Meta has announced its next step into smart wearables, this time in partnership with Oakley. The Oakley Meta HSTN are a limited edition priced at $499 and will be available for pre-order starting July 11.Other Oakley models with Meta technology are expected to launch later this summer, with prices starting at $399.
Following the Ray-Ban Meta philosophy, the new model integrates a camera on the front, open speakers and microphones in the frame. By connecting to a smartphone, users can enjoy music, answer calls and interact with Meta AI. Using the built-in camera and microphones, Meta AI can also answer questions about what a person is seeing and even translate languages.
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Thanks to Oakley's sporty aesthetic and technical features, Meta promotes the new series as ideal for sports use . The glasses have an IPX4 certification for water resistance, double the autonomy (up to 8 hours of continuous use) compared to Ray-Ban and are accompanied by a charging case that offers up to 48 hours of total autonomy. The upgraded camera now records 3K resolution video , a significant upgrade from the 1080p of the previous model.
The collection will be available in five different frame and lens designs , with prescription lenses available for an additional fee. The frame comes in the following colors: gray, black, smoke brown and clear, and a variety of lens options are offered . The premium version, priced at $499, features gold accents and Oakley PRIZM lenses .
The new smart glasses will be released in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.
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The new Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses are part of a partnership between Meta and EssilorLuxottica – the company behind Ray-Ban and Oakley. To date, over 2 million pairs of Meta Ray-Ban have been sold , with EssilorLuxottica targeting 10 million units per year by 2026 .
“This is our first foray into the high-performance wearables category, said Alex Himel, head of wearables at Meta. “And it’s just the beginning.”
The new Meta x Oakley are an interesting development in the wearables market and clearly show where Meta is aiming: new technologies, useful for people's everyday lives.
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The Meta Oakley HSTN is a bold step towards the convergence of technology and everyday wear, clearly aimed at those who move, exercise and want hands-free access to information. It is a more mature and focused product than the first models, but its success will depend on the public's reaction and the real usefulness of AI in practice.
Source: www.theverge.com
