'We'll all throw away our smartphones': Meta's smart glasses astonish the journalist who tested them

Journalist for a British publication The Sun Sean Keech visited Meta's London office to test out the company's new holographic smart glasses, Orion, which allow you to see the virtual world around you, rather than just through a tiny phone screen.

Photo: Wave Break Media Ltd | Dreamstime.com

This is not a virtual reality headset, the author of the article explains. The real world is visible through the lenses - some applications are simply superimposed on top of it in the form of holograms. Orion looks like regular glasses, only a little thicker and resembles the 3D glasses that are given out in the cinema.

Orion was first announced last year at the Meta Connect event, when Zuckerberg unveiled a prototype on stage. Zuckerberg's deputy Andrew Bosworth said the glasses could replace not only your phone, but also your TVs and even the light switches in your home.

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How to "manage" glasses

"It takes a little time to calibrate the eye-tracking system (look up, left, etc.)," ​​writes Sean Keech. "A wristband is worn that allows you to control the glasses with subtle gestures.

To open the application menu, for example, simply touch your palm with your middle finger facing upwards.

To click on something on the screen, simply point your gaze at the desired element and close your index finger and thumb.

There is no need to raise your arm to get into the cameras' field of view. The bracelet does the work, so your arm can simply hang along your body. It's convenient.

Scrolling is done by clenching your hand into a fist and moving your thumb along the edge of your index finger.

Everything feels very natural.

The apps float before your eyes, and everything looks familiar—like a computer screen hanging in mid-air.

There is Instagram and WhatsApp (both owned by Meta) and they work great.

I made a video call and the person I was talking to literally floated in front of my eyes.

I also sent a text message using the built-in microphones and browsed the Internet.

You can keep multiple apps open at once, such as chatting with a friend while watching YouTube.

I was especially impressed by the games played on these glasses.

I played Pong with a Meta employee. We hit a virtual ball with our hands. She won easily. Very impressive.

A more immersive game let me control a spaceship and shoot down aliens. Head movements controlled the ship's flight, and eye tracking allowed me to target enemies - missiles were launched with a snap of my fingers."

Without a phone

"What was especially striking during the demonstration was that I was scrolling through Instagram, video chatting, watching YouTube, sending messages, playing games. And all this without a phone," the author of the article continues. "A phone is a hassle: you need to take it out, unlock it, find the right app.

These glasses solve the problem almost completely. It's hard to think of anything they can't do that a phone can. Except for typing or playing games with touch controls.

It is worth noting that the visual quality is quite decent.

It's not the crystal clarity of the expensive Apple Vision Pro, but then it's not a full-fledged headset either.

However, the text is easy to read and the video is convenient to watch.

If you are watching a movie, it is better to use a regular TV for now. But in the future, as visual performance improves, the TV may disappear altogether."

Here's how Meta describes its device:

“Orion provides a glimpse into the future of human communication.
At Meta, we strive to break down the boundaries between the digital and real worlds.

While the device is not intended for the general public, the advances made in this in-house product are rapidly moving us closer to the next generation of computing technology and changing the paradigm of communication.

It is the result of the efforts of thousands of passionate people, countless hours of research and development, and overcoming many challenges. Orion expands the very meaning of what it means to be connected to the people and world around us.”

Artificial Intelligence in the Kitchen

“I tried the AI ​​functions of the glasses,” the journalist says. “The Meta AI built into the glasses is a voice chatbot.

For example, he looked at the products lying on the table and asked out loud to find a recipe suitable for them.

Meta used its built-in camera to correctly identify oatmeal, bananas, cocoa, chia seeds and other foods – and produced a recipe for making gourmet oatmeal.

The recipe appeared out of thin air and I could scroll through it step by step. You can leave it open while you cook.

The interface was placed above the table and to the right of the lamp so that it wouldn’t block anything.

I was told that this was not an accident, but a deliberate design decision. Moreover, these 'floating windows' have a 'saving' function.

If, for example, I pinned a YouTube video to my kitchen wall, then went out to the store, and then came back, it would still be in the same place.

Of course, there is nothing physically on the wall. But in this virtual layer on top of reality, everything is possible.

All data processing takes place in a small module about the size of a glasses case.

You can move away from it about 9 meters, so it's worth keeping it close.

This helps reduce the weight of the glasses themselves, and it's a reasonable compromise. In the future, your phone — or something like it — might perform this function."

When will the glasses go on sale?

Meta says a full consumer version will be out in about four or five years.

They probably won't be cheap. The company has spent billions developing these prototypes and will want to see a return.

Meta has already sold VR headsets for hundreds and even thousands of dollars, so the price of the glasses is not yet known.

Ultimately, Meta hopes to make these glasses better, lighter, thinner, and more affordable with each new version.

The fourth or fifth generation of glasses will become a serious alternative to the smartphone.

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"Even now, I can think of many tasks (video calls, quick web searches, texting, checking social media) that are easier to do with glasses than with a huge phone out of my pocket," says Sean Keech. "I can't give a final opinion on Orion because it's not a finished product. It doesn't have a release date or price, and it's far from ready.

But when I use Orion, I get a very strong sense that it makes sense. Accessing a computer this way feels much more freeing. Smartphones limit us to a fixed screen size and shape, whereas Orion essentially turns the entire world into a computer.

And if this looks scary, don’t worry: you can always just take them off.”

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