Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

Meta put cameras and speakers inside a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers. It is either the first wearable that people will actually wear in public or another tech company overestimating how much people want a computer on their face. Looking close enough to regular Wayfarers that most people don't notice the cameras. The glasses are both the product's strength and its biggest ethical concern because you can photograph and record people without any visible indicator. Meta claims the LED light next to the camera signals when recording is active, but the light is small enough that no one at conversational distance would notice it. Speakers are built into the temples and they are surprisingly good for open-ear audio, clear enough for phone calls and podcasts without the isolation that earbuds create. Camera captures 12MP photos and 1080p video that sync to your phone, and the quality is adequate for casual documentation rather than serious photography. The $299 price includes prescription lens compatibility, which is the detail that moves these from gadget to actual eyewear because you can make them your primary glasses rather than carrying a separate pair. I tried a friend's pair and the experience of taking a photo by tapping the temple rather than pulling out my phone felt genuinely different, faster and less disruptive to the moment. But the privacy question is unresolved, and I am not sure I want to live in a world where everyone around me could be recording at any time without my knowledge. The design is good, the technology is impressive, but the social implications are uncomfortable.