Title: Meta Ray-Bans, seeing Things Differently
Hello Everyone,
Welcome back to my blog and today I am Delving into an adventure with some new technology.
A week ago, I took receipt of the new Smart Glasses from Meta and Ray-Bans. Meta, the parent company of FaceBook, Instagram and WhatsApp, have created these wearables alongside designer sunglasses brand Ray-Bans to bring wearable technology to our faces.
In this post, I will talk about my experience using these as a totally blind user from setup, to every day use and how they help me.
I have wanted a pair of Ray-Bans for years and this was the greatest excuse to throw some money at vanity all whilst gaining some smart tech in the process.
The Meta Glasses are physically like Ray-Bans, with a few additional features that make them smart.
They include:
1. Cameras on the frames
2. Microphones to capture audio
3. speakers in the arms.
More details on the tech specifications can be found here.
With the inbuilt AI assistant, "Meta", you can ask it to take photos, record videos of up to 3 minutes in length and make audio and video calls via WhatsApp and Messenger. You can also do live videos to Instagram and Facebook. They record through the cameras situated on the front corners of the glasses and the inbuilt microphones. The point of view would be therefore from the wearer's prospective.
For a blind person, this is quite a clever function as some people who cannot see do not feel comfortable using a camera. As long as they are looking in the direction of the object or scene they are trying to capture, this makes taking photos and videos super easy.
I've been playing a lot with this feature the past week and by all accounts, videos and pictures I have taken are really clear and the audio quality is excellent.
You can capture video or photos either by asking the AI Assistant to do so or by the capture button on the top of the right hand arm.
You can also ask the AI Assistant to send the last photo taken to a contact on WhatsApp or Messenger. It does seem to require that you have already had a conversation with that person on that platform previously.
Photos can be synced directly to your camera roll if you choose via the Metaview app. You can also delete then from both your glasses and or camera roll in the App. Be aware, the AI photos, i.e. the ones you ask Meta to "Look and see" do not get saved to your media. This is a very good thing.
The other feature that for me, feels like a real game changer is to video call with someone via WhatsApp or Messenger. They will see what your glasses see and it means I don't need to grab a phone from my bag to initiate a call or to get support by handling a device in my hands. I've yet to try this particular feature in the real world but have called someone to test it out and it works nicely.
You simply ask meta to call a contact via WhatsApp and switch to your glasses camera by pressing the capture button twice and you will hear the glasses say that camera on the glasses is active.
People do know you are recording or capturing photos as there is an LED light on the glasses that lights up like a flash when taking a photo or a steady light during video recording.
You can listen to music via several popular streaming platforms directly on the glasses. These have to be set up in the MetaView app before first use. You can also use the Bluetooth from your phone.
For those of us who use navigation apps to help us whilst out and about, this works beautifully. I have used Bose frames for a good number of years to accomplish this as I don't like my ears being blocked by earphones and cannot personally use bone conduction. These glasses have definitely replaced my Bose frames. The sound is clear and loud enough in busy areas to achieve audio feedback. You can also adjust the volume on the touch pad which is on the right hand frame arm. This is also where you can tap once to start or stop music and skip forward or backward with a double or triple tap. It is also how you can answer WhatsApp and messenger calls along with phone calls.
Now to the best thing for those of us who rely on artificial intelligence to help navigate our daily lives.
Meta's AI mode.
This is fully functioning in beta in North America, and some have got it working out of the box in the UK but most people are using VPNs [Virtual Private Network], in order to get the AI Tab working here in the UK. This is the route I took and will talk more about that when I talk about setup later in this post.
It uses its own engine, like ChatGPTG but effectively does the same thing. Unlike apps like be My Eyes AI, that describe the entire photo you have taken, Meta takes a different approach.
You point your face toward the object or scene you want describing and say:
"Meta, Look and Describe" and it will give you an overview of the image it is presented with. What is clever, is you can then ask follow up questions or details about something specific. For example, if I took a picture of my living room and it said the wall paper was striped, I could ask what colour the wallpaper was.
I have used this feature a lot in the past week but what has thrilled me was when I went shopping earlier today, and could pick up anything from the shelves in the supermarket and it would tell me when I asked what it was I held up. I asked my mum if there was any salad, and quick as a flash, she told me to use my glasses. I'm very particular and wanted spinach and after a few goes, managed to find the spinach with the use of the glasses. I did know I was near the salad at the time but even still.
They also managed to help me find some jam tarts that did make their way into the basket.
I have seen them being used with menus in restaurants and although I haven't done this yet myself, my friend was able to ask it if they could tell him about a specific dish on the menu.
This particular feature is still very new and has a long way to develop but already, I cannot imagine not using my meta glasses when out and about.
Set up was easy and I was able to complete setup with no sighted support.
They come in their case which is how they charge and you open the case, leaving the glasses inside, the metaView app asks if it can connect to bluetooth and such so it can find them, which it did. I am using VoiceOver on an iPhone 13Mini and one of the things I did notice with the app is you have to physically scroll down in order to reach all settings and agree terms and conditions. You cannot just swipe right until you get to the end.
To make the AI tab appear, you do need a VPN, [Virtual Private network] that is based in the US. I chose to use Surfshark which is accessible with VoiceOver and has reasonably competitive prices and plans. You do get a free week's trial and that for me swung it.
Once you download the Surf Shark app to your phone, create an account, it will ask you to select the country and or city you want to use, you must select a supported country, at this point the US is the safest bet, and then it will ask if you grant permission to create a profile on your phone. You have to allow this in order to activate the VPN.
Battery life will of course depend on usage levels. If you are taking lots of photos and videos, or using the AI a lot, you will see it run down quicker. I was out with mine today for over an hour, with constant use of SoundScape running to the glasses and heavy use of photo and video taking as well as extensive use of the AI descriptions being used in the supermarket, I had about 61 percent of battery left when I got home.
They are stylish and sleek and with three major designs, variety of colours, most people will find the ones that work for them.
The case is beautifully designed with the charging port at the bottom in the middle, a button for pairing on the back and the glasses smoothly sit inside with the charging connecter under the nose band.
I would like to see third party APIs allowed in the future but can understand with such a young product, only the second generation, and limited battery life why this has not been done yet.
Is it a game changer for blind and partially sighted people? It is definitely more than half way there. At a fraction of a cost of some of the blind specific products and offering so much at present, I think for me personally, they were worth the £299 I spent on them.
If you have prescription lenses, they also can be used with these glasses, any optician should be able to fit them for you.
Link
https://lifewithnoeyes.wordpress.com/2024/07/11/meta-raybands-seeing-things-differently/