Hey Meta – these glasses have changed everything
As a gadget girlie, I love anything AI-driven. So when I recently found out about Meta glasses, I knew I had to try them. What I didn’t realise was just how much they were about to change my life. They have transformed my independence, allowing me to do things I never thought I would be able to do without sighted assistance. And so I figured I would share my experiences in this post for Blindness Awareness Month.
What are Meta Smart Glasses?
Created by Meta (the same company that owns Facebook and Instagram), these glasses connect to your phone (iPhone or Android) and use a combination of voice-activated AI and built-in cameras to help you navigate the visual world. There’s a tiny speaker inside the arms that only you can hear (kind of like built-in Airpods) and a camera in the right lens which captures images. All you have to do to wake them up is say “Hey Meta”. And boom- it’s ready to help with whatever you need.
Why Meta is great
Stylish: unlike some rival products, these aren’t clunky. They’re fashionable and just look like normal shades. Right now, the brands they come in are Ray-Ban and Oakley. (I have the Ray-Ban in the Skyla frames).
Hands-free: they’re fully voice-activated, so there’s no need to get your phone out or scroll through menus. This makes them particularly good for on-the-go usage.
Discreet: the tiny speaker can only be heard by you, not the entire train, so you don’t need to worry about people listening in.
Precise: it describes things in intricate detail.
Long battery life: a fully-charged pair of Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) can last up to eight hours with typical use.
What can they do?
I’m still learning new functions every day. But here are some of my favourites:
1. Reading text like menus, books, magazines and even handwritten cards: all you have to do is look down at the piece of paper, say “Hey Meta, read this”, and it will read the text out to you in your ear. You can even get it to read specific sections. For example say you’re ordering in a restaurant, you can ask “Hey Meta, read me the vegetarian options on this menu”.
2. Describing people, objects and surroundings: simply look at what you want described and say “Hey Meta, what am I looking at?”. You can also ask specific questions like, “What is this person wearing?” or “What sort of plants are in this garden?”.
3. Reading product labels e.g. on food or cosmetics: if like me, you sometimes struggle with identifying products, you can ask Meta to read out labels and packaging.
4. Finding things: if you’re in a rush and need to find something quickly, it can help direct you. For example, I recently asked: “Hey Meta, is there any hummus in this fridge and if so, whereabouts?”. It replied: “Yes. You’ll find it on the second shelf near the back.” My mind was blown.
5. Putting together outfits: as someone with no useful vision, I find it daunting to go through my wardrobe sometimes. But, thanks to Meta, not anymore. It can describe a piece of clothing to you in detail e.g. the colour, pattern and even the brand if it has a logo. It can also help you put outfits together. For instance, you can say, “Hey Meta, does this t-shirt go with these trousers” and it will give you honest feedback, kind of like an AI stylist.
6. Navigating: Meta glasses are by no means a replacement for a white cane or guide dog. But they can hugely complement the mobility tools you already have. For example, they can read out signs, helping you identify what shops, restaurants or buildings are in front of you. Meta can tell you roughly how far away something is, like how many metres away the station entrance is. You can even connect it to the Be My Eyes app and it can call a sighted volunteer for real-time assistance. This is great because you can speak to the volunteer and show them your surroundings, without having to get your phone out or worry about where to point the camera.
7. Taking photos and videos: there’s a small button on the side of the frames which allows you to seamlessly capture your surroundings. For a photo, click once. To start recording a video, hold down the button for a couple of seconds, then press again to stop filming. It will then automatically upload the media to your phone’s photo app.
8. Reading and sending messages: like with Siri, you can ask it to send a text/WhatsApp or make a call to a particular person. It can also announce new incoming messages and calls.
9. Live translation: the glasses contain a microphone which, when activated, can listen to conversations in real-time and translate them to the desired language. You can then hear the translated dialogue through the tiny speaker. Right now, it can only translate a few languages such as French, Spanish, Italian and German. But Meta is always coming out with new updates.
10. Other cool functions: like Siri, Alexa or other AI assistants, you can ask it to play music and audio books, search the web, read the news and weather, give you reminders, tell jokes and much more.
Drawbacks
Price: like any amazing piece of tech, it does come at a price (the latest Gen 2 start around £379).
Signal: if you are in an area with bad signal/Wi-Fi, they may not function properly.
The Verdict:
I would absolutely, wholeheartedly recommend Meta Smart Glasses. While they are expensive, they’re also life-changing and I believe, given the amount of wear I get out of them and the huge impact they’ve had on my independence and confidence, they are worth every penny.
