New Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses are made specifically with prescription specs wearers in mind

Meta has just announced a couple of new additions to its Ray-Ban AI powered glasses range — and this time they’re aimed specifically at those who already wear prescription glasses.

Meta’s new “optical-forward” glasses will support “nearly” all prescriptions, and have been designed with every day, daily use in mind. Sure, you can pop clear and prescription lenses in Meta’s existing AI glasses line-up, but those frames are essentially Ray-Ban sunglass styles, and might look a little odd if worn inside on a dreary day.

The new “optical styles” are not only a touch more subtle, but are built with comfort in mind, including features such as overextension hinges, interchangeable nose pads and optician-adjustable temple tips.

Ray-Ban Meta Optics Styles will launch in two frameshapes: a rectangular “Blayzer Optics” design available in two sizes (Standard and Large), and a softer, rounder “Scriber Optics”. Slimmer and lighter than the regular Meta Ray-Bans, they’ll come in a bunch of different colours too, including Matte Black, Transparent Black, and Transparent Dark Olive, as well as seasonal shades like Transparent Matte Ice Grey and Transparent Stone Beige. Each comes with a Dark Brown carry-and-charge case.

Available from April 14th, prices start at £429.

As for what the Meta Ray-Bans actually do? For the uninitiated, Meta’s glasses include onboard cameras and speakers, letting you take photos and videos hands-free, answer calls and listen to audio, and call upon Meta’s AI helper to answer questions, translate questions on the fly, and act as a visual aid — say, identifying plants you may be looking at. All this info is fed back via a voice assistant — but Meta also makes Ray-Ban Display spectacles that uses augmented reality to display digital information via its lenses overlaid onto the real world around you.

Other styles, more updates

If you’re not bothered about prescription needs, Meta’s also refreshed its Oakley Meta Vanguard and HSTN sunglasses with optional transition lenses and shades tinted for golf play, as well as new seasonal colourways for the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) shades.

The underlying AI brains of all Meta’s glasses are getting some improvements in the coming weeks and months too, with improvements to nutrition tracking (letting you log what you’re eating just by looking at your plate, with AI offering dietary recommendations), deeper interactions and understanding of your WhatsApp conversations, and ever-more natural conversation understanding from the AI helper itself.

• Hands-on: Next-gen Meta Ray-Ban AI smartglasses offer same slick style, better battery and camera

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