Latest news with #OakleyMetaHSTN
Tom's Guide
01-08-2025
- Tom's Guide
Meta just revealed a new XR display prototype — and it may be the biggest leap in smart glasses since Google Glass
Smart glasses are evolving at a rapid pace — incredible display tech coming to AR specs and AI breakthroughs making the likes of the Oakley Meta HSTN's incredibly intelligent. But we all know the end goal is a pair of glasses that brings these two worlds together. And researchers at Meta Reality Labs and Stanford University may have just given us the clearest glimpse yet of this future. Yes, I know the researcher pictured above kind of looks like a Cyberpunk pirate, but that eyepatch is a prototype holographic XR display — creating full 3D holograms on a screen thin enough to be used in a standard-sized pair of glasses. This is the holy grail that companies have been chasing down, and Meta just took one giant step closer to it. So let's get into the details of this mixed reality tech. Basically, it's a combination of custom glass and silicon along with AI-driven algorithms to render 'perceptually realistic 3D images,' as the researchers say in their paper. To make this happen, there's a custom ultra-thin waveguide display driving the visuals — using a laser to project onto a uniquely-textured part of the lens glass for picture clarity. After this, it goes through a polarizer so we can see it, and a custom-designed Spatial Light Modulator that will (you guessed it) modulate light — the special thing being that it will do so on an individual pixel-by-pixel basis to render a 'full-resolution holographic' image we can see. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. That's right. Holograms. Unlike your standard VR headsets and AR glasses that use eye-confusion techniques to simulate depth, this system can produce true holograms by reconstructing them entirely through light. There's both a wide field of view and a large eyebox to accommodate all possible pupil positions for accessibility. 'The world has never seen a display like this with a large field of view, a large eyebox, and such image quality in a holographic display,' Gordon Wetzstein, Stanford electrical engineering professor told the Stanford Report. 'It's the best 3D display created so far and a great step forward – but there are lots of open challenges yet to solve.' And even better? All of this is crammed into a panel just 3mm thin! That is significant for the future progress of stuffing displays into glasses without needing bird bath optics. One challenge to note, though, is this is mixed reality and not augmented. The wording is critical here, as the mixed reality reference means the optics are not transparent. But that being said, with this being the second of three projects to bring this to life in a commercial project, there's no doubt that what we're looking at here is a breakthrough. Don't expect this tech to come to glasses you can buy for another few years, but if this mixed reality display can become augmented, that's the dream I've been having over the past four years of testing and writing about smart glasses! My apologies to the phones team, but the clock has just started ticking on a new frontier of personal devices. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Tom's Guide
31-07-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Mark Zuckerberg says AI superintelligence is 'now in sight' — here's what Meta thinks that means for you
Superintelligence in this context is Mark Zuckerberg — or Meta's — term for artificial general intelligence (AGI) which essentially means AI has its own independent consciousness, that is able to autonomously learn, understand, communicate and form goals without the guiding hand of a human. Various AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and Meta are committed to developing AGI in the near future. Mark Zuckerberg says humanity is about to advance AI to the level of "superintelligence" and we're all going to be interacting with it through a pair of smart glasses. Which is perhaps what you'd expect from the CEO of the company behind the Meta Quest 3, the recent Oakley Meta HSTN and an upcoming pair of advanced AR glasses. But still, Zuckerberg outlined his thoughts on the future of AI in an essay posted to a plain text website yesterday ahead of Meta's earnings call. In it, he says humanity's newly developed superintelligence should take the form of "a new era of personal empowerment where people will have greater agency to improve the world in the directions they choose." He goes on to say that Meta's vision is "distinct from others in the industry who believe superintelligence should be directed centrally towards automating all valuable work, and then humanity will live on a dole of its output." These are some notable comments coming in the same week as Sam Altman, the CEO of Meta's AI rival OpenAI, likened the development of ChatGPT's GPT-5 model to the Manhattan Project. As Zuckerberg tells it, smart glasses will become our "primary computing devices" with which to interact with the new personal superintelligence his firm is building. Conveniently bundling together two of the pillars of Meta's business model. "Personal devices like glasses that understand our context because they can see what we see, hear what we hear, and interact with us throughout the day will become our primary computing devices," he wrote. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The limited edition Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses offer some spec boosts over the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, targeting the sportier crowd of wearable tech enthusiasts. Meta has been on a well-publicized hiring spree recently, paying as much as $100m to lure top talent away from other tech firms to run its AI development. The company has also paid $14.3 billion to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI, a data annotation company that effectively trains AI models at, well, scale. It isn't all sunshine and rainbows as Zuckerberg takes a moment to mention that the arrival of superintelligence will raise "novel safety concerns" and that "we'll need to be rigorous about mitigating these risks and careful about what we choose to open source". That's interesting for two reasons. Firstly, he doesn't specify whether "we" means Meta itself or he's using a collective pronoun for all of humanity. Secondly, Meta's Llama LLM is — according to the company — currently an open source resource. But the Open Source Initiative contests this because it claims Meta's licensing terms fail the standard. Furthermore, the Trump Administration's AI Action Plan strongly favors open-sourcing AI models although the final decision rests with the developer. So, theoretically, he could be hinting at a redrawing of the map from Meta about what technology it's prepared to give away and what it will keep internal. Mike Proulx, a research director at analyst firm Forrester cautioned that Zuckerberg's vision of superintelligence empowering people may come from donning a pair of rose-tinted Ray-Ban Meta glasses. How bad the impact of superintelligence gets depends, in part, on the ethics of the companies developing it. 'Meta's CEO is hopeful that superintelligence will be used to empower people and not be 'focused on replacing large swaths of society.' But human replacement is already happening, and this is just the beginning," he wrote. "Business leaders see AI as an efficiency play above all else. The fact is that AI can save companies time and money. That's a good thing for shareholder value. But will it be good for society? 'As with every major technology disruption, some good will come from it, but also some bad. How bad the impact of superintelligence gets depends, in part, on the ethics of the companies developing it. Meta says it 'will need to be rigorous about mitigating these risks and careful about what we choose to open source' but many companies are vying feverously to win the superintelligence race. But at what cost are they willing to do so? Mere trust in companies to do the right thing just isn't going to cut it.' Either way, there's no doubt that Zuckerberg is going all-in on AI in a similar way his company did with the metaverse concept back in 2021. I expect he'll be a bit more successful this time around. And if you want to read Zuck's entire missive for yourself, you can find it here. Of course, the obvious question we all have is whether he actually wrote this himself or if he had an AI do it for him. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Tom's Guide
25-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
Apple glasses patent reveals a new feature to improve comfort — but it looks bizarre
Apple looks to be doubling up its efforts in delivering smart glasses, and its rumored Apple Glasses are now tipped to launch in 2027. Now, a new patent teases what the Cupertino tech giant may be cooking up — and it's all about comfort. A recently published Apple patent shows a head-mountable VR/AR device (like a pair of smart glasses) that includes a headband-like strap attached, which aims to improve comfort, fit and adjustability. This strap is attached to the glasses' arms and is said to provide a more personalized fit for users, as per Patently Apple. The head strap is rotatable, so it can be placed to fit comfortably on a user's head or be stowed away behind the frames of the smart glasses so it's out of sight. While the patent describes an interesting design element for Apple smart glasses, seeing as it would provide a more universal fit, it would certainly be a bizarre look for an everyday pair of glasses. This isn't unlike head strap accessories for VR headsets, such as Kiwi Design H4 Boost for Meta Quest, albeit more of a strap rather than a head pad. But imagine wearing a pair of glasses that are fitted with a headband? It's not exactly the everyday appeal you'll find on, say, the recent Oakley Meta HSTN glasses or Even Realities G1 smart glasses. The patent states this support band is removable, so it may be more of an add-on accessory as an option for users to get a more adjustable, comfortable fit That said, the patent states this support band is removable, so it may be more of an add-on accessory as an option for users to get a more adjustable, comfortable fit. If these smart specs boast AR features, like the Viture Luma Pro, further head support would make them more comfy to use. Moreover, Apple reportedly has seven different glasses and headsets in the works, including Vision headsets. If this is the case, this headband-type feature may be utilized in these upcoming products instead. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. As pointed out by the report, Apple used over 5,000 patents for its Apple Vision Pro, so this modular patent may be involved in the development of its smart glasses. Of course, Apple files hundreds of patents for its upcoming products every year, but that doesn't mean it will use them. Take this all in with a spoonful of salt, but it does offer a hint at what the Cupertino tech giant may deliver to its rumored smart glasses — and comfort appears to be a priority. Speaking of Apple Glasses, the smart specs are also expected to include Apple Intelligence, taking on the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. It may be a while before we see Apple's rumored glasses in action, and if this headband is included, I'm hoping it's detachable. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Tom's Guide
23-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
I spent my first 24 hours with the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses — they're brilliant except for one glaring problem
The moment I put on the limited edition Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses, I could tell these were not the Ray-Ban Meta glasses that I've worn on my face for the majority of the last two years. Between the ultra-reflective orange lenses and angular, sport-forward frame, there's no question these glasses are an Oakley product. But the camera cutouts on the upper corners, a pair of black holes disrupting the stark white frames, give away that there's more to these glasses than what meets the eye. And depending on your vibe, that could be a huge selling point. For me, it's the one thing that seems to be holding these smart glasses back. Let's backtrack a bit. When comparing the Ray-Ban Meta vs Oakley Meta smart glasses, there are several spec improvements that help justify the Oakley's $499 price tag. A better field of view for the cameras and double the battery life are the upgrades that stand out to me. But a lot is also the same, such as a quick set up process with the Meta AI (formerly Meta View) app. After a few prompts to familiarize yourself with Meta's "look and tell me" assistant, the HSTN glasses are ready to wear. Except ready to wear doesn't mean I, personally, am ready to wear them. To put it simply, these aren't a pair of glasses I'd ever reach for on the shelves at Sunglass Hut. The limited edition Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses offer some spec boosts over the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, targeting the sportier crowd of wearable tech enthusiasts. The bold, rounded frame is made to be noticed and doesn't hide the fact that these aren't normal glasses. Compared to my transition lens Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers, which blend into almost any outfit, the Oakley smart glasses are far more overt. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. As someone who's fashion-conscious, I couldn't help but feel these glasses are bit out of sync with my closet. I'm sure these frames would look amazing out on a paddleboard or bike path, but for my everyday city wear? Not quite my default fit. Luckily, I planned my first official outing with the Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses to take place in an appropriately sporty setting: T-Mobile Park, home stadium of the Seattle Mariners. Although I wished the the PRIZM 24K polarized lenses skewed blue to match the Mariners branding rather than the opposing team's yellowy-orange accents, they felt incredible against the sun shining into the park. Everything in my vision, even the players from my second deck seats looked sharp. Most surprisingly, I could track foul and fly ball paths with ease — usually, I'm futilely circling my neck to spot them. (Side note: I can't wait to try these at the golf course to see if they improve my abysmal ball-locating abilities.) Other use cases carry over from the Ray-Ban version of these glasses, such as capturing videos and photos of the action from my POV that I could then post on my Instagram stories or send to my family. Image captured on the Oakley Meta HSTN Smart Glasses Image captured on the Oakley Meta HSTN Smart Glasses Image captured on the Oakley Meta HSTN Smart Glasses Similarly, I could rely on Meta AI to settle in-game debates. Whether it was who else is joining Ichiro Suzuki in the 2025 Hall of Fame class or if the Mariners are actually the only active MLB team to never make the World Series, Meta AI answered accurately and with ease. Even with the crowd noise, I could hear everything through the built-in speakers, and the mics didn't miss a beat picking up my queries. Functionally, the Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses are epic. But as much as I immediately love the performance, I'm having a harder time warming up to the design. The style is just... a lot. Unlike the Ray-Bans, which come in tons of frame and lens variations, the Oakley Meta HSTNs are one bold look. A more subtle, all-black pair has been pictured but wasn't seeded to reviewers like myself and is not yet available to purchase. I would opt for this subdued pair instead, although in a perfect world I'd be able to customize the entire look of something I planned to wear daily. I know that there are sporty folks who are drooling over the existing edgy white-and-orange combo. If that's your vibe, I'm confident you'll love them. For me, I still need a little bit of time to come around, but I have a feeling the performance will ultimately outweigh style for me. All I'll say is, you know a product's performance is good when I'll consider compromising my fashion sense for it. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Meta's High-Tech Oakleys Bring Smart Glasses to a Sportier Crowd
Meta Platforms Inc. is giving its smart glasses a premium, athletic twist — and a higher price tag. The new Oakley Meta HSTN glasses start at $399 and climb to $500 for limited-edition gold mirror lenses. While the technology inside is nearly identical to Meta's $299 Ray-Ban spectacles, the Oakleys offer something different: an iconic, sport-forward style that could help Meta reach an entirely different demographic.
