An annual developer and innovation conference, Meta Connect outlines the company’s vision for artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality while showcasing the technologies that drive its metaverse ambitions. The event began in 2014 in Los Angeles as Oculus Connect, originally centred on virtual reality and the Oculus Rift platform, before expanding in scope and rebranding as Facebook Connect in 2020 and finally Meta Connect in 2021. Over the years, it has grown into a global stage for unveiling breakthrough hardware, software tools, and immersive platforms that seek to bring the physical and digital worlds closer together. At the recently concluded Meta Connect held at Menlo Park, California, the American multinational technology company unveiled its new Oakley Meta Vanguard, and Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) sunglasses designed to bring the Meta AI assistant into daily use instead of being confined to phones or computers.
Oakley Meta Vanguard
Designed for high-intensity sports with an action-ready camera, integrations with fitness apps, immersive audio to elevate the wearer’s workouts. These feature Oakley’s Three-Point Fit system and come with three replaceable nose pads including a low- and high-bridge fit for a secure and customised feel. And they’re optimised to wear with cycling helmets and hats. These glasses are also Meta’s water-resistant frames with an IP67 dust and water resistance rating. There are open-ear speakers which are six decibels louder than Oakley Meta HSTN, and includes a five-microphone array optimised to reduce wind noise while on calls, messaging, or using Meta AI with voice.
Oakley Meta Vanguard has up to nine hours of battery life, or up to six hours of continuous music playback. The glasses come with a charging case that can provide an additional 36 hours of charge on the go. They can quickly charge the glasses to 50% in just 20 minutes in the charging case. Oakley Meta Vanguard will be available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. They will be available in Mexico, India, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2)
A fully-charged pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2) can last up to eight hours with typical use, almost twice the battery life of Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1). Wearers can charge Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) up to 50% in just 20 minutes, and Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) comes with a charging case that provides an additional 48 hours of charging on-the-go. Videos can be shot in 3K Ultra HD, and also with ultrawide HDR, up to 60 frames per second. Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) will be available in Mexico and India later this year.
