Hey, keep in mind Ray Ban Stories, Meta’s collaboration with the sunglass maker on digitally enhanced glasses that may take images, play audio, and so forth.?
Well, they’re again – or not less than, Meta’s announced some new elements for Ray Ban Stories, which don’t take it into AR territory simply but. But they might be related for some customers.
First off, Meta’s added new voice instructions throughout the system, which can allow you to answer to incoming WhatsApp, Messenger, and textual content messages simply by talking.
As per Meta:
“Once your message is read out, say ‘Hey Facebook, reply’, and you’re off to the races, while you can also now tee up a new WhatsApp, Messenger, or text message with a single voice command. For example, you could say, ‘Hey Facebook, send Jasmine a message on WhatsApp: can’t wait for spring break,’ and your glasses will confirm the message before sending.”
This is one among a number of new voice controls which you could activate when carrying your Meta glasses – which could look somewhat bizarre to passers-by, however might be helpful for replying on the go.
Meta’s additionally trying to make its voice instructions extra conversational and responsive, with extra natural-sounding engagement.
“Instead of saying, ‘Send a message’, soon you’ll be able to also say things like, ‘Ask Martha if she wants to come to the party’, or ‘Tell David I love him’, and the glasses will be able to infer that you’re trying to send a message. They’ll even know whether they should punctuate your outgoing message with a period or question mark based on context cues.”
Again, might be bizarre for individuals in your fast neighborhood, nevertheless it’s one other means to assist enhance the utility of the system, which might be helpful in some conditions.
Meta’s additionally integrating Spotify controls for Android (which is already out there on iOS), enabling you to cue up music when carrying the system, whereas it’s additionally rolling out Meta accounts to Ray-Ban Stories, which can imply which you could log into their sensible glasses with out utilizing a Facebook account.
So, cool, proper? Some new tweaks for Ray Ban Stories, which can present further, purposeful worth in some methods.
But they’re not main updates – they’re not Meta’s long-awaited AR glasses, that are reportedly nonetheless in improvement.
There had been stories, at one stage, that Meta had shelved its AR glasses project as a part of its broader cost-cutting push, however extra not too long ago, Meta has indicated that the following stage for the system might be coming in the next few years, which may even tie into its metaverse imaginative and prescient.
According to Meta’s product roadmap, the following huge replace for its Ray Ban Stories glasses, at the moment set for launch in 2025, will embrace a ‘viewfinder’ ingredient, which can allow you to learn incoming textual content messages inside your subject of view, whereas they’ll additionally embrace QR code scanning capability, together with hand controls to navigate the show.
A full AR model is then slated for launch in 2027, which would be the subsequent huge leap for Meta’s wearable initiatives, and can deliver digital experiences into direct integration together with your on a regular basis life.
Though as famous, that plan might be impacted by Meta’s effectivity push, which can see it cut over 20,000 staff in total. But even inside this, Meta’s nonetheless spending huge on its next-level developments, and given its alignment with the metaverse, it does appear to be the following stage of its sensible glasses will stay a precedence.
But we’re not there but. These are a lot smaller tweaks, that are unlikely to immediate a sudden rush on Ray Ban Stories gross sales, however they’re steps which are essential within the regular improvement of the system.
And they give the impression of being cool, which in itself is a significant win for the venture.
