Imagine Anthony Bourdain letting you into his world, allowing you to see what he could see. The idea of being transported into another person’s world has long been at the heart of cinema. Yet, there are few films that use a first-person perspective. All that is going to change in the coming days, and in the driver’s seat will be Meta, which has found its next big product — Ray-Ban Meta glasses.

Out with mirror selfies, in with smart glasses. They are affordable and could be the purchase you would like to make over a smartphone at the moment. Face it, smartphones won’t be very different if you delay purchase plans by a year, but smart glasses are the hottest products at the moment.

There are five mics total, including one in the nose pad that is surprisingly good at making sure you sound clear on calls.

Specs appeal

It is a hybrid of a wearable camera and open-ear headphones with computing thrown into the mix, made possible by an augmented reality chipset.

There are glasses from Snap and Bose (Bose Frames), but Ray-Ban Meta glasses are a beast of a higher order. After a few hours with these, there is a chance that you wouldn’t like to take them off.

There are questions to be asked: What is the point of these if you are not an Instagram influencer? Will you use them enough to justify the cost?

Fact: It can prove to be a stepping stone to glasses that allow projection. If you are in the market for a pair of good-looking designer sunglasses, these fit the bill. You get integrated speakers and cameras, and even AI. Would you get transition lenses? Sure, if you are willing to spend a little extra. The smart glasses make us hopeful for the category of devices.

The first highlight of the glasses is the design. Meta and Ray-Ban have done something pretty remarkable. They have created something that people already know about and want to purchase now and then. Even after wearing these for 10 days, only one person asked: “Yeh kya hain?” That too because the recording light was on while the jhalmuri man was curious about all things new. More of that later.

These smart glasses come in a few different styles: Wayfarer and Skyler. You can pick up a pair from any of the major shops, dealing in Ray-Ban. There is also the possibility of having crystal-clear vision without compromising on style with prescription lenses from Ray-Ban.

The frames come with strong hinges, and the stalks conceal all the technology

Wearable AI

The glasses come with an integrated camera, open-ear speakers on each side of the glasses, and have Meta AI built into them.

In terms of controls, you have a capture button on the top right for photos and videos, a touchpad on the right stalk for volume controls — skipping tracks, and triggering the assistant, and you can even use them to trigger Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music with a simple tap.

The glasses come with an IPX4 water-resistance rating, so you don’t have to worry if you get caught in light rain. Just wipe them off after they get a bit wet, though note they’re not designed to stay in the rain or sustain splashes for hours.

One of the crucial aspects of the glasses is the speakers. The sound quality is surprisingly decent. You may even find yourself reaching for wireless earbuds a bit less while wearing these, especially when you are simply looking for background music. The glasses also have a five-mic system, which is excellent for phone calls.

Of course, the most important part is the interaction with the Meta AI assistant. There are two types of objectives that can be achieved.

The first group is task-oriented. This is going to be familiar if Siri or Gemini are your favourites. It involves hands-free phone calls and sending messages: You can ask the glasses to take photos/videos, send a WhatsApp/Messenger message, play music, and more. Or add videos directly to your Instagram Story.

The second group the AI assistant is for involves general conversations. You can ask it anything, like general search queries. For example, when is India playing a cricket match? It just takes a few seconds.

The 12MP camera makes the glasses interesting. The configuration may not sound as impressive as a 50MP or 200MP camera, but the quality (3024x4032px) is surprisingly good. The colours are accurate and the HDR processing doesn’t go overboard, like it does on several modern smartphone cameras.

What’s unique about having a camera in the glasses is the unique vantage point. If you go on a jog in a park, the camera can capture birds chirping. The amount of time we usually spend fumbling for the phone would have resulted in a missed shot. No longer.

Pictures and videos have good resolution for everyday use, but everything is slightly off-centre because of where the camera is placed

Will these replace your smartphone camera? No. But for capturing spontaneous moments or when you’re in a situationwhere other cameras aren’t practical to use, that’s where Meta Ray-Bans shine.

In the privacy department, there is a bright white light that comes on while recording videos, which serves as a privacy indicator.

Moments that matter

Talking of what these glasses can be used for, there are several use cases. Think of young parents who don’t want to miss any of the moments with their babies — the first time they crawl/walk, sneeze, booger dangling from the nose, rice stuck in hair strands, watercolour on the face… many of these are blink-and-miss moments. It takes a few seconds to fire up a smartphone camera. Here, it’s just a click on a device you are wearing.

Last weekend, I used the smart glasses for cooking. No, it went beyond recording a first-person video. Having four-five ingredients on the kitchen counter and then allowing the smart glasses to take a photo to analyse what combinations work led to a sesame chicken dish.

At the museum, one could ask about artefacts without having to go through the short description attached to many of the exhibits. The answers are not always correct, but there is the promise of things improving.

As you read this article, I will be in Kumartuli taking videos. During Durga Puja, Ray-Ban Meta glasses could be the device to record your favourite pandals without having to bring out a smartphone.

Oh, what about those washroom selfies? Of course, those look cool, and without having to hold up a phone before you.

The speakers project downward into your ears. Without any headphones on, you can be listening to an audiobook. At half volume, you can listen to music while people around you won’t be able to hear what’s playing. At max volume, everybody can hear what you are listening to as much as they would if you were using AirPods.

Think of its potential at concerts. At the next Ed Sheeran concert, you can capture the moments he shares with Arijit Singh without having to bring out a smartphone or camera.

Power up

The glasses come with a nice leather case that doubles as a charger. There is a USB-C port on the bottom, and the glasses themselves charge via pin connectors in the nose ridge. Meta claims four hours of battery life on a single charge and up to 36 hours with the case. In our experience, it’s around 3.5 hours (plus charging case), which involves plenty of moments capturing videos. They are also pretty quick to recharge: 50 per cent glasses charge in 20 minutes.

Rose-tinted glasses?

Before Meta glasses, it was difficult for a tech enthusiast to imagine the average person wanting a pair of smart glasses. That’s not the case here, even though there are a few constraints to keep in mind.

The frames come with strong hinges, and the stalks conceal all the technology

Each video is limited to three minutes, though usually we keep it to 60 seconds for Instagram Reels and conserve battery. With 32GB of space, it is possible to hold over 100 videos (of 30-second length) or 500-plus photos (three frame bursts) before these are transferred to your phone, and then you can repeat the cycle. For most of us, we will transfer photos and videos every 10-15 minutes.

Another limitation is the aspect ratio for both videos and photos. It’s fixed in a portrait orientation, which may not always be ideal. But if Reels is all that you aim for, this is perfect.

There will be some features that you may not be using with the glasses all the time. While the Meta assistant is effective for basic tasks, like controlling media and taking calls, having conversations, or identifying what you are looking at, it is not something you may do often after the novelty factor wears thin. At first, you would try it to identify the breed of your pet or a plant in the garden, but after a point, it may not be something you would fall back on often. The future depends on how far Meta AI improves.

Perhaps the biggest drawback has nothing to do with Meta. Google and Apple have their own operating systems, and if rumours are true, both companies are working on products in the same category. The integration with the phone’s operating system needs to improve. It makes you realise how locked down these phone operating systems still are.

Also, how far can you trust any AI to give you an answer without getting it wrong… and confidently?

Another downside is that while taking photos, there is around a second-long gap from the moment you press the side button. It could be frustrating because people posing for you may think you have taken the photo, but the machine has yet to do so.

When you are recording, the white light could have been a blinking red light. A white light is good, but others may not necessarily know what it means.

If you are the type of person who constantly loses sunglasses, these are not for you. Unlike items like AirPods, there is no Find My or tracking system in-built.

Make the call

These glasses will genuinely surprise you. They are great for trips, adventures, or just capturing everyday moments. Think of Durga Puja, Diwali, or a night out with friends. The camera quality is quite good considering it’s built into a pair of sunglasses. The overall experience is fun.

Smart glasses have the potential to become a part of the set of devices we use, like smartphone, smartwatch, wireless earbuds, and smart ring

It looks almost like a regular pair of sunglasses. You can walk around and take first-person photographs and videos.

Being able to talk to a computer without any specific keywords is certainly an advantage. It is multimodal; it can compute multiple things around you.

Meta has tried many tricks, like Meta Portal video devices, which didn’t become very popular. This will. And importantly, these are a fashionable pair of glasses.

Invasion of privacy? Some may say it’s a safety measure. If you are in an iffy neighbourhood, keep recording videos that are automatically downloaded to the phone. There will always be footage to fall back on. We live in an age of body cams.

It has just about all the technology you can fit into glasses without making them look something different. At the moment, this is the benchmark for smart glasses. On the other end of the spectrum are VR glasses with passthrough cameras, sensors, controllers, and whatnot. It makes you feel that we have reached a turning point with smart glasses. Meta has nailed the execution of many things that have held the category back.