Photographers from around the world have made Calcutta their home for the next few days because of Durga Puja. The action in Kumartuli is worth experiencing first-hand. In other years, it’s cameras and smartphones that do the talking, but this time, there is a slight change in the mix — Ray-Ban Meta Glasses. A couple of days before the city experienced the highest rain in four decades, we were there to take the smart glasses for a spin.
No, Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses are not here yet. What we now have are the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses with AI. These are the Wayfarer with AI smarts.
Advantage Ray-Ban Meta Glasses
Here’s the deal. Most of us take videos and photos simply to put them out on social media. Most of us are not trying to be content creators earning moolah from this exercise. What we wanted to see was whether the Meta Glasses hold up and are good enough for a walk through Kumartuli.
To make the situation more difficult, we visited in the evening when the lighting is at its worst. Needless to say, the place is packed to the gills and bikes don’t really care about jaywalkers here.
The result is what we expected. Smartphones are not going away and that is not Meta’s aim. The AI-powered glasses do a good job capturing point-of-view videos without having to bring out the smartphone.
Artisans in Kumartuli don’t want to see another smartphone thrust in their faces or inside their workshops. But wearing smart glasses, we could just walk around without attracting the choicest of words from artisans.
Pictures taken in Kumartuli (before the downpour on Tuesday) using RayBan Meta Glasses
Why Google Glass failed
Yes, techies will always bring that up in conversations. The Google Glass failed for a few reasons, and since then, we have seen plenty of other attempts from companies big and small. Not a single one has ever made it to the mainstream in the way that smartwatches, phones, and tablets have.
But for Meta, this has been a success. The reasons are simple. Each time, over the years, I tried any new smart glasses, I had a hard time imagining the average person wanting a pair.
That is not the case with Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. I could clearly picture who would want a pair of these. Many people tell me they plan on buying one. It makes me think we have hit a turning point with consumer smart glasses.
Meta has nailed the execution, which in turn addresses some of the key issues that held smart glasses back. The most important thing about Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses is that they look great. Ray-Ban is great at that because it is an iconic fashion brand and Wayfarers are about as close to a universally flattering frame as you can get.
Part of the reason Google Glass didn’t work was the futuristic design made you stick out in a bad way. These Meta glasses are far more discreet.
You can wear them on a commute, to a wedding, through a crowded street, on your walks, on a run or in your car — nobody will look at you twice. Meta’s glasses are coming at a time when the technology is finally advanced enough to deliver a good overall experience.
Getting the tech right
Meta has got it right with the technology. Instead of one mic, there are five. The audio is top of the line with very little leakage, better bass, and support for spatial audio.
The battery also lasts long enough to get work done. The charging case itself is slim, stylish and has an LED indicator. I get about four hours of heavy usage and close to a whole workday if I use them intermittently. The case itself needs charging perhaps once a week.
Meta sent for review a pair of sunglasses, but you can get them in clear and transition lenses, which is more useful unless you only plan on using these while outside.
If you need a prescription, you can get them through one of the dealers of Ray-Ban.
Many devices in one
The smart glasses combine the functionality of many devices. While walking through Kumartuli, I listened to the music of Subir Sen and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay through Bluetooth connectivity. The glasses are a decent alternative to Bluetooth headphones that just so happen to have a camera.
An open-ear design for headphones almost always has less bass. But that is not entirely true here. These make great wireless speakers.
Meta has done a fantastic job with microphone placement, including two near the nose bridge, which means these are really close to the mouth. Everyone I have spoken to says that I sound great. These sound so good that I have been wearing them during calls all the time.
The tap controls are some of the most responsive I’ve used. I haven’t had a missed touch or a delay in the few weeks I have been using them. And sliding up or down for volume, it’s always the answer.
I have had no problems with Bluetooth connections or dropouts, and the glasses pair seamlessly and quickly with my iPhone 15 Pro Max as soon as I take them out of the case.
The other aspect is the camera. Here, the lens is small and so is the sensor, yet it provides surprisingly usable footage. Besides, there is solid colour reproduction and mostly crisp details in good light, and I have been most surprised with the stabilisation, audio quality and high-and-low light balance.
When we walk, our brain does a lot of work to stabilise vision. A camera mounted on our head is not going to be nearly as smooth as what we see. But Meta has done a great job creating footage that doesn’t look like a mess. When the videos are seen on a small screen, like a smartphone, the footage is quite good.
Another feature that sells the point-of-view perspective is the glasses’ ability to record using their five mics, which then can create spatial audio.
And the camera transitions smoothly from light to dark situations. When walking into a store, for example, footage seamlessly maintains proper exposure.
But there is a small problem. The footage is not exactly from your eye’s perspective. Since the camera is on one of the frames, it takes a few hours to know where the centre of the frame is.
Otherwise, it’s a decent camera in the form of sunglasses. It is particularly helpful when you need both hands going into the frame to give the POV angle.
The 12MP camera is good, but you know the limitations of the technology. The focal length is similar to the main camera on your phone, roughly the 24mm range. The quality is fine for social media but it takes a second or so to take a photo. So you may miss a moment, but so would you when using a phone. Also, you have to hold the head steady while taking a photo.
The video on this — 1080p at 30fps — can be up to three minutes at a stretch. It uses Wi-Fi to connect and it’s very fast. Importing short videos saves time. And three minutes is plenty for Instagram.
‘Radio Kaku’ Amit Ranjan Karmakar is a popular figure in Kumartuli. You can capture a video of his workshop
The era of body cams
We are at a point where everybody is filming. Google Glass didn’t make people happy. Folks thought their privacy was being invaded and it was banned from some public places. Now, you can’t step out without being a non-player character in somebody’s film. Thanks to smartphones, we have become used to being filmed.
The thing about smart glasses is that they don’t come with the same cultural cues as smartphones. You need to take out the smartphone, hold it up and then shoot. Here, you just click a button and it shoots. Yes, there is a light that glows on the frame but is that enough? The LED capture light is there, but are people paying attention?
Is it okay to wear these to a concert? How should a person react when you wear these to a public restroom? Or is it another safety measure? After all, we are living in the age of body cams. You will feel less threatened.
What I learnt using Ray-Ban Meta Glasses is that content creation has a new tool. Run the footage through video-editing software like LumaFusion to get something decent for any digital media platform. With my hands free, I didn’t have to worry about camera modes and other things while shooting.
The choice is simple this Durga Puja. You may want to invest in a new flagship smartphone but you know how that works. But smart glasses are something new. Variety, after all, is key to happiness.