Latest news with #HSTN
Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Meta launches $399 Oakley AI Glasses with 3K video recording
Meta Platforms Inc. is going up-market with its surprise hit smart glasses, rolling out new models with Oakley that are aimed at athletes and include improved video recording. The company on Friday launched new models based on Oakley's HSTN design, marking the company's first expansion away from Ray-Ban for its display-free glasses. Like the original models, the Oakley versions can make and take phone calls, play music, take pictures and video and use Meta's artificial intelligence to answer questions about the surrounding environment. The new versions, which start at $399 and go up to $499 for a limited edition model with gold-colored accents, include about double the battery life, video-recording at 3K resolution and water resistance. 'We are increasingly seeing performance use cases with the Ray-Bans like people wearing them on roller coasters, cycling and being around water, so we're trying to lean into that,' says Alex Himel, the company's vice president in charge of wearables, in an interview. Arriving at its second glasses brand was far from a sure thing. Meta's first glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories, flopped in 2021. But its follow-up version in 2023 was a massive success, giving the social networking giant a real potential hardware stronghold in the artificial intelligence race. 'It was crazy. Popularity caught us by surprise a bit,' Himel said. The Ray-Bans were 'going to be the last display-less pair of glasses. We said we'll take two swings at it, and if it doesn't work we'll go all-in on augmented reality.' Instead, beyond the latest Oakley model, the company has a multi-year road map for the display-less category and is planning a follow-up pair of Oakley glasses based on the Sphera design for later this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. That pair will be aimed at cyclists and have a centered camera. Friday's model has a camera positioned in the upper corner like the Ray-Ban version. The display-free glasses are one component of the overall Meta AI hardware strategy. The company is planning to introduce higher-end glasses with a display to view notifications and the camera view finder later this year, Bloomberg News has reported. In 2027, it aims to roll out its first true augmented reality glasses, which will blend digital apps with the real world. Meta's form-factor has caught on, with several other technology companies working on competitors. Apple Inc. is planning to introduce its first glasses product at the end of 2026, Bloomberg News has reported. That device will operate similarly to the Meta product but better synchronize with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Inc. also sells glasses, but their current models lack cameras. Himel, who said Meta has sold millions of glasses and has a 'nice, increasing multiple' of purchases on a year-over-year basis each week, attributed the increased popularity to the Ray-Bans improving across a large number of 'small things.' He said the audio quality and microphones started to surpass standalone earbuds, while the camera and AI quality also improved. Still, Himel said battery life remains the 'number one complaint' about the Ray-Ban versions. The new Oakley models can run for 8 hours on a single charge, with the charging case holding 48 hours of juice. 'You should expect a 40% bump with these' he says, attributing the improvement to new battery chemistry and software optimizations — not larger battery packs. Like Ray-Ban, Oakley is owned by EssilorLuxottica SA, which calls Oakley its second most popular brand after Ray-Ban. Himel said Meta will roll out new brands under the EssilorLuxottica portfolio 'as fast as we can. 'We're going to have to move very quickly because in the world of fashion, stuff moves very quickly,' he says. 'The stuff that is a hit right now might not be a year from now. We need to be fast to hit all the brands that we'd like to.' The first Oakley model, becoming available for pre-order on July 11, will be the $499 limited edition pair. The $399 versions — which come in grey, black, brown and clear colors — will be released in the coming months. There will be versions with clear, transition and polarized lenses. Like with the Ray-Bans, users can swap the lenses for prescription optics. The glasses will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, according to Meta. (Updated with availability of new smart glasses in several countries. A previous version corrected the name of Meta executive Alex Himel.) Gurman writes for Bloomberg.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Just Launched $499 Smart Glasses With Oakley
Meta (NASDAQ:META) is making a fresh play in the smart glasses spacethis time with Oakleyand it could open up a new lane for growth. The company just unveiled the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, its first model aimed directly at athletes and sports enthusiasts. Priced at $499 for the limited-edition gold-accented version and $399 for the base models, the new line will roll out starting July 11, with broader availability later this summer. The design is built off Oakley's HSTN frame and adds hardware upgrades that double the battery life of the original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, along with a new 3K video camera and real-time Meta AI voice assistance. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Sign with META. The tech stack is clearly evolving. The glasses come with open-ear speakers, front-facing cameras, and microphonesallowing wearers to stream music, take hands-free calls, or record content instantly. Meta AI can now translate languages or respond to visual prompts like what am I looking at? Battery performance has also taken a leap forward: 8 hours of regular use, a 20-minute fast charge to 50%, and a new charging case offering up to 48 hours of backup. Oakley's Prizm Lens tech is available in select styles, optimized for performance in different lighting conditions. Frame and lens color options span six variants, all prescription-ready. This launch is part of Meta's longer-term collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant behind Oakley and Ray-Ban. So far, the Meta Ray-Bans have sold over two million pairs, according to EssilorLuxottica's FY2024 results. The new Oakley Meta HSTN line will be released in more than 15 markets including the US, Canada, UK, France, and Germany, with additional expansion into Mexico, India, and the UAE planned for later this year. For investors, this rollout could signal Meta's intent to build a more sustainable and mainstream wearables businessanchored by global partnerships and real-world utility that extends far beyond social apps. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Gizmodo
15 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Yep, GoPro Should Be Really Worried About Meta's New ‘Performance' Smart Glasses
Meta's next generation of smart glasses is here, but it's not Ray-Ban doing the heavy lifting on design. This go-around, it's Oakley at the center, which may seem like a strange choice at first but makes more sense once you unpack how Meta is positioning its first new pair of smart glasses since its original Ray-Ban collab. In Meta's words, these things are all about 'performance.' What does that mean, exactly? Sports, mostly. This pair focuses primarily on athletes who want to capture footage from the field, or mountain, or wherever you might be wearing a pair of Oakley glasses and not look like a total rube. And given that positioning, Meta's new glasses, which are called HSTN and pronounced 'HOW-stuhn,' unfortunately, will come with a few major upgrades over their Ray-Ban forebear. One big upgrade will be the camera, which will be higher resolution and capable of capturing video in 3K. Perfect for an action sports scenario where you'd want crisper, sharper video. Meta's Oakley glasses will also have a longer battery life. According to Meta, the HSTN glasses will last up to eight hours with 'typical use' and up to 19 hours if the glasses are on standby. The company also says the glasses can charge from 0% to 50% in 20 minutes. For context, Meta's Ray-Ban glasses last about four hours with 'moderate use.' I can corroborate that battery life estimate, having worn Meta's Ray-Ban glasses as my main pair of sunglasses for the better part of a year, though sometimes I feel like I get a little less. Having a longer-life battery also makes sense from a 'performance' sports-oriented perspective since you probably don't want to be charging these things up when you're hanging off the side of a mountain covered in fresh powder. And, of course, Meta's glasses wouldn't be complete without some AI. Just like Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, Meta's Oakley glasses will come loaded with Meta AI. Meta suggests asking Meta AI stuff like 'How strong is the wind today?' while golfing or triggering the video function hands-free by saying, 'Hey Meta, take a video.' Again, having used Meta's Ray-Ban glasses extensively, my success with Meta AI has varied wildly. Meta's voice assistant is mostly fine for simple stuff like 'take a picture' and 'record a video,' but I've had very mixed results with more complex vision-based tasks like 'What kind of car is that?' or even sometimes asking for weather and triggering specific songs on Spotify. What I'm saying is, take Meta's examples here with a grain of salt. If you're really yearning for a pair of sports-oriented smart glasses and you're okay with Oakley's distinct style, then you'll be able to pre-order HSTN fairly soon. According to Meta, the full collection will drop later this summer for $399 while a limited-edition pair in a special colorway (Desert 24K Prizm Polar) will be available for preorder starting July 11 for $499 USD. That's a premium compared to the Ray-Ban glasses, which typically retail for $299, but at least you're getting some extra battery and a nicer camera to go with it.
Digital Trends
15 hours ago
- Digital Trends
Meta's new Oakley smart glasses bring major advantages to connected eyewear
Meta and Oakley have combined forces to brings us a brand new set of the smart glasses, the Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn), with significant camera and battery upgrades over previous Meta specs. They're being dubbed as 'Performance AI glasses', apparently built with athletes in mind. They're equipped with the Meta AI voice assistance, allowing you to trigger actions with your voice – such as starting a recording via the built in camera. Recommended Videos First up, the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses pack in battery which can last a claimed eight hours of typical use and up to 19 hours on standby. That's significantly longer than the four hours of typical use touted by the Ray-Ban Meta, although in our review they lasted a whole day if recording sessions were kept to a minimum. Still, it's a promising start for the Oakley smart specs. Like the best wireless earbuds, the glasses come with a charging case which can provide an additional 40 hours of charge on the go, and you can replenish the battery from 0% to 50% in 22 minutes. An 80% charge will take 45 minutes. The 12MP camera in the top-right of the frame is capable of capturing 3K resolution, Ultra HD video, an improvement on the 1,440 x 1,920 recording of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The 'capture LED' is in the opposite corner, which illuminates when the camera is recording or live streaming. This is so others around you know you're recording video, and if this light is blocked in any way you won't be able to record until it's uncovered. You also get built-in open-ear speakers, allowing you to listen to music and podcasts, and make and receive phone calls on the go, plus they're IPX4 rated which means they should be able to withstand splashing and spraying water and sweat. The Oakley Meta HSTN price is $399 and they'll be initially available in 15 countries (including the US, Canada and UK) later this summer, with more countries (including India, Mexico and the UAE) being added later in the year. If you can't wait that long, you'll be able to pick up the limited edition Desert 24k Prizm Polar specs from July 11 for $499.
Engadget
16 hours ago
- Business
- Engadget
Meta and Oakley announce new 'perfomance AI' smart glasses for athletes
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Meta is expanding beyond its popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses with a new lineup of frames created in collaboration with Oakley. The Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn, apparently) will be available in several variants, not unlike Meta's other smart glasses. Meta first teased that it had a new partnership on the way earlier in June, and rumors that the company was expanding beyond its current frames were reported by Bloomberg back in January. Despite rumors that the Oakley glasses would feature a camera embedded in the bridge of the frame, these first models keep the lens on one side and an LED privacy light on the other. The ultra-wide 12MP camera can capture footage in 3K, compared with the 1080p video that the Meta Ray-Bans are capable of recording. Along with taking POV video calls, shooting photos and livestreaming what you see, the camera can be used to answer questions about what you're seeing with the help of Meta AI. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Threads that these frames, which are based on Oakley's HSTN style, are "built for action." So they're perhaps designed to be more durable than Meta's older models, though they have the same IPX4 water resistance rating. They feature Prizm and Prizm Polarized lens tech from Oakley, which are designed to protect wearers' eyes from ultraviolet light. The battery is rated for eight hours of typical use on a single charge (which would be double that of the Meta Ray-Bans) and up to 19 hours on standby. With the included charging case, you should be able to juice up Oakley Meta HSTN glasses from zero to 50 percent of battery capacity in 22 minutes, and to 85 percent in 45 minutes. The case, which is not water-resistant, is said to deliver up to 40 additional hours of on-the-go charging. The new frames have open-ear Bluetooth speakers, five onboard microphones and speakers for talking to Meta AI and the ability to take calls, send messages and play music from your phone. There are touch controls on the side of the frames where you can adjust volume and so on. Meta has also been rolling out live translation features for its smart glasses. The company says the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses can help with accessibility too. You'll be able to send messages and take photos hands-free. Meta notes that its AI will be able to describe what the camera is seeing. In addition, wearers will be able to connect to the Be My Eyes network and receive assistance from sighted volunteers. Meta and Oakley say these are "Performance AI glasses." You'll be able to ask Meta AI for contextual information that might help in the moment, such as the wind speed so you can try to adjust for that while you're playing golf. Meta working with Oakley shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Oakley is owned by EssilorLuxottica, the same fashion conglomerate that owns Ray-Bans. The companies extended their partnership with a new long-term agreement in September 2024 so that they could "collaborate into the next decade to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products." The first, limited-edition Oakley Meta HSTN have gold accents and 24K Prizm Polar lenses. They cost $499 and will be available to preorder starting on July 11 in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Meta and Oakley plan to bring the lineup to Mexico, India and the United Arab Emirates later this year. Other models will arrive later in the summer and start at $399. They'll be available in the following frame and lens colors: Oakley Meta HSTN Desert with Prizm Ruby Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PrizmPolar Black Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Shiny Brown with Prizm Polar Deep-Water Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses Oakley Meta HSTN Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses
