EYEWEAR brand Ray-Ban and Facebook’s Meta recently announced a software update for their Stories smart glasses — a collaboration they initially released in 2021. Using the device, wearers can now send messages and make calls hands-free. These new features will be secured by end-to-end encryption, while voice transcripts and audio recordings will not be stored on any server for privacy and data protection purposes.
Stories, the smart glasses from Ray-Ban, are the latest in wearable tech. The brand’s smart eyeglasses and sunglasses have built-in cameras and microphones. Users can take photos and videos, listen to music and calls, and share content directly on social media. The frames on Stories are equipped with a dual 5MP camera for hands-free photo and video taking in high quality, thanks to the automatic light adjustment and stereoscopic photo depth.
The company’s commitment to improving and updating Stories through software updates has been upheld so far, with smoother phone integration, faster and smarter voice interactions, and new Meta account integration.
The Future of Stories and Smart Glasses
Alex Himel, Meta’s vice president for AR, recently announced the next generation of Ray-Ban Stories is on the way. For 2025, Himel noted that this third generation of smart glasses would include a “viewfinder” display for incoming text messages, scanning QR codes, and translating text from other languages in real-time. The glasses will also come with a “neural interface” wristband that allows the wearer to control the glasses through hand movements, such as swiping fingers on an imaginary trackpad. Eventually, Himel says the band will let the wearer use a virtual keyboard and type the same words per minute as mobile phones allow.
While Meta has scrapped its plans for a smartwatch with a detachable display and cameras, it seems the company envisions the neural interface alongside a smartwatch that integrates smart glasses and a neural wristband. The device would allow inputs to control the glasses, control the functionality on the wearer’s wrist, and control the world around them. Himel notes the smartwatch would be an optional upgrade from a paired-down neural band that comes with the glasses.
What’s next for smart glasses? The possibilities are endless. Tech giant Google recently acquired North, a smart glasses startup. While the two companies have yet to announce their new eyewear collection, many look at this as Google’s first official foray into the wearable smart glasses industry — the now-defunct Google Glasses, deemed too cyborg-looking and unfashionable for public use. Ray-Ban Stories seems to learn from these past hiccups, adopting Snap’s line of smart glasses’ LED indicator light to notify wearers and those around them that the smart glasses are recording. This was to combat rising privacy issues with “hidden” cameras in wearable tech.
With continued collaborations across the industry, we can expect smart glasses to become more normalised in the near future and hopefully more accessible too. Luxury London brand Taylor Morris recently announced Duncan and Todd Group as their exclusive Scotland stockist. Known for designing timeless and classic sunglasses, the eye and hearing care provider will provide a premium retail experience for wearers to find the perfect fitting frame in a style that fits them. While Taylor Morris is yet to announce their own line of smart glasses, who’s to say we won’t see Duncan and Todd Group — Scotland’s largest privately-owned optician and hearing care provider — eventually offer smart eyewear in the future?
