Latest news with #HSTN
Hypebeast
3 days ago
- Business
- Hypebeast
Why Google Bought a $100 Million Stake in Gentle Monster
Multiple sources have reported thatGooglehas invested approximately $100 million USD for a 4% stake in the fast-growing Korean eyewear labelGentle Monster. The news comes one month after the tech giant revealed partnerships with Gentle Monster andWarby Parkerto develop design-forward smart lenses for its newAndroid XRinitiative. Google's latest move sends a strong message to competitorMeta, which has ramped up its AI-powered glasses rollout with partnersRay BanandOakley. Meta unveiled its partnership with Ray-Ban in 2023 and has since launched multiple models, including the recentOrion glasses, touted as 'the most advanced pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses ever made.' And just days ago,Oakley and Meta unveiled the HSTN, their first product from a new long-term partnership in 'a new category of Performance AI glasses.' However, it's not the first time Google has attempted to enter the smart glasses market. In 2012, Google unveiled its now obsolete Google Glass device, equipped with a camera, a small information display, and internet than 10 years later, the growth of augmented reality (AR) technologies and highly advanced AI has paved the way for more user-friendly and convenient wearables. Additionally, hardware advances have allowed new designs to accommodate slimmer profiles and more attractive silhouettes. In December, Google announced its revamped efforts withAndroid XR, 'a new operating system built for the next generation of computing,' focused on bringing heightened experiences to headsets and glasses. Fast forward to late May, Gentle Monster took to Instagram to share the news of theirpartnership, saying the collaboration 'represents a pivotal step in the evolution of smart eyewear into essential, lifestyle fashion items.' 'Creativity and sophistication are essential design features for the integration of technology into everyday life,' the brand added. So, what could Google x Gentle Monster smart glasses look like? Compared to Ray-Ban, Oakley, and fellow Android XR partner Warby Parker, Gentle Monster is the youngest eyewear label, and the most experimental. Founded in Seoul in 2011, the brand has garnered international appeal for its trend-driven silhouettes and collaborations with innovative designer brands likeMaison MargielaandMugler. A pair of Gentle Monster smart specs could bring big tech's dream of merging its services with fashion's cultural appeal into reality like never before, paving the way for wearable concepts beyond eyewear altogether. As of the time of writing, an official launch of Gentle Monster and Google's collaboration has not been confirmed. Stay tuned to Hypebeast for the latest fashion and tech industry insights.
Canada News.Net
4 days ago
- Business
- Canada News.Net
Meta deepens eyewear push with Oakley smart glasses launch
MENLO PARK, California: Meta is taking another swing at smart eyewear—this time with a sporty edge. The company announced a new partnership with Oakley to launch AI-powered glasses, broadening its footprint in the growing world of wearable technology. The launch follows Meta's recent success with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and deepens its collaboration with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of both Oakley and Ray-Ban. The first product from this expanded partnership is the Oakley Meta HSTN, a limited-edition smart glasses model that blends Oakley's athletic design with Meta's artificial intelligence. The glasses feature a hands-free high-resolution camera, open-ear speakers, water resistance, and Meta AI capabilities built into the frame. Meta said pre-orders for the HSTN glasses will open on July 11 and start at US$499. More models will roll out later this summer and begin at $399. The Oakley Meta HSTN will debut at several high-profile sports events this month, including UFC International Fight Week and Fanatics Fest, to target a fitness-focused audience. The product will initially be available in North America, Australia, and several European markets, with Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates set to follow by the end of the year. Since their launch, Meta has already sold millions of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, driven by rising interest in AI-enhanced accessories that blend fashion and function. With this new offering, Meta aims to cement its lead in the smart glasses space ahead of rivals like Snap, which said earlier this month that its Specs smart glasses will hit the consumer market in 2025. Other major tech players, including Google, are also exploring opportunities in the AI wearables space.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta's Oakley smart glasses look like a better choice than Ray-Bans for your first pair. Here's why.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Along with dominating the VR headset market with the Quest, Meta also has the top spot for smart glasses. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses continue to be a big seller for the company, with more than two million pairs sold since their launch in 2023. On Friday, Meta announced it's releasing another set of glasses under a different brand. The Oakley Meta glasses are the new smart glasses that the company plans on releasing this summer. Based on the HSTN style of Oakley glasses, the Oakley Meta version will have a few upgrades over the Meta Ray-Bans. To start, the Oakley Meta smart glasses will have improved battery life over the Meta Ray-Bans. The Oakley has eight hours of battery life with normal use and up to 19 hours of standby time, about double that of the latest generation of Ray-Bans. The newer smart glasses also have fast charging, can go up to 50% in just 20 minutes, and come with a charging case that provides 48 hours of charging. The Oakleys record video in 3k quality, which is a significant improvement over the Ray-Bans' 1440 x 1920 video quality. Photo quality is still the same at 12MP. Another improvement with the Oakley Meta smart glasses is the use of Prizm and Prizm Polarized lenses for impact and UV protection. Aside from these differences in tech and, of course, the style, the Oakley Meta smart glasses have the same functionality as the Ray-Bans. There's a capture button on the frames for photos and video. When recording, the camera lens will blink, letting others know they're being recorded. Speakers are built into the frame to listen to songs from Spotify or Apple Music. The Oakleys also have Meta AI built in. Wearers can ask the AI questions, and in its press materials, Meta focused on how the assistant can provide details related to various physical activities, such as weather conditions for a game of golf or checking out surf conditions. The Limited-Edition Oakley Meta HSTN glasses will be available for preorder on July 11 and priced at $499. Meta plans to release the rest of the Oakley line later in the summer for $399 for the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Other countries will get access to the Oakley Meta smart glasses later this year.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta Announces Oakley-Branded AI Glasses Aimed at Athletes
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. They might not be exactly what initial reports had suggested, but Meta has today announced its latest smart glasses, or 'AI glasses' as it now prefers to call them, with a sports-aligned version created in partnership with Oakley. As indicated in the promo, which features a range of big-name sports stars, Meta's Oakley HSTN glasses are designed to appeal to athletes and regular folk alike. As explained by Meta: 'Oakley Meta HSTN (pronounced HOW-stuhn), based on the HSTN style of Oakley glasses, combines bold aesthetics with cutting-edge tech. Capture the action completely hands-free with the built-in camera and share your unique POV. Get pumped up with your favorite playlist, listen to podcasts and more, thanks to powerful open-ear speakers seamlessly integrated into the frames. And with an IPX4 water resistance rating, you can push yourself to the outer limits of your potential.' So the device is pretty much the same as the Ray Ban AI glasses that Meta has had on the market for some time, but with water resistance, though Meta also notes that the HSTN glasses have longer battery life, a higher resolution camera built-in, and in-activity support via Meta AI. What the new device doesn't have is additional data tracking elements, which some had suggested would be part of the new device when initial reports of the Oakley collaboration leaked back in January. Those early reports, based on limited information, suggested that Meta's athletic sunglasses would be based on Oakley's more futuristic-looking 'Sphaera' style, and would come with a single camera, in the center of the frame, in order to reduce weight. That isn't what this final launch version will be, with the variation seemingly being more about style than technical advancement, at least at this stage. Which is fine. Meta's Ray Ban glasses have been selling well, and adding an Oakley variation will no doubt also prove popular, as more people look to integrate AI into their everyday lives. And sure, Meta's AI guidance could help in improving performance through generic feedback. But it had seemed like this would be Meta's first foray into fitness tracking, and providing more in-depth performance insight through the device. Though that's probably not easy to do. A key way that fitness trackers provide feedback right now is through pulse measurement, and Meta's glasses can't do that. They could give you distance tracking, via GPS, and maybe there'll be a Strava type app made available for this purpose, and there may be other tracking elements that Meta could look to integrate into another version of the device. Though it actually seems like this element would be better facilitated by a Meta-branded smartwatch, which the company has gone back and forth on at different times, and could still be something that's on the cards for its broader wearables push. Meta last shelved its smartwatch plan back in 2022, due to broader cost-cutting, amid other complications, though it's also been working on a wrist-based control device, based on EMT, as part of its AR development push. That could still play a role in its coming AR glasses push, and maybe, that will also be an addition to its fitness-tracking elements, which could increase the utility of these new Oakley glasses in this respect. But right now, what you're really looking at is a new version of Meta's smart glasses, in a different style, in order to appeal to an alternative audience. As such, I'm not sure that they're going to 'change everything' like Patrick Mahomes claims in the video clip, but it's another expansion of Meta's evolving wearables push. Meta says that its Oakley Meta HSTN will be available for pre-order starting July 11th at a price of $US499 USD. Further glasses models which will be part of the new Meta Oakley collection will be released later this summer, starting at $US399. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Meta launches $513 Oakley AI glasses with 3K video recording
The display-free Oakley glasses are one component of the overall Meta AI hardware strategy. PHOTO: META Meta Platforms Inc. is going up-market with its surprise hit smart glasses, rolling out new models with Oakley that are aimed at athletes and include improved video recording. The company on June 20 launched new models based on Oakley's HSTN design, marking the company's first expansion away from Ray-Ban for its display-free glasses. Like the original models, the Oakley versions can make and take phone calls, play music, take pictures and video and use Meta's artificial intelligence to answer questions about the surrounding environment. The new versions, which start at US$399 (S$513) and go up to US$499 for a limited edition model with gold-colored accents, include about double the battery life, video-recording at 3K resolution and water resistance. 'We are increasingly seeing performance use cases with the Ray-Bans like people wearing them on roller coasters, cycling and being around water, so we're trying to lean into that,' says Mr Alex Himel, the company's vice-president in charge of wearables, in an interview. Arriving at its second glasses brand was far from a sure thing. Meta's first glasses, the Ray-Ban Stories, flopped in 2021. But its follow-up version in 2023 was a massive success, giving the social networking giant a real potential hardware stronghold in the artificial intelligence race. 'It was crazy. Popularity caught us by surprise a bit,' Mr Himel said. The Ray-Bans were 'going to be the last display-less pair of glasses. We said we'll take two swings at it, and if it doesn't work we'll go all-in on augmented reality'. Instead, beyond the latest Oakley model, the company has a multi-year road map for the display-less category and is planning a follow-up pair of Oakley glasses based on the Sphera design for later in 2025 , according to people with knowledge of the matter. That pair will be aimed at cyclists and have a centred camera. The model on June 20 has a camera positioned in the upper corner like the Ray-Ban version. The display-free glasses are one component of the overall Meta AI hardware strategy. The company is planning to introduce higher-end glasses with a display to view notifications and the camera view finder later in 202 5, Bloomberg News has reported. In 2027, it aims to roll out its first true augmented reality glasses, which will blend digital apps with the real world. Meta's form-factor has caught on, with several other technology companies working on competitors. Apple Inc. is planning to introduce its first glasses product at the end of 2026, Bloomberg News has reported. That device will operate similarly to the Meta product but better synchronise with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. Inc. also sells glasses, but their current models lack cameras. Mr Himel, who said Meta has sold millions of glasses and has a 'nice, increasing multiple' of purchases on a year-over-year basis each week, attributed the increased popularity to the Ray-Bans improving across a large number of 'small things.' He said the audio quality and microphones started to surpass standalone earbuds, while the camera and AI quality also improved. Still, Mr Himel said battery life remains the 'number one complaint' about the Ray-Ban versions. The new Oakley models can run for 8 hours on a single charge, with the charging case holding 48 hours of juice. 'You should expect a 40 per cent bump with these' he says, attributing the improvement to new battery chemistry and software optimisations – not larger battery packs. Like Ray-Ban, Oakley is owned by EssilorLuxottica SA, which calls Oakley its second most popular brand after Ray-Ban. Mr Himel said Meta will roll out new brands under the EssilorLuxottica portfolio 'as fast as we can. 'We're going to have to move very quickly because in the world of fashion, stuff moves very quickly,' he says. 'The stuff that is a hit right now might not be a year from now. We need to be fast to hit all the brands that we'd like to.' The first Oakley model, becoming available for pre-order on July 11, will be the US$499 limited edition pair. The US$399 versions – which come in grey, black, brown and clear colors – will be released in the coming months. There will be versions with clear, transition and polarised lenses. Like with the Ray-Bans, users can swap the lenses for prescription optics. The glasses will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark, according to Meta. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
