With the smart glasses from Meta I took photos, recorded videos and listened to music

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (here on my colleague Jusuf’s nose) look like conventional glasses.

In today’s world of technology, you come across some strange things that could once have been gadgets from James Bond or Mission: Impossible. This also includes smart glasses from Ray-Ban and Meta. Sounds cool?

I wasn’t at all convinced when I wore it because I thought it was just a curiosity. But then the glasses turned out to be a jack of all trades.

Kleiner Disclaimer: In this article you will find pictures of Mirco, Linh and Jusuf with glasses, but not of me. Of course I wore them and tried them out, but no one took pictures of me in the stress of the trade fair. That too is IFA.

Maxe wore glasses for decades – until scratches in the lenses and grease splashes while cooking annoyed him so much that he had his eyes lasered in 2019. Since then he has lived happily and contentedly without a nose bike and can see what he is cooking again.

The glasses

What you see is what you get (ambiguity intended): Smartglasses are, first and foremost, glasses – with all the advantages and disadvantages. But that also means: You can fit them with prescription lenses and actually wear them as normal glasses.

The smart glasses have been around since October 2023 and our author Benjamin has already tested it for several months. At the IFA I had the opportunity to try it out live for the first time.

Greetings from the Blues Brothers, at least if you choose the sunglasses model.

With the clever nose bike you can:

• Listen to music
• Take photos
• Record videos
• Livestreamen

The glasses are available in three versions with different colors; either as sunglasses or with lenses that tint in sunlight. Prices for the frame start at 329 euros; Glasses may be added if you want strength.

• Wayfarer
• Headliner
• Skyler

The aha moment

Word was already making the rounds at the exhibition center that there were cool, smart glasses on display somewhere. We set off, looked for the stand and I had the bike put right on my nose.

My first thought was: And that’s it? The gentleman at the stand initially only presented me with music. It wouldn’t have been at all surprising if the glasses only had open-ear headphones, which were something of a trend at the IFA.

I could control the volume and skip songs using the right bracket. So touch operation. Nice. Headphones that let me see.

Think.

»Press the button on the right bracket«. I followed the request, pressed the button, then a short haptic feedback – and lo and behold: I had taken a photo. Exactly from what I see.

The button for photos and videos is located on the right bracket.

If you hold down the button, a video recording starts. Don’t worry about being secretly filmed. A large white LED lights up on the front to show that the glasses are recording (and flashes when you take a photo).

And if you still have concerns: If someone wants to secretly record a video or take a photo, they can do the whole thing without glasses and with their cell phone.

By the way, the glasses and cell phone synchronize either via WLAN or Bluetooth and the data is transferred to the smartphone, where you can continue to use it.

To say it again with all clarity: You take in what you see. Not only is it damn cool, but you also have your hands free and don’t have to stare at a phone screen when you want to make a video.

In addition to videos for social media, I immediately thought of scenarios in which the glasses could be really useful.

• Vacation: I’m on vacation in Japan in October. Of course I take countless photos and videos. With the glasses, I could just press a button and take snapshots and still enjoy the view instead of pulling out my phone.
• Everyday: Mother calls and wants to know which cable goes where on the TV or how to set up a new wallpaper on the cell phone. Zack, put on your glasses, shoot a video and have your hands free without having to explain much. Optimal.

The glasses work wirelessly. To charge, simply place it in the case.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that these are all features that won’t blow anyone away. But if you consider that if you wear glasses you can simply wear these glasses and on top of that you get open-ear headphones and the opportunity to spontaneously take pictures and videos, things look different.

Capturing what you see is damn comfortable and removes the cell phone screen from the bill. Of course, if you want to shoot nice compositions or from a certain angle, you will still use the camera. But especially if you don’t want to (or can’t) take out your cell phone, you’re well served with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

I’ll give you one point: These are all just scenarios. How much I would actually use the glasses in everyday life is another matter.

That’s why I’ve already requested a test device and if I get one, maybe I’ll wear glasses again, even if only for a while.

Further hands-ons from the IFA:

Take photos and videos with the glasses, start live streams and also listen to music? Does that sound like a thing of the future to you or do you see it as more of a gimmick? Do you wear glasses and would you like functions like this on your nose bike? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments and let us know what you think of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.