Latest news with #smartglasses
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AI glasses are here! Is this growth stock in my SIPP and ISA in danger?
Call me paranoid, but I'm always thinking about how certain technology trends could disrupt the companies I hold inside my SIPP and ISA. I want to be invested in the disruptors (Netflix, say, or Amazon) rather than the disrupted (Blockbuster or Woolworths). Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai famously said: 'Artificial intelligence is one of the most profound things we're working on as humanity. It is more profound than fire or electricity.' You don't get more disruptive than that! From robotaxis to AI agents, the pace of innovation today is dizzying. And it's sure to shake up many industries in the coming years. One product I'm watching closely is Meta Platforms' AI-powered smart glasses. Think hands-free messaging, videos, and AI assistants whispering information into your ear. All while looking (mostly) like a normal pair of specs/sunglasses! Over time, people may use some smartphones apps less than before. Building on its Ray-Ban AI glasses, Meta has just released new ones with Oakley. They pair with the Meta AI app and have a personal AI assistant built in. In Q1, the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses had four times as many monthly active users as the year before. So they're catching on. Meta's CFO Susan Li said this on the firm's Q1 earnings call: 'This month, we fully rolled out live translations on Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses to all markets for English, French, Italian, and Spanish. Now, when you are speaking to someone in one of these languages, you'll hear what they say in your preferred language through the glasses in real time.' This got me thinking about Duolingo (NASDAQ: DUOL), the world's leading language learning app. It had 46.6m daily users in Q1, and over 130m monthly learners. Of those, 10.3m were paying subscribers, up 40% year on year. I added this growth stock to both my ISA and SIPP a few months back. But if we're all going to be wearing AI glasses in future, and they can automatically translate foreign words in real time, why bother learning a new language? Of course, I'm not suggesting the need to learn languages is suddenly going to disappear. Many people need to speak one for work or study, particularly English (a big cash cow for Duolingo). But some casual learners might ditch the app, increasing the churn rate. Meanwhile, a visual-based rival could emerge, designed specifically for smart glasses and using an entirely different learning model. For example, one based on immersive, real-world learning, using your environment. Indeed, in this scenario, the firm's app-based lessons with cartoon characters might one day seem quaint! One thing reassuring me here, though, is that Duolingo is already seriously embracing the technology. It uses AI to personalise lesson sequences and predict which words or grammar points a learner will forget. In April, generative AI helped it launch 148 new language courses, more than doubling its offering. And paid subscribers can now video chat with an AI-powered avatar to practice speaking in real time. Plus, the company has rolled out chess lessons to compliment its non-language courses in music and maths. I'm not panicking. The future still looks bright. Duolingo stock has dipped 25% since May. While it's still not cheap, I think it's worth considering for long-term investors. The post AI glasses are here! Is this growth stock in my SIPP and ISA in danger? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Ben McPoland has positions in Duolingo. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Alphabet, Amazon, Duolingo, and Meta Platforms. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
These Smart Glasses Are Already Kicking Meta Ray-Bans' Ass
Meta clearly has more competition than ever in the world of smart glasses, and that field of competitors isn't getting any slimmer. The most recent company to join the smart glasses fray is China's Xiaomi, which just unveiled a pair of frames that, if I'm being totally honest here, puts Meta's Ray-Ban glasses to shame—at least on paper. The first thing I noticed about Xiaomi's AI Glasses, which costs around the same price as Meta's Ray-Ban glasses at $280, is that it does something that I've been wanting for a long time as an owner of Meta's Ray-Ban glasses. According to Xiaomi, its AI Glasses can be used for mobile payments with a combination of the glasses' camera and Alipay, Alibaba's popular mobile payment system. From what I can gather from Xiaomi's press materials, the glasses can scan a QR code and then use the onboard voice assistant as confirmation that you actually want to pay for an item. On the surface, it sounds like you could end up accidentally walking around paying for things, but with a few failsafes—voice activation and verification—I don't think that should be an issue. I don't have the full details on how the feature works, though, so fingers crossed Xiaomi thought this one through—if it did, then it could be incredibly convenient. Next is something I've also thought about many times while wearing Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, especially when I want to wear them inside—electrochromic lenses. To put that phrase in layman's terms, that means the ability to electrically shift whether the lenses are shaded or transparent. Sure, Ray-Ban smart glasses can be purchased with transition lenses installed, but being able to shift between shaded and transparent manually is kind of awesome, especially if you can fine-adjust the level depending on your eyesight or preference. And the advantages don't stop there. If this last bit is true—I have my doubts that it is—then Xiaomi's smart glasses are frankly blowing Meta's Ray-Ban glasses out of the water. According to Xiaomi's literature, the AI Glasses have an absurd 45 minutes of continuous video recording. That would be impressive, not just for a pair of smart glasses, but for an iPhone 16 Pro even, which tends to get pretty damn hot when recording video for extended lengths of time. Meta's Ray-Bans, by the way, can record a maximum of three minutes of video in one sitting, which was recently upped from the original max recording length of 90 seconds. In addition to those three things, Xiaomi's glasses match Meta's Ray-Bans in almost every way and even push the envelope in a few more. There's a 12-megapixel camera, a voice assistant onboard, and a five-mic array for using its voice assistant and taking calls—all three of those things match Meta's Ray-Bans punch for punch. In the battery department, Xiaomi's glasses allegedly roll the ball forward big time, though. While Meta's glasses are only rated for four hours of battery, Xiaomi says its glasses can last for 8.6 hours on a single charge. Again, this is kind of a major claim, so I'm approaching that spec with some skepticism, but if it is true, that makes Meta look silly. Oh, Xiaomi also says the glasses are capable of first-person video calls and livestreaming, too. Sure. Why not? I have my doubts about Xiaomi's AI Glasses, don't get me wrong, but if they really do what the company says they do, they might easily (on paper, at least) be the best smart glasses out there. They don't crack the code with an augmented display on the lens or anything like that, but they allegedly double the battery life, expand the continuous recording time by 15x Meta's glasses, and include more nice-to-haves like the ability to execute mobile payments or manually transition the lenses in or out of shade mode. Even if these things are total bullshit, I'm starting to think that Meta ought to really up the game here, because Xiaomi's smart glasses are now the only ones I want.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vuzix (VUZI) -Sphere Alliance Brings AI-Enhanced AR to the Frontline
Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI) is one of the 12 best-augmented reality stocks to buy, according to analysts. On June 24, Vuzix Corporation partnered with Sphere Technology Holdings to bring Sphere's mixed reality and AI-powered platform to its M400 and M4000 AR smart glasses. This partnership is set to equip frontline workers with hands-free, immersive digital tools to streamline workflows and enable real-time decision-making in complex environments. SFIO CRACHO/ Sphere's spatial computing platform blends the digital and physical worlds using features like spatial mapping, gesture recognition, and holographic rendering. It integrates with enterprise systems such as ERP and IoT platforms, making it ideal for industries that require precision and collaboration without disrupting workflows. By combining Sphere's immersive technology with the portability of Vuzix smart glasses, the collaboration targets key sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and defense. Executives from both firms emphasize the potential to boost operational efficiency, enhance safety, and improve productivity—even in the most demanding field conditions. Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI) designs, manufactures, and markets augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) display devices and smart glasses. It focuses on creating wearable display technology for various applications, including enterprise, defense, and consumer markets. While we acknowledge the potential of VUZI as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 11 Best Performing Warren Buffett Stocks in 2025 and 12 Best Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Stocks to Buy. Disclosure: None.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Xiaomi's first AI-powered eyewear brings smartphone firm into ‘war of hundreds of glasses'
Xiaomi is set to debut its first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered smart glasses on Thursday, marking the Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle (EV) maker's entry into a rapidly expanding but crowded domestic market. The Beijing-based company is positioning its new eyewear as a 'next-generation personal smart gadget', according to an image posted on its official Weibo account on Wednesday. Co-founder and CEO Lei Jun said the glasses can capture first-person video and respond to voice queries – features that have become common in modern smart glasses such as those from Meta Platforms and Ray-Ban. Xiaomi is set to officially launch the frames on Thursday evening at an event titled 'Human x Car x Home', during which it will unveil the price of the glasses in addition to other products, including its latest foldable smartphone and its first SUV. In one of two videos Xiaomi released teasing the smart glasses, the camera-equipped frames could 'see and recognise' objects around the user and answer questions using generative AI. Examples in the video showed the wearer asking the glasses to identify a plant, estimate the calories of a meal and explain what capybaras eat. Despite the lack of pricing or specifications ahead of Xiaomi's event, the AI glasses have been highly anticipated by consumers. Local media reports last year revealed that the company planned to launch the frames this year. WellsennXR, a consultancy specialising in augmented reality and extended reality, expected the glasses to adopt US tech giant Qualcomm 's AR1 chip, the same chip used by the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Meta's smart glasses are currently the most popular of their kind, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the global AI glasses market last year, according to market consultancy Counterpoint.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vuzix (VUZI) Receives $5 Million Investment from Quanta, Achieves Waveguide Production Targets
Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI) is one of the 7 most popular AI penny stocks under $5 to avoid. On June 16, the company received a $5 million second tranche investment from Quanta Computer, a global Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) and strategic partner. SFIO CRACHO/ This latest investment brings Quanta's total investment in Vuzix to $15 million, although the total anticipated investment from the company is $20 million. According to Vuzix, this latest capital injection 'strengthens' the partnership between Vuzix and Quanta and 'expands' Vuzix's waveguide production capabilities. The investment was made in the form of a convertible note with a conversion price of $8.00 per share. Meanwhile, Vuzix has successfully achieved its waveguide production and yield targets. The company successfully scaled its proprietary waveguide manufacturing process to meet the growing demand for its solutions. This milestone is crucial for enhancing the company's state-of-the-art waveguide manufacturing capabilities. Vuzix said that the capital injection and the achievement of a key milestone position it to deliver affordable, lightweight, and performance-driven AI smart glasses for mass-market adoption. Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI) is a New York-based technology company. It designs and sells smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) products. Some of its products already in the market include wearable display devices like the Vuzix Blade, M Series, Shield, and Z100, as well as waveguide optics and display engines. The company also provides engineering services and OEM/ODM solutions. While we acknowledge the potential of VUZI as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: Goldman Sachs China Stocks: 10 Stocks to Buy and 10 Undervalued Blue Chip Stocks Analysts Recommend for Smart Investing. Disclosure: None. 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
