiting what I actually need surfaced in a conversation, or deriving the correct conclusions for to-do items. And at $599, the Gen 2 comes with a pretty steep price tag for the average person. That’s not including any extra costs for prescription lenses. (Halliday claims it’ll be able to handle my prescription, which is -10 in one eye and -8.75 in the other with monster astigmatism. We shall see!)
The Halliday Gen 2 are available for preorder starting today with a $10 deposit and a subsequent $100 discount on the final price. The glasses are expected to ship in September.
I first slipped on Halliday’s original smart glasses at CES 2025. I was not a fan. The glasses had a tiny, movable display window embedded into the frame that was incredibly finicky to see, and my 30-minute demo left me with achy eyeballs. It was an interesting concept with terrible execution, especially compared to the several other smart glasses on the show floor. So I was skeptical when a few weeks ago, Halliday reached out to say its second attempt at smart glasses was much better.
Well, having tried the Halliday Gen 2, I’m happy to report these are better glasses. That secret display window is gone, replaced by more traditional but discreet waveguides. They’re not like the Meta Display’s nigh-invisible screens. You can still spot the reflection if angled just right, but they’re considerably easier to see. And inside of a single-lens display, the Gen 2 has one for each eye, giving you a much larger screen to look at. Spec-wise, the Gen 2’s displays are monochrome green, with a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits and 600 by 300 pixel resolution per eye.
On my face, the Gen 2 has a nondescript design but is very lightweight compared to other display glasses I’ve tried. The display was also easily visible inside a dark bar, though I didn’t get a chance to see how it’d fare in direct sunlight. The four-mic array was able to pick up commands despite the ambient noise, and Halliday told me that it gets about 12 hours of typical use. That’s partly because these aren’t camera glasses. The exclusion of the camera was a deliberate choice, both for privacy and to extend battery life. That’s because these are more so meant to be a tool for work meetings.
With the Gen 2, Halliday is launching a feature called Meeting Flow. It’s meant to help you follow along in a conversation, using AI to surface context or facts without needing to look at your laptop or phone. I’ve seen this in other smart glasses to varying degrees of success. (Mostly non-success.) More interesting are the so-called Thread Tracker, Decision Confirmation, and Commitment Check features. The idea is to provide real-time updates about what decisions have been made in a meeting, what items need following up on, and a visualization of a meeting’s overall conversation flow. For example, Thread Tracker might show that a team meeting started off talking about budget allocations, before moving on to potential new hires and timelines for those hires. Decision Confirmation might show that the meeting concluded that all new hires should be finished by a specific date. Lastly, Commitment Check verifies if action items have been assigned (and to whom) with a clear deadline. The glasses will also provide post-meeting transcripts and summaries.
I saw a brief glimpse of what this could look like at my demo, albeit a product interview is less conducive to these kinds of features than a typical planning meeting. That said, the glasses also support more general-use AI features like captioning, real-time translations for over 45 languages, the ability to take phone calls, and teleprompters/notecards for public speakers. Users can also make use of the Halliday AI assistant for voice control.
Overall, this is a much more tightly focused vision for a pair of smart glasses than Halliday’s original glasses. That said, we’ll have to see if the AI features are all that useful. So far, I’ve had little success with AI wearables successfully intuiting what I actually need surfaced in a conversation, or deriving the correct conclusions for to-do items. And at $599, the Gen 2 comes with a pretty steep price tag for the average person. That’s not including any extra costs for prescription lenses. (Halliday claims it’ll be able to handle my prescription, which is -10 in one eye and -8.75 in the other with monster astigmatism. We shall see!)
The Halliday Gen 2 are available for preorder starting today with a $10 deposit and a subsequent $100 discount on the final price. The glasses are expected to ship in September.
![Volkswagen Thinks Your E-Bike Needs a Pair of Smart Glasses
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses. The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team. © Volkswagen The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals. These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
© Volkswagen The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn. Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear. The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision. © Volkswagen “[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release. The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray. Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at ,999, while the Crossover starts at ,349. The optional smart helmet costs 9, and the smart glasses will set customers back another 9. #Volkswagen #Thinks #EBike #Pair #Smart #Glassese-bikes,smart glasses,Volkswagen](https://i1.wp.com/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/volkswagen-smart-bike.jpeg?ssl=1 "Volkswagen Thinks Your E-Bike Needs a Pair of Smart Glasses
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses. The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team. © Volkswagen The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals. These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
© Volkswagen The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn. Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear. The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision. © Volkswagen “[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release. The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray. Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at ,999, while the Crossover starts at ,349. The optional smart helmet costs 9, and the smart glasses will set customers back another 9. #Volkswagen #Thinks #EBike #Pair #Smart #Glassese-bikes,smart glasses,Volkswagen")
![Volkswagen Thinks Your E-Bike Needs a Pair of Smart Glasses
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses. The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team. © Volkswagen The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals. These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
© Volkswagen The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn. Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear. The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision. © Volkswagen “[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release. The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray. Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at ,999, while the Crossover starts at ,349. The optional smart helmet costs 9, and the smart glasses will set customers back another 9. #Volkswagen #Thinks #EBike #Pair #Smart #Glassese-bikes,smart glasses,Volkswagen](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/volkswagen-smart-bike.jpeg "Volkswagen Thinks Your E-Bike Needs a Pair of Smart Glasses
Volkswagen is bringing some high-tech car features to a new line of electric bikes, including an optional pair of smart glasses. The German automaker recently unveiled two premium Volkswagen-branded e-bikes developed by n+, a bike company that has previously partnered with Mercedes-AMG’s Formula 1 team. © Volkswagen The companies say the bikes were designed with the same “safety-first philosophy” as a modern passenger vehicle and come packed with tech more commonly found in cars like radar, a rearview camera, blind-spot alerts and turn signals. These e-bikes arrive as automakers and startups are showing growing interest in smaller and cheaper electric vehicles designed for shorter trips. But Volkswagen’s smart bikes are surprisingly loaded with more safety features than many of the alternatives.
The bikes’ main feature is the Smart View system, which pairs a rear-facing camera with a screen mounted between the bikes’ handlebars. It also uses radar to provide blind-spot alerts, helping riders to stay aware of approaching traffic without having to take their eyes off the road.
© Volkswagen The bikes also feature an LED strip integrated into the frame’s top tube that acts as a high-visibility daytime running light. It glows red when the rider brakes and amber to signal a turn. Beyond those standard features, Volkswagen and n+ are also offering some optional safety gear. The first is a smart helmet that connects to the bike over Bluetooth and uses high-visibility LEDs that synched to the bike’s brake and turn signals. The helmet also includes a built-in accelerometer that can detect a possible crash and automatically send a text message to the rider’s emergency contacts.
And finally, riders can grab a pair of smart glasses with a heads-up display that puts navigation directions, blind-spot warnings, and other ride information directly within their field of vision. © Volkswagen “[T]echnologies like these are most commonly known from the automotive world. Seeing them make their way onto an e-bike demonstrates how technologies can evolve and be adapted in meaningful ways,” said Peter Jost, CEO of Volkswagen Accessories, Lifestyle & Licenses, in a press release. The smart e-bikes come in two models. The Sport model is designed with agility in mind, while the Crossover model is built for comfort and includes a rear cargo tray. Both bikes offer pedal assistance up to 25 kilometers per hour (about 15.5 mph) and have a maximum estimated range of 160 kilometers (99 miles). The actual range will vary depending on factors like terrain, wind, tire pressure, and rider weight. Battery extenders are available for both models
The Sport model starts at ,999, while the Crossover starts at ,349. The optional smart helmet costs 9, and the smart glasses will set customers back another 9. #Volkswagen #Thinks #EBike #Pair #Smart #Glassese-bikes,smart glasses,Volkswagen")
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