Meta's Innovation Surge: Unveiling Quest 3S and AI Advancements at Connect 2024

In a surprise twist, Meta is suddenly crushing Apple in the innovation battle

I just finished watching Mark Zuckerberg give his keynote address at Meta Connect 2024, the company's big deep dive event into their technologies and research. Think of it as roughly the equivalent of Apple's WWDC but for Meta's tech. Just a few weeks ago, I watched the annual Apple event launching the new iPhone 16 line, and I couldn't help but be struck by the contrast. Meta seems to be pushing hard to get to the future. Apple, for the most part, seems to be coasting. Also: Meta takes some big AI swings at Meta Connect 2024 Well, that's not really fair. Apple is constantly innovating and improving its products. The company has enormous engineering investments. But, with a few surprise exceptions, like the AirPods Pro 2 now available as hearing aids, Apple seems like a lot of the same ol' with a new coat of paint. In fact, the new AirPods Max are exactly that. All Apple did was change the port and add some new colors. I'd like to tell you more about Apple Intelligence on my brand new $1600 iPhone 16 Pro Max, which Apple claims was built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence. Except Apple Intelligence isn't ready yet. Pieces will be rolled out over a couple of releases. Also: 6 ways the new AirPods Max could have been so much better And then there's Meta. I can see why Zuckerberg changed the company name from Facebook because what we saw at Connect 2024 was way more than just Facebook. First, we saw the company confidently expanding its Quest product line. The Quest 3S will be priced at $299 and ship in October. It's a lower-cost version of the Quest 3 but can do all the things Quest 3 can do, especially real-time pass-through. That means you can see your surroundings and interact with them. Meta also reduced the price of the higher-end Quest 3, bringing the $649 512GB model I have down to $500. Zuckerberg ended this segment with an oblique dig at Apple's enormously expensive Vision Pro devices. He said, "We don't just innovate to expand the state of the art. We also advance and innovate to bring it to everyone." But there was more. There were the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are now infused with Meta's AI assistant. The glasses can do translations on the fly, remember things, identify objects, and even act as eyes for blind folks through the Be My Eyes partnership. Also: 4 exciting Ray-Ban smart glasses features Meta just announced at Connect 2024 Zuckerberg also showed off a development prototype of Project Orion. These are full holographic glasses, where you see through true lenses, and holographic image generators insert graphics between your eyes and the lenses. They use hand gestures, voice recognition, and even a neural interface that registers wrist motions. But wait, there's more. Zuckerberg showed two powerful deep fake features from its Meta AI offering that will have you questioning what's real. First, Meta created an AI avatar of a real person, with the AI performing exactly as if you were talking to the real person through a video call. Lip motion, facial expression, and head movement seemed natural and realistic. Also: How Apple, Google, and Microsoft can save us from AI deepfakes Then, Zuckerberg showed a real-time translation dubbing feature for Reels, where you might record a reel in English, but the software will show you speaking in Spanish (and vice versa). Once again, all the facial and lip movements were perfectly synchronized to the speaking. Apple's Vision Pro has some capabilities and features that are much more high-end than those on the Quest 3. But as I discussed previously, and at one-seventh the price, the Quest 3 is the better overall product. Meta, with products like the Quest 3S, seems to be relentlessly driving their products into consumer acceptance. Apple seems to be content to simply have bragging rights on a concept demo it sells for $3,500. Zuckerberg gives a very strong demo and it's clear he's quite chuffed by the work his company is doing on mixed reality and AI. While Code Llama and Meta AI performed fairly poorly in my programming tests, the company's AI demos were impressive. The fact that Meta is releasing its LLM to the public while Apple keeps everything very close to the vest is also a strong statement about the company's artificial intelligence efforts. Also: 10 features Apple Intelligence needs to actually compete with OpenAI and Google That said, there have been rumors that budgets have been cut at Reality Labs, the Meta operation responsible for creating the mixed reality devices. There is still one key difference between Apple and Meta, at least for me. My work productivity revolves around Apple devices in the Apple ecosystem (with a little help from Linux and Windows). Meta, and I'm including Facebook and Instagram here, doesn't help me produce work output, except for my regular posting of updates to socials. Fundamentally, Apple helps me make money. Meta doesn't. So my budget for Apple expenses will reflect that, as I'm sure it will for many other Apple customers. Also: You can buy 11 Meta Quest 3S headsets for the price of one Apple Vision Pro Even so, it's been a while since we've seen Apple introduce a game-changing home run. Meta, with its Quest line, the Ray-Ban glasses, and the upcoming Orion project, may have a grand slam on its hands. A year ago, I would never have expected I'd ever say this. But Meta's announcements are a lot more exciting than Apple's right now. While Apple continues to refine and perfect its ecosystem with incremental improvements, Meta is taking bold leaps into the future with its mixed reality and AI innovations. Also: Meta Quest 3 review: The VR headset most people should buy in 2024 Zuckerberg's company seems more focused on pushing boundaries, whereas Apple seems content with maintaining its hold on productivity and premium status. Meta's vision may still need to be fully realized, but the ambition is undeniable. Meta is trying to create a new platform, and if mixed reality becomes as ubiquitous as Zuckerberg seems to think it will be, desktop machines and smartphones will suffer. That's something Apple should take notice of before it becomes too late.

Meta is suddenly crushing Apple in the innovation battle - but wait, there's more!

I just finished watching Mark Zuckerberg give his keynote address at Meta Connect 2024, the company's big deep dive event into their technologies and research. Think of it as roughly the equivalent of Apple's WWDC but for Meta's tech. Just a few weeks ago, I watched the annual Apple event launching the new iPhone 16 line, and I couldn't help but be struck by the contrast. Meta seems to be pushing hard to get to the future. Apple, for the most part, seems to be coasting. Also: Meta takes some big AI swings at Meta Connect 2024 Well, that's not really fair. Apple is constantly innovating and improving its products. The company has enormous engineering investments. But, with a few surprise exceptions, like the AirPods Pro 2 now available as hearing aids, Apple seems like a lot of the same ol' with a new coat of paint. In fact, the new AirPods Max are exactly that. All Apple did was change the port and add some new colors. I'd like to tell you more about Apple Intelligence on my brand new $1600 iPhone 16 Pro Max, which Apple claims was built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence. Except Apple Intelligence isn't ready yet. Pieces will be rolled out over a couple of releases. Also: 6 ways the new AirPods Max could have been so much better And then there's Meta. I can see why Zuckerberg changed the company name from Facebook because what we saw at Connect 2024 was way more than just Facebook. First, we saw the company confidently expanding its Quest product line. The Quest 3S will be priced at $299 and ship in October. It's a lower-cost version of the Quest 3 but can do all the things Quest 3 can do, especially real-time pass-through. That means you can see your surroundings and interact with them. Meta also reduced the price of the higher-end Quest 3, bringing the $649 512GB model I have down to $500. Zuckerberg ended this segment with an oblique dig at Apple's enormously expensive Vision Pro devices. He said, "We don't just innovate to expand the state of the art. We also advance and innovate to bring it to everyone." But there was more. There were the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which are now infused with Meta's AI assistant. The glasses can do translations on the fly, remember things, identify objects, and even act as eyes for blind folks through the Be My Eyes partnership. Also: 4 exciting Ray-Ban smart glasses features Meta just announced at Connect 2024 Zuckerberg also showed off a development prototype of Project Orion. These are full holographic glasses, where you see through true lenses, and holographic image generators insert graphics between your eyes and the lenses. They use hand gestures, voice recognition, and even a neural interface that registers wrist motions. But wait, there's more. Zuckerberg showed two powerful deep fake features from its Meta AI offering that will have you questioning what's real. First, Meta created an AI avatar of a real person, with the AI performing exactly as if you were talking to the real person through a video call. Lip motion, facial expression, and head movement seemed natural and realistic. Also: How Apple, Google, and Microsoft can save us from AI deepfakes Then, Zuckerberg showed a real-time translation dubbing feature for Reels, where you might record a reel in English, but the software will show you speaking in Spanish (and vice versa). Once again, all the facial and lip movements were perfectly synchronized to the speaking. Apple's Vision Pro has some capabilities and features that are much more high-end than those on the Quest 3. But as I discussed previously, and at one-seventh the price, the Quest 3 is the better overall product. Meta, with products like the Quest 3S, seems to be relentlessly driving their products into consumer acceptance. Apple seems to be content to simply have bragging rights on a concept demo it sells for $3,500. Zuckerberg gives a very strong demo and it's clear he's quite chuffed by the work his company is doing on mixed reality and AI. While Code Llama and Meta AI performed fairly poorly in my programming tests, the company's AI demos were impressive. The fact that Meta is releasing its LLM to the public while Apple keeps everything very close to the vest is also a strong statement about the company's artificial intelligence efforts. Also: 10 features Apple Intelligence needs to actually compete with OpenAI and Google That said, there have been rumors that budgets have been cut at Reality Labs, the Meta operation responsible for creating the mixed reality devices. There is still one key difference between Apple and Meta, at least for me. My work productivity revolves around Apple devices in the Apple ecosystem (with a little help from Linux and Windows). Meta, and I'm including Facebook and Instagram here, doesn't help me produce work output, except for my regular posting of updates to socials. Fundamentally, Apple helps me make money. Meta doesn't. So my budget for Apple expenses will reflect that, as I'm sure it will for many other Apple customers. Also: You can buy 11 Meta Quest 3S headsets for the price of one Apple Vision Pro Even so, it's been a while since we've seen Apple introduce a game-changing home run. Meta, with its Quest line, the Ray-Ban glasses, and the upcoming Orion project, may have a grand slam on its hands. A year ago, I would never have expected I'd ever say this. But Meta's announcements are a lot more exciting than Apple's right now. While Apple continues to refine and perfect its ecosystem with incremental improvements, Meta is taking bold leaps into the future with its mixed reality and AI innovations. Also: Meta Quest 3 review: The VR headset most people should buy in 2024 Zuckerberg's company seems more focused on pushing boundaries, whereas Apple seems content with maintaining its hold on productivity and premium status. Meta's vision may still need to be fully realized, but the ambition is undeniable. Meta is trying to create a new platform, and if mixed reality becomes as ubiquitous as Zuckerberg seems to think it will be, desktop machines and smartphones will suffer. That's something Apple should take notice of before it becomes too late.

Meta Is Doubling Down on Augmented Reality Wearables

Meta Connect 2024 was all about the Meta Quest, smart glasses, and AI. Meta Connect 2024 is a wrap. Mark Zuckerberg took the stage Wednesday to offer up announcements across a slew of product categories. While there are some new features coming to familiar apps like Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, Meta Connect was mostly about other ventures for the company -- namely, the Meta Quest, smart glasses, and, of course, AI. Finally, a version of the Meta Quest 3 that doesn't cost $500. The Meta Quest 3S packs most of what made the Quest 3 worth it into a device that's almost as cheap as the Quest 2 was back in its heyday. Starting at $299, it's got the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip and the same Touch Plus controllers (with no ring around your fingers), and it actually has slightly better battery life (Meta says it gives you 2.5 hours vs. the 2.2 hours on the original Quest 3). Its camera layout, which has 3 sensors on either side of the device, is also a bit snazzier, at least in my opinion as a Quest 3 owner. That's not to say there are no compromises to the cheaper model. While the 3S can run all the same apps the standard Quest 3 can, plus you still get full-color passthrough, the display is lower resolution. Rather than a per-eye resolution of 2,064 x 2,208, you get identical numbers to the Quest 2, at 1,832 x 1,920. The field of view has also been lowered from a max of 110 degrees to a max of 96 degrees, and there's no depth sensor. But hey, there's now an actual button to go from AR to VR, so you don't have to double tap the side of the device. The Quest 3S is officially replacing the Quest 2, and Meta is also ending sales of the Quest Pro, so I suppose the Quest 3 is now technically its pro-level headset (it's got higher resolution, anyway). The company says it will continue to sell the Quest 2 and Pro until stock runs out (or until the end of the year, even if stock is remaining), so if you want one, now's your last chance. But you'll probably be better served by picking up a version of the Quest 3. The $299 Quest 3S has 128GB of storage, or you can upgrade to a 256GB version for $399. The regular Quest 3 will continue to cost $499, but all versions will now be bundled with Batman: Arkham Shadow, which releases on October 22. Quest 3S preorders are live, with a proper release on October 15. Meta also announced the latest version of Llama, its AI model. Llama 3.2 follows July's Llama 3.1, and comes in a few different forms: Two vision LLMs (small and medium-sized), as well as two text-only models (1B and 3B), depending on how the model needs to be implemented. Meta says these models are ready to go today for Qualcomm and MediaTek hardware, and are optimized for Arm processors. Meta says the two text-only models support 128K tokens, and are "state-of the-art in their class" when used on-device for tasks like summarizing, rewriting, and following instructions. The vision models, on the other hand, can swap out their text model equivalents, and Meta says they can compete with closed models like Claude 3 Haiku. The models are available to download from llama.com and Hugging Face. While that's great for developers, for the rest of us, Llama 3.2 is also available through Meta's assistant, Meta AI. As it happens, the chatbot was also the focus of a number of announcements at Meta Connect 2024. For AI companies, it isn't enough to text back and forth with your AI bots: The new trend is speaking with your digital companion. Meta will soon roll out that ability for Meta AI, and when it does, you'll be able to talk with the assistant in Meta apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and the bot will respond in kind. It's all the same responses you'd usually get from Meta AI, only spoken out loud. As with other spoken AI bots, you can choose from different AI voices, including celebrity options like Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key, and Kristen Bell. The announcement comes hot on the heels of the full rollout of OpenAI's advanced voice mode, which offers paid subscribers a more "natural" experience when speaking with ChatGPT. Meta AI now understands more about images as well. You can upload an image and ask Meta AI to identify subjects, like a specific type of flower, or post a photo of a dish you'd like the recipe for. (I'm skeptical about how well Meta AI can craft a recipe from a photo, but we'll see.) Meta AI can also "photoshop" your images: Meta says the bot can swap out your outfit or completely replace the background, for example. Speaking of backgrounds, when you share a photo from your feed to your story, Meta AI can analyze the photo and generate a complimentary background for your post. Meta also says it is working on a live translation feature for Reels. Once rolled out, the feature will translate the audio of Reels to a target language, with automatic dubbing and lip syncing. According to Meta, Meta AI can essentially clone the speaker's voice, translate it, and match it to their speaking style, which is both cool and pretty scary. Right now, the testing for these features is very limited, and isolated to English and Spanish language content from creators in Latin America and the U.S. Meta is also adding more generative AI features to its apps. You can use the Imagine feature to generate an image of you in any number of situations (superhero, royalty, astronaut, etc.), and share them to your feeds; you can use AI to generate a new chat background for Messenger and Instagram DMs; and Meta is testing Meta AI-generated content in your feeds, personalized for you. (I'm wary calling this last point a "feature," considering it means yet more AI spam coming to your Meta feeds.) Finally, Meta is giving "thousands" of business the ability to build AI bots for customer interactions. These bots can be activated by the customer through "click-to-message" ads on WhatsApp and Messenger. Fans of the Wayfarer smart glasses Meta's been making with Ray-Ban will need to wait a bit longer for a brand new model, but the tech company did show off a few upgrades. Most of these were software-focused, like a more conversational Meta AI, but fans of transparent tech should be happy: With the addition of the "Shiny Transparent" frames, you can now get the Wayfarer glasses with a clear, see-through look, although they only come in the standard size. They come with a black charging case and transition lenses out of the box, but you'll be paying $429 for the privilege, as opposed to $299 for a standard pair. Meta is also only producing 7,500 pairs of these glasses, but if you do miss out, don't worry -- transition lenses will also be available for at least some of the regular lineup of frames, too. As for those software upgrades, all Wayfarer glasses also now come with unique Meta AI integration: Meta says you can now say "Hey Meta" once and have a back and forth with the AI assistant, rather than having to say the hotword for each question. These glasses will also remember where you parked your car, set reminders from voice-based requests, and take action based on text in front of you. To that last point, you can ask Meta AI to call a phone number on a flyer you're looking at. Meta AI can also record and send videos directly to WhatsApp and Messenger chats, without needing any action from your phone. Meta AI will also integrate with videos through your glasses -- yu can use videos to ask Meta AI for help in real time, and Meta AI will remember past events so you can ask questions with context. Perhaps the coolest concept is live translation. If you're talking to someone in Spanish, French, or Italian, your glasses will translate their speech into English, which you'll hear through the glasses' speakers. The glasses also now support Be My Eyes, so users can help others who are blind or have low vision via a video feed beamed into their glasses. Finally, you can control music playback from Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart with Meta AI. Before closing out this year's Meta Connect, Zuckerberg gave a tease at a product that's not quite ready for market. According to The Verge, it was supposed to be, but the company's not satisfied with its size and complexity, so it's still internal for now. Meet Orion, a pair of AR glasses that aim to capture the Apple Vision Pro's biggest selling points, but in a much smaller and more approachable form factor. That means virtual computer displays, AR objects placed over the real world, and even tracking tech for easier interaction and light gaming. Meta calls the experience "holographic," although it doesn't look too dissimilar to what you might get from XReal's similar Air devices. The difference is that everything here is proprietary, rather than relying on your phone or PC, with Zuckerberg envisioning a future where AR Glasses replace phones. That means these will also come equipped with Meta AI features akin to the Ray-Ban smart glasses, plus ways to make calls and browse the internet. There's also a bracelet to aid with control and a "wireless commute pack," which allows the glasses to be smaller by shifting processing tasks onto another device. The downside is that both of these add-ons are required for now -- there's no device-free hand tracking like on the Vision Pro. Perhaps that's why these are still in the oven, although Meta insists Orion is "not a research prototype," instead calling it "one of the most polished product prototypes we've ever developed." For now, its testing is limited to Meta employees and "select external audiences," with the company saying it wants to "focus on internal development first," although it did say Orion "is truly representative of something that could ship to consumers." In other words, the company thinks it could ship Orion as-is, but wants to improve on a few points first, perhaps driven by poor consumer reception to the similar Apple Vision Pro. These goals include sharper visuals, an even smaller form factor, and most importantly, a lower price. It's intriguing, but we unfortunately have to take Meta on its word that Orion will ever materialize. The company says we "can expect to see new devices from us that build on our R&D efforts" over "the next few years," so fingers crossed.

Meta unveils new mixed reality Quest 3S headset, updated AI models and next-gen AR glasses - SiliconANGLE

Meta unveils new mixed reality Quest 3S headset, updated AI models and next-gen AR glasses Meta Platforms Inc. took the stage today at Meta Connect 2024 to announce innovations in mixed reality and artificial intelligence with the introduction of the Quest 3S headset, AR glasses and updated AI models. The new device has the same mixed reality capabilities and features as the Meta Quest 3, but a lower price at $299.99. It's designed as a midranget upgrade for users who are looking for something better than the Quest 2 but it has the same processor, hand-tracking and touch-plus controllers as the Quest 3. It features 1832 by 1920 pixels per eye using Fresnel lenses, a switch-out from the pancake lens design stack used in the Quest 3, with 4.5 times better resolution for clarity and color than the Quest 2. It has 2.5 hours of average battery time. There are two storage options, 128 and 256 gigabytes. "In the past year we have made so many improvements and optimizations to the technical stack to the effective resolution, latency, mixed reality and hand tracking software, it is actually better in Quest 3S today at $299 than it was in Quest 3 when we launched it a year ago," said Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg (pictured). "And, of course, all of these software improvements have flowed through to the Quest 3. The bottom line here is Quest 3 is the best family of mixed reality devices out there, period." Meta's social media apps are being updated for mixed reality, including Facebook and Instagram. They will soon be updated so that they can interact more freely with headset hand gestures and controllers. Zuckerberg also said the company is working with Microsoft to bring Windows 11 desktop and laptop PCs into mixed reality. Soon it will be possible to pair any Windows 11 operating system with a Quest headset, becoming a natural extension of a PC. "This is the path to building a general computing platform," Zuckerberg said. "It's not just games, although it's really good at that. You'll also be able to use it for apps and watching videos and doing all the things that you do on a general-purpose computer. Quest is the full package." With improvements to Meta AI, users will not need to invoke the assistant feature with "Hey Meta" when asking follow-up questions, they can just keep asking. This will allow for longer and more sensible conversations. Meta is also adding the ability for the glasses to remember things. For example, adding reminders, such as where a car is parked, or a reminder to text or call someone in a few hours so that you can set up a time to go to a restaurant. The glasses can also be asked to call or text a number visible on a billboard. Users can also ask Meta AI to record and send voice messages using WhatsApp or Messenger, making it easier to get things done when a phone isn't within reach or hands are full. Soon, it will also be possible for the glasses to do real-time language translation. When a user is talking to someone speaking Spanish, French or Italian, the glasses will translate what they say in English through the glasses' open-ear speakers - and vice versa. This means that someone else wearing the glasses and listening to someone speaking English can hear a translation in their native language. Meta said that the company plans to add more languages in the future. Meta's AI is the company's AI-powered assistant that uses generative AI technology that answers questions and generates images, among other useful tasks for users. At Connect, Meta said users can now use their voice to talk to Meta AI on Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram DM. The assistant will respond back out loud, provide answers to questions and explain anything the user wants to know. As the feature continues to roll out, users will be able to choose between different voices including AI voices of celebrities such as Awkwafina, Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell. Users can now share photos in chats with Meta AI and it can understand what it's looking at and answer questions about what it sees. For example, a user could share a photo of a birthday cake, ask for instructions on how to make it and the assistant would provide a recipe and a step-by-step guide to baking. Continuing the company's open-source AI trajectory, Meta also announced the release of its latest AI large language model Llama 3.2 with multimodal capabilities. It comes in two large variants with 11 billion and 90 billion parameters that the company says deliver performance competitive with leading closed-source models and can be used as drop-in replacements for its text-only Llama 3.1 8B and 70B models. The company said that the new models bridge the gap between vision and language by allowing them to extract details from images and understand visual knowledge in scenes. They can then craft sentences that can be used to caption images or tell stories from what is visible in images. Meta also released two lightweight, text-only models with 1 billion and 3 billion parameters designed to bit onto select edge and mobile devices developed to support Arm, MediaTek and Qualcomm processors from day one. At those sizes, they can run locally on devices such as smartphones with a context length of 128,000 for use cases such as summarization, instruction following and function calling. "Now that Llama is at the frontier in terms of capabilities, I think we've reached an inflection point and it's starting to become something of an industry standard. Sort of like the Linux of AI. We've seen closed-source labs try to react by slashing their prices," said Zuckerberg. "Look, I think the trend and trajectory is pretty clear. I think open-source is going to be the most cost-effective, customizable, trustworthy and performant option for developers to use." Meta announced five years ago that it planned to produce actual augmented reality glasses, then known as Project Nazare, which would involve see-through lenses that would project holograms onto a user's vision. Today, Meta unveiled Orion, a prototype of those glasses that represents the culmination of that project. Augmented reality differs from mixed reality in that it doesn't use cameras or screens and instead allows a user to look directly at the world through a fully transparent lens. The Orion glasses are exactly that: glasses. They look like extremely thick glasses and appear to have a fairly wide field of view. Zuckerberg said that they also have a bright display capable of rendering holograms in varying degrees of light levels. According to Meta, Orion is a feat of miniaturization, as the components needed to be packed into a very small form factor and remain light enough to sit on a person's face without being uncomfortable. It allows users to view the world and provides access to an AI assistant to see and display holograms and interact with gestures or the user can take hand's hands-free calls. The glasses also work with Meta's neural wristband, which can detect signals from the user's brain. "Voice is great, but sometimes you're in public and you don't want to speak to your computer out loud," said Zuckerberg. "I think that you need a device that just allows you to send a signal from your brain to the device."

Meta Connect 2024 in a nutshell: Orion, Meta Quest 3S and more

The founder and CEO of Meta presented a number of major changes that align with company's two main directions at Meta Connect 2024: AI and AR. The event is a forum for developers and provided insight into several hardware and software releases that are pointing Meta toward an AR/VR future, from glasses to headsets to the new artificial intelligence models. The biggest launch at Meta Connect 2024 was the Orion AR glasses. Marketed as "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen," Orion represents a leap forward in Meta's efforts to lead in the AR space. These glasses also claim to deliver hand-tracking, eye-tracking and the most distinct feature is a neural interface that can communicate with the user's gesture, are more natural. Despite the fact that the Orion glasses have not been released on the market, Meta has already placed them within the sphere of necessities in terms of augmented reality. Equipped with Micro LED projectors and generative AI that can superimpose data onto objects, the glasses can point at ingredients on a table. The early testing phase has even led to recommendations from some great tech minds such as the Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Orion establishes Meta's desire to bring the fully immersive world closer to the physical environment through elements like wireless compute puck and the neural wristband. However, these advanced features come with a caveat: Orion is not yet expected to be available to the consumer market soon. With this, Meta is betting big on the future of these holographic AR glasses to define the future of digital contact. Alongside the Orion, Meta launched the new Quest 3S VR headset, which will be a less expensive product compared to the Quest 3. The latest version, the Quest 3S, costs $299 for the 128GB version and is designed to democratize tetherless VR. While it does not have the depth sensor or the improved resolution of its more expensive sibling, the Quest 3S is equipped with the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip and Touch Plus controllers. To begin with, to simplify its VR portfolio Meta stated it would stop production of the Quest 2 and Quest Pro headsets. The Meta Quest 2 is expected to receive a dedicated next-generation successor in October 15th this year; thus, the original Quest and Quest 2 will be discontinued by the end of the year. This is a significant move for Meta's VR plans in particular, and future proofed experiences at an affordable price. AI continues to form a key part of Meta's strategy. At this year's Meta Connect, Zuckerberg introduced Llama 3.2, a new version of a widely known AI model from the company. The new version not only improves language-processing functionality but adds visual-processing functionality as well. Among them, the models of Llama 3.2, for example the 11B and 90B, can interpret charts, analyze images and even know where objects are within a photo. It brings Meta AI to the same level as rivals OpenAI and Google, who have been providing this visual processing feature for the last year. It also made its AI receptive and entertaining by joining in celebrities' voices into its AI assistant, as part of Meta. Voice decisions copied from famous personalities such as Dame Judi Dench, John Cena and Awkwafina are available in Facebook and Instagram for users of Meta to engage with. These personalized voices provide a far richer user experience by default - whenever text message tools like Messenger, WhatsApp, or Instagram now support voice. Meta's continued partnership with Ray-Ban also came into focus during the event It also presented a series of improvements to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. These glasses now include key developments of real-time AI video processing and the capability to respond to questions by the user about objects in the view. Other improvements are real-time translator that supports translation between many languages including English and Spanish and all the Music/Oval applications like Amazon Music and Audible. This article is reflection of Meta team's effort in trying to make AR and AI wearable devices everyone may use in their daily life present in the smart glasses called Ray-Ban Meta. Because such glasses are capable of setting reminders and recognizing real-life objects in the same real-life context they are as close as one can get to becoming a viable consumer product. The trend of AI doesn't limit itself to virtual and augmented reality spaces. Currently, Meta AI produces content across apps such as Facebook and Instagram. The new "Imagined for you" feature allows users to see AI-generated images based on their interests or trends. It can even incorporate the user's face into scenarios like "an enchanted realm," bringing personalization to new heights. The messages are all created using AI, and represent Meta's ongoing drive to boost interaction and provide people with new ways of engaging with feeds. On the creator side, Meta is working on an AI translation and dubbing tool that will translate and use creators' lips for the content in the U.S. and Latin America. Another great feature, available at the moment only between English and Spanish languages, can entirely change the way artists and owners of various creative works can address the global audience regardless of the language barriers. Gaming enthusiasts were also treated to a range of new experiences for the Quest platform, including Batman: A project named Arkham Shadow and a Wordle VR game, Wordle being a quite famous word puzzle game. These games, along with other titles like Alien: Rogue Incursion, in particular, emphasize Meta's desire to make its VR headsets more universal for entertainment. The decision to bring Wordle in VR for free without the subscription was something quite out of left-field but fun to include among the games. Meta Connect 2024 presented to the world the company's desire to make it the pioneer of both AI and AR. From the release of the Orion AR glasses we seen Meta is attempting to make all of these technologies available and accessible to the general public. While Zuckerberg and his team are experimenting, inventing and pioneering new possibilities, the viability of Meta in the long term will rely with its capacity to convert these changes into popular consumption goods.

Meta Connect 2024: Orion glasses, Quest 3S headset, Meta AI upgrades, Ray-Ban Meta real-time video, and more

Meta Connect 2024 is a developer-centric event featuring a keynote from CEO Mark Zuckerberg. He showcased new hardware and software to support two of Meta's big ambitions: AI and the metaverse. This included everything from new Quest headsets, updates to Meta's Llama AI model, and even a new fully AR glasses prototype. Meta Connect 2024 kicked off live at 10 a.m. PT Wednesday, September 25. You can watch the archive via Meta Connect's site, on Meta's developer Facebook page, and you can still dive into Horizon Worlds from your Meta Quest headset if you really want to feel the full immersion. We'll be compiling all of the announcements and reveals out of Meta Connect 2024 below and will keep it updated throughout the event and after as more reactions and analysis arrive. Meta reveals Orion, "the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen" In a surprise announcement, Zuckerberg dramatically revealed Orion, which Meta says will eventually become the company's "first consumer full holographic AR glasses," though they won't be arriving on any consumers' faces anytime soon. Touting Orion's light weight, compatibility for hand-tracking and eye-tracking, and most ambitiously, a neural interface, Zuckerberg also touted some impressed, and famous, early testers (including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang). The Orion glasses were presented as the future of Meta's AR efforts, with our own ongoing coverage of Meta Connect's final big reveal here. Meta's Quest 3S headset launches for $299 Meta's reveal of the Quest 3S was indicated by several pre-event leaks and confirmed during Connect 2024. The Meta Quest 3S comes as a less expensive alternative to the Quest 3, starting at $299 for a 128GB version and 256GB for $399. The entirely wireless headset is compatible with the existing library of Quest apps and games, though Meta was particularly enthusiastic about its mixed-reality features. With the reveal of the Quest 3S, the Quest 3 will drop from $649 to $499. Get our early impressions of the new Quest 3S here ahead of its October 15 ship date. Quest 2, Quest Pro discontinued "With Quest 3S on the shelf, we're officially winding down sales of Quest 2 and Pro. We'll be selling our remaining headsets through the end of the year or until they're gone, whichever comes first," Meta told TechCrunch about the discontinuation of two of their headsets in the wake of the Quest 3S announcement. Meta AI gets vocal Meta AI is finding its voice. Users can ask a question or otherwise chat with Meta AI out loud through Messenger, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get simulated vocal responses in return. The digital voice assistant will roll out with multiple voice options to choose from, including the AI voices of celebrities like Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, Awkwafina, Kristen Bell, and Keegan-Michael Key. The reveal comes a day after OpenAI announced the long-awaited rollout of its Advanced Voice Mode feature, with a new look and five new voices. And speaking of vocal announcements, Zuckerberg touted that Meta AI now has 500 million users. Meta's Llama 3.2 AI model released Meta's multilingual Llama family of models has reached version 3.2, signifying that several Llama models are now multimodal. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can interpret charts and graphs, caption images, and pinpoint objects in pictures given a simple description. Llama 3.2 11B and 90B might be able to look at a map of a park and tell you how long a certain path is, or when the terrain could become steeper. Or, provided a graph showing a company's revenue over the course of a year, the models can quickly spotlight the best-performing months of the bunch. Notably, Llama 3.2 11B and 90B can't be accessed in Europe due to the EU's Act restrictions. As a result, several Meta AI features available elsewhere, like image analysis, are disabled for European users. Ray-Ban's Meta sunglasses get real-time AI video and reminders Ray-Ban's Meta smart glasses are getting upgrades as the company continues to try and make the case that the smart glasses can become the next big consumer device. At the forefront of the pitch is the addition of real-time AI video processing, which lets you to ask the Ray-Ban Meta glasses questions about what it can see in front of you. The sunglasses will also be getting a smartphone-like reminder feature; live language translation between English and French, Italian, or Spanish; and full integration with music streaming apps like Amazon Music, Audible, and iHeart Radio. Yes, we know what Zuckerberg's shirt says Zuckerberg's evolution into a self-made fashionista was on full display during Meta Connect, with a shirt that spelled out: "Act Zuck aut nihil," which for those not well versed in Latin, translates to "either Zuck or nothing." The phrase is originally associated with Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, further cementing Zuckerberg as a Rome Guy. Meta AI explores visual search In a feature that will be familiar to anyone following OpenAI, Google, and Apple's application of image-based searches, Meta showcased its AI's capacity to respond to prompts based on images, as well as edit photos provided to the AI based on feedback given by the user. It can also share them to Instagram Stories. More AI in your Facebook feeds If you're on Facebook, you've probably seen a lot of AI recently, knowingly or unknowingly. There's an entire nascent industry around using it to generate engagement bait. Earlier this month, the label noting whether content has been edited using Meta's tools was shrunk down. And now Facebook will actually pitch you on AI content that it generates for you that it thinks you'll want to share or engage with. Tests for translated, dubbed content from creators Going a step beyond just translating captions, Meta announced a test that would use its AI translation tools to take creator content, create a translated dub, and sync the creator's lips accordingly. So far, the experiment is limited to creator videos made in the U.S. and Latin America, with translations between English and Spanish. In what ended up being a surreal moment, Zuckerberg brought on creator Don Allen Stevenson III for a conversation on the stage, which then turned into a demo during which Zuckerberg interviewed an AI version of Stevenson while the real deal was right beside him. Meta's new VR pitch for mobile devs Amid the big AI reveals and hardware and announcements, Meta did dive into the broader purpose of Connect -- building ties with its community of developers. As it continues to pitch developers on helping build out the Quest app store's offerings, Meta released new support for Android apps on the Quest, along with support for 3D and spatial apps. Batman, Wordle, and the rest of the games announcements A number of new experiences were revealed for the Quest ecosystem at Meta Connect 2024, led by Batman: Arkham Shadow, which launches October 22 and will also be bundled with new Quest 3 and 3S purchases until April of next year. Beyond games with familiar concepts like Alien: Rogue Incursion for Xenomorph-filled horror and a remake of the zombie game Arizona Sunshine, Wordle of all things was announced for the Quest. The VR version of the daily puzzle will be free to play without a New York Times subscription.

I Wore Meta's Orion AR Glasses: A Wireless Taste of a Neural Future

Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps I wore Mark Zuckerberg's contact lenses. The pair, which Meta's Orion AR glasses team grabbed for me in a pinch -- I wasn't told I should bring contacts -- were needed so I could try on Meta's next big leap into AR, a moonshot pair of glasses codenamed Orion. Luckily, my eyes are a good match for Mark's. With the contact lenses popped in, my right wrist was fitted for a snug ribbed band that looked like a fitness tracker, but without a screen. And then I put on a wireless pair of thick black glasses and began calibrating my eyes to the hardware's eye tracking with a small team looking at a nearby computer screen to monitor. These moments all felt like a drift into a strange new future, even for me, having been immersed in AR and VR for years. That's because Meta's early prototype hardware, not remotely ready for the public yet, is a fusion of technologies I've seen in other places and some I've only barely tried at all. Still, everything also felt familiar. Just a few weeks ago, I wore a self-contained pair of AR glasses for developers made by Snap with a similar mission. Snap's Spectacles are chunkier and have a more limited field of view. Meta's are smaller, have a wide 70-degree field of view that impressed me, and have their own wireless neural wristband input. But they also need a nearly phone-sized external processor puck that wirelessly feeds apps and graphics to the glasses -- similar in size roughly to Apple's Vision Pro battery pack, but without any tether. And I've spoken to Meta's executives about this type of technology for years, including at their Research Labs facilities a few years ago. But now, it was time for my test drive. I spent about an hour demoing various experiences in Orion and talking to Meta's team about what this new piece of tech means and where we might see it in any form next. At times, I felt like I was in a shrunken-down mixed reality headset and other times, I felt like I was wearing a more advanced vision of where Meta's Ray-Bans will head. And Orion is both, really. One of Orion's big tricks is it has a full set of sensors you'd normally find on larger mixed reality headsets. Full eye-tracking cameras are onboard, hiding on the sides of the lenses. Outer cameras are tucked along the frame's top edge. Side cameras for hand and room tracking lurk around the arms. There are speakers, microphones and Wi-Fi 6 for connecting via proprietary protocol with a separate processor puck that's needed to power the glasses' apps and graphics. That "compute puck" has its own tracking cameras, too, and a recessed touchpad. I'm told the puck was originally designed to act as its own controller for the glasses before a decision to emphasize hand-tracking and electromyography, but it looks like something that could step in as an alternative in the future. I got a quick peek at a see-through model of the glasses exposing how much tech is studded throughout, a clever way for Meta to show off how densely engineered they are. And yet, they weigh only 100 grams (3.5 ounces). Big as they are, they fit comfortably on my face. Orion has a 70-degree field of view, which may sound pretty small to any VR headset wearer. VR devices tend to have a field of view around 90 degrees or greater. But most other AR headsets have even smaller viewing areas for their pop-up AR displays. Snap's new Spectacles, for instance, have a much smaller (and narrower) 46-degree FOV. Meta's glasses spread the viewing area out more, especially horizontally. I saw cut-offs where the displays seemed to end in my vision, but so far off to the sides that they generally -- in the demos I had, at least -- seemed invisible. I've only seen an FOV this large once in a pair of lenses by AR optics company Lumus, which I tried at a conference earlier this year. Meta's gotten to this larger view in a smaller frame by using silicon-carbide lenses and micro OLED displays. According to Meta's Rahul Prasad, senior director of product management for AI and AR wearables, these can help with wider viewing angles at closer range, and use reflective waveguides to bend the light to hit my eyes without too much rainbow effect on the lenses. The glasses definitely do not look like everyday things, but they at least approach something you might see someone wearing around. On me, they kind of pass as super, superthick arty frames. The lenses have a darker tint, it seems to me, but they look clear and crisp when I look through them. Like Snap's Spectacles, I'm told they can auto-dim for better viewing, but I didn't get to demo that. One of the less ideal parts of these displays is their resolution: 13 pixels per degree, Meta says. Apps and videos and games still looked fine, though not quite as crisp as a Quest 3 headset (which has a resolution density of 25 pixels per degree). I did get a quick look at another version of Orion with even higher resolution displays, 26 pixels per degree, on which I watched a brief Jurassic Park movie clip. The goal is to get the resolution as high as possible before they're released as an actual consumer product. The wider-view display means more pixels are needed to look good, which takes more power. The wristband got me even more excited than the glasses. A few years ago, I saw Meta's EMG neural input technology in prototype form at Meta's Reality Labs Research but never got to try it myself: instead, I watched Mark Zuckerberg use it. This time, it was my turn. The new band design is much smaller, more like an enhanced smartwatch strap. It snaps and locks onto my wrist with magnets and a clasp. The technology senses electrical impulses from the skin and translates those into interpreted actions. In effect, they allow complex gestures and subtle vibrating haptic feedback without needing to keep my hand in view of the glasses' hand-tracking cameras. And the processing for the EMG sensor is all done on the band itself, with a promised full day of battery life. Apple's Vision Pro and the Meta Quest already have hand tracking, but these wrist gestures were a bit more versatile. Some were familiar pinches (to select buttons or apps), and others were little thumb pushes I did by moving my thumb across my balled-up fist (to scroll). I used my eyes to navigate to things, much like Apple's Vision Pro, but Orion's gestures could be done when my hand was completely resting down to my side. The gestures weren't perfect yet. Sometimes my pinches were misinterpreted, and I had to try again. The eye tracking, however, worked extremely well. Combined, I could see how this could be the next wave of interfaces after the Vision Pro. Unlock watches and wrist trackers with advanced gesture sensing tech, combine with eye tracking, and who knows what could happen. How much more could this gesture-sensing band do? It's unclear. But the EMG tech in this band may make its way into other things before Orion becomes a full-fledged product. Alex Himel, Meta's head of wearable tech, told me that EMG bands will emerge in other future products, as part of many devices in Meta's expanding product future. Could one of those be a smartwatch, as has been discussed for years? EMG bands could be interesting with Meta's existing Quest headsets and Ray-Ban glasses, too. I got a number of demos with the glasses on, many of them feeling like variations on mixed reality or AI experiences I've had to some degree on Quest and Meta Ray-Bans. A middle-finger pinch with my thumb with my hand up opens the app menu, like Vision Pro, and I can use my eyes to look at an app and tap my forefinger and thumb to open. I browse an open YouTube video of Aaron Rodgers throwing touchdowns against the Patriots in a window in front of me, dragging it closer to my eyes (Meta knew its audience). An incoming call, which I answer, comes from one of Meta's PR team outside, calling on her phone. I can see her video feed. I respond to a message that comes in on Messenger, dictating with my voice. Multiple windows are open side by side, showing off the larger viewing area. I saw a few demos for AI: one where I just generate an image using Meta AI with my voice, and it's familiar silly stuff (in 2D); another, with me standing in front of a bunch of grocery items on a table, inviting me to ask for a recipe for the items, and Meta AI -- with familiar sound effects to Meta Ray-Bans -- brings up a recipe and labels the items on the table with pop-up icons. I expect more complex interactive AR instructions, but not this time. Then, I played a little starfighter game where I used my head to control the ship and my eyes and finger pinches to shoot targets. It was fun, but something I feel like I've seen on Vision Pro. Another game demo had me play a two-player game across a table with someone, and required scanning a QR code to align the 3D Pong-style arcade space, which sprouted between us as we used our hands as paddles. I also got an incoming call from another Meta employee, this one calling as a realistic 3D codec avatar (Meta's name for its realistic avatar tech, which Apple calls Personas). Meta hasn't made codec avatars available for its headsets yet, but maybe this is a sign they could be ready soon. The 3D head rendering and its emotions looked good: they felt pretty real. None of these demos blew me away compared to the best mixed reality demos I've seen in the past But experiencing them on such relatively compact glasses, with that wider field of view and the gesture control wristband in action, was pretty fascinating. What happens next, though? Meta hasn't pinned a date on when these glasses could see actual release, and Meta acknowledges that the design, the resolution and the price need to be improved. Meta says to expect a price close to a high-end phone or a laptop. That sounds like $1,000-plus, far above the cost of a Quest 3, but less than Apple's Vision Pro. When that day comes, what will the app and AI landscape look like? Or mixed reality headsets, for that matter? Will this shrink down into a pair of glasses similar to Meta's Ray-Bans, or is that even possible? And will gesture interfaces, through hand tracking, watches or even EMG bands, start to feel a lot more commonplace by then? It's impossible to know the answers now, in 2024. But, popping Mark Zuckerberg's contact lenses out of my eyes in the bathroom after my demo, looking at myself in the mirror, I realize that I've demoed something pretty far-out. Things have come a long way since my first VR demos over a decade ago, but it's clear that devices to come are going to shake up the mixed reality landscape all over again. In the meantime, maybe, VR headsets and smart glasses are going to keep evolving in steps until, perhaps, suddenly, we'll just be there and it won't feel strange at all.

Meta Ray-Ban Glasses Powered by Latest Llama 3.2 AI Model - Meta Connect 2024

Meta Connect 2024, the highly anticipated event showcasing the latest advancements in technology, has once again captured the attention of enthusiasts worldwide. This year's event focused on the remarkable progress made in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR), promising to transform the way we interact with digital content. Let's dive into the key announcements and explore the potential impact of these innovative innovations. One of the most exciting reveals at Meta Connect was the Meta Quest 3, a budget-friendly virtual reality headset that packs a punch. Priced at an accessible $300, this new iteration of the Quest lineup offers features that rival even the high-end Apple Vision Pro. Users can now enjoy a fully immersive 360° desktop environment, blurring the lines between virtual and physical workspaces. The enhanced audio capabilities, powered by Dolby Atmos, elevate the sensory experience to new heights. Gaming enthusiasts were treated to a thrilling demo of the upcoming Batman Arkham Shadow game, showcasing the headset's potential to deliver captivating and engaging gameplay. Meta's commitment to advancing AI technology was evident with the introduction of Llama 3.2 at Meta Connect 2024, a multimodal AI model that significantly enhances image and text understanding. This breakthrough enables more intuitive and natural interactions between users and AI systems. The event also highlighted the integration of AI voice interactions, featuring beloved celebrity voices like John Cena and Judy Dench, adding a touch of personality and familiarity to the user experience. Another exciting development was the unveiling of AI-generated avatars. By using user data from various Meta platforms, these avatars offer unparalleled customization and personalization. Users can now create digital representations that closely resemble their real-world appearance, fostering a deeper sense of connection and engagement within virtual environments. Here are a selection of other articles from our extensive library of content you may find of interest on the subject of Meta AI : The Meta Ray-Ban glasses, now powered by the advanced Llama 3.2 AI model, have received a significant upgrade. These stylish glasses seamlessly blend fashion with innovative technology. Users can now enjoy hands-free convenience with voice control for popular music streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Music. The glasses also boast impressive memory capabilities and live translation features, making them an indispensable companion for daily life. For those seeking an even more immersive experience, Meta introduced a limited edition of see-through glasses. These transparent lenses allow users to maintain a connection with the real world while accessing digital information and features. The seamless integration of the physical and virtual realms opens up a world of possibilities for enhanced productivity, entertainment, and social interactions. Looking ahead, Meta unveiled the ambitious Project Orion, a glimpse into the future of augmented reality glasses. These advanced glasses are set to redefine the way we perceive and interact with the world around us. Equipped with innovative AI integration, high-resolution cameras, immersive speakers, and a heads-up display, Project Orion promises to be a fantastic option in the AR space. The glasses will feature intuitive voice control, precise eye tracking, and hand tracking capabilities, allowing users to navigate and interact with digital content effortlessly. Additionally, a wrist-based neural interface will enable seamless control and input, making the user experience more natural and immersive. While a consumer release is projected for around 2027, the potential applications of Project Orion are vast, spanning across various industries such as education, healthcare, entertainment, and beyond. Meta recognizes the crucial role of developers in driving innovation and adoption of these groundbreaking technologies. To support the developer community, Meta introduced a range of powerful tools and resources. AI-powered tools for creating virtual reality assets and customizing avatars are now readily available, empowering developers to build immersive and engaging experiences more efficiently. Moreover, Meta is actively promoting open-source development initiatives, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among developers worldwide. By providing access to innovative technologies and encouraging community-driven innovation, Meta aims to accelerate the growth and widespread adoption of AI and AR applications. The Meta Connect event served as a testament to Meta's unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI and AR technologies. With groundbreaking products like the Meta Quest 3, Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and the visionary Project Orion, Meta is paving the way for a future where the virtual and physical worlds seamlessly converge. As these innovations continue to evolve and mature, they hold the potential to transform the way we work, learn, entertain, and connect with one another. The future is indeed bright, and Meta is at the forefront of shaping it.

All about Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S, Orion holographic glasses, and the new Ray-Bans - Softonic

The highly anticipated Meta Connect 2024 did not disappoint. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the tech conglomerate, unveiled the company's new devices, all focused on mixed reality. Additionally, artificial intelligence also had its share of the spotlight in announcements that certainly did not leave anyone indifferent. One of the most talked-about announcements from Meta Connect has been the Meta Quest 3S. According to Meta, the Quest 3S will allow us to enjoy mixed reality like the Quest 3 and offer "4.5 times more resolution and color than the Quest 2." On paper, the Quest 3S boasts power thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, the same one found in the Meta Quest 3. Its quite precise controllers won't be needed at all times; thanks to their tracking functions, you can use your own hands. Their Fresnel lenses and the dual RGB camera allow for a quite realistic fusion of the virtual world with the physical one. Adding to this lightweight design, we have ideal headsets for gaming or exercising without discomfort. The price of the Meta Quest 3S starts at $299 for the model with 128 GB of storage. If you want more capacity, there is also the option of 256 GB for $399. Both models will go on sale next October 15. However, one of the major announcements at Meta Connect 2024 was undoubtedly the Orion holographic glasses. The company presented them as their "first augmented reality glasses" and also described them as their "most advanced and sophisticated product to date." With the Orion glasses, we can add an extra layer of interaction with reality. As Meta explains, the physical world becomes your canvas and allows us to "place 2D and 3D content and experiences" wherever we want. Its technology uses contextual AI to understand our surroundings and what is in them. Actions such as searching for an object, seeing what it is, or what it does are possible with the Orion glasses. The glasses are accompanied by an EMG wristband so that we can swipe, click, and interact with the virtual interface. The lenses are made of silicon carbide and are notable for their considerable thickness, a design that will likely change when they are commercialized in the future. For now, the Ray-Ban Meta do not have a generational successor. However, we will see many improvements in their software. One of their most notable features is real-time translation, while they will also be capable of understanding natural language. Other new features include the ability to control Spotify and Amazon Music with our voice, create reminders, and scan QR codes or phone numbers. The announcement of the improvements was accompanied by a special edition of the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer with a transparent frame.

Meta Connect 2024: Orion AR glasses, Quest 3S headset, AI features for Ray-Ban glasses unveiled

At Meta Connect 2024, Meta introduced Orion, its first True Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, previously known as Project Nazare. The company also unveiled the Meta Quest 3S headset and announced new AI features for the Ray-Ban | Meta Glasses, along with additional partner integrations. Meta claims that Orion is the most advanced AR glasses to date, designed to merge the physical and virtual worlds. These glasses aim to enhance human interaction by keeping users more present, connected, and empowered. Meta outlines three key advantages of its AR glasses: Meta highlighted the significant effort involved in miniaturizing the components for Orion, resulting in a lightweight, wearable design with the largest field of view among AR glasses. Despite the technical challenges, Orion delivers immersive multitasking, big-screen entertainment, and holographic interactions. Initially, Meta estimated less than a 10% chance of success, but through advanced miniaturization techniques, they achieved a comfortable, everyday wearable that seamlessly integrates holographic display capabilities. Orion is designed to resemble regular glasses, featuring transparent lenses for natural interactions, a critical advantage over typical AR headsets. Integrated with Meta AI, Orion offers hands-free assistance for tasks such as messaging, scheduling, and cooking. Users can make video calls and interact via WhatsApp or Messenger without needing to pull out their phones. While Orion is not yet available for consumers, it represents a refined prototype showcasing the potential of future AR glasses, with Meta focusing on further development before a public release. Beginning at Meta Connect 2024, Meta will provide access to the Orion prototype for employees and select external partners. This controlled release aims to gather feedback and refine the design in key areas, including improving AR display quality, miniaturizing the technology for enhanced comfort, and scaling production to ensure affordability. Meta plans to develop new devices based on the advancements achieved with Orion, envisioning a future where AR glasses enhance users' presence in the physical world while seamlessly integrating digital technology. Meta also introduced the Meta Quest 3S, a mixed reality headset that offers the same capabilities and performance as the Meta Quest 3 but at a more affordable price. The company claims the Quest 3S is ideal for newcomers to mixed reality and those looking for a budget upgrade from the Quest or Quest 2. Meta emphasized that the Quest 3, launched last year, not only outperformed the Quest 2 but also established a new standard for mixed reality devices at accessible prices. The Quest 3S continues this legacy with several key features: In terms of compatibility, the Quest 3S supports a vast library of apps and games, including exclusive titles like Batman: Arkham Shadow, with Quest 3-specific performance enhancements ensuring upgraded visuals and faster load times. Meta also announced new AI features and expanded partnerships for their Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Conversational AI: Users can start conversations with Meta AI by saying "Hey Meta" and continue asking follow-up questions without repeating the wake phrase. The phrase "look and" is no longer needed for questions about their view. Memory Aid: The glasses help users remember key details, such as where they parked at the airport. Users can also set voice reminders to send texts to loved ones upon arrival. Voice Messaging: Users can record and send voice messages through WhatsApp and Messenger, making it easier to communicate when their hands are busy. Video Assistance: Meta AI now includes video support for real-time help. Users can ask for information about landmarks while walking in a new city or receive meal suggestions at grocery stores based on what they see. Real-Time Translation: The glasses will soon translate speech into English during conversations with speakers of Spanish, French, or Italian, aiming to improve travel experiences and reduce language barriers. Additional language support is planned for the future. Be My Eyes Partnership: Meta is collaborating with Be My Eyes, an app that connects blind or low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers. Using the glasses and POV video calls, volunteers can assist users by describing their surroundings and offering hands-free help with tasks. Music Integrations: Meta is enhancing integrations with Spotify and Amazon Music and partnering with Audible and iHeart. Users can easily search for and play content using voice commands, and ask for more details about the music or audiobooks they're listening to. Meta is introducing a limited edition of Shiny Transparent Wayfarer frames, showcasing the technology inside. This edition emphasizes innovation and design. Additionally, the new UltraTransitions GEN S lenses from EssilorLuxottica will be added, providing users with improved adaptability to various lighting conditions. The Meta Quest 3S is available for pre-order on Meta.com at the following prices: Additionally, the price for the 512GB Meta Quest 3 has dropped to USD 499.99 (Rs. 41,830 approx.).