Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer Smart Glasses are better than any virtual reality headset or glasses.

The smart features of the glasses aren't immediately apparent, so I can put them on and ride my bike to pick my kids up from school casually. The only time a friend passed my house and gave me a funny look for wearing it was while listening to the latest episode of the show, and I stood in a lump. Internet Every album When watering the garden.

Right now, these are my favorite pair of headphones for work because I only have to take one pair instead of two when I head out the door. My poor ears are the mantles of my head; Now, instead of trying to clip headphones into my hat, hair and sunglasses, I have to wear these. Matt Kamen pointed out in his analysis Smart glasses From Meta, the small over-ear speakers have surprisingly good audio quality. They are loud enough to run outside in the average city; Mandolin strums in “Atlantic City” The band's sound is clear and bright.

It's incredibly convenient to receive calls, make calls, and listen to texts while running without taking out your phone. I understand that many people want to disconnect while exercising, but I stop if I get a call or message from my partner, my kids, school, or my parents. It's not hard to imagine how much fun it would be if you could video call while walking. Since my family doesn't use WhatsApp or Messenger, this is unlikely to happen to me, but it's not out of the question.

Take photos with the Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer

Unlike most smart glasses I've tested for WIRED, these are very easy to interact with. The controls are easy to remember and perfectly calibrated. Pressing the button to take a photo is very natural. Tapping the glasses to pause or resume audio or adjust volume always works. A touch of my hair or hat doesn't accidentally start or stop a song.

The camera also works well, and I love the ability to quickly snap any picture I see. When I don't have goals, I lose them. 80% of my brain is outsourced to my phone's camera roll, and when I can't capture a special moment, like the time I ran off to attend a holiday concert, I feel like I'm missing out. My daughter's studies and I'm the only mother who doesn't register it. But wearing smart glasses with a built-in camera eases that worry. Recording with Metas is much faster and less obvious than pulling the phone out and holding it in the air. This ability to intelligently record the world around me also made my husband nervous. When I was secretly taking photos, whenever someone happened to walk in front of me, I thought, “Shouldn't I ask him?” He will ask. want?

The AI ​​factor in the Meta Ray-Ban Wayfarer

But the real breakthrough here is the inclusion of Meta's voice-activated AI assistant. It's stupid, but true: artificial intelligence finally seemed useful to me and installed it on my face.

When we see the rise Gadgets AI and chatbots Almost brilliant, I'm still unclear on what exactly to do with them all. I like to use ChatGPT to figure out what to use for the rest, but I'm sure a quick Google search on my phone won't answer most of the time. That changed when I started using Metas. As soon as I put on the voice control glasses, the world was full of questions and I needed answers.

How much does the house on the street cost? The AI ​​couldn't tell me, but it did make it clear that the sidewalk near my house needed to be renovated. I asked him to identify plants and cars and he did a good job on both. The fact that my neighborhood is dominated by Subaru Forester and Dodge Challenger type vehicles may contribute to this.