Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Introduce Speech Translation Feature; Meta AI Launches in Europe

Ray-Ban Meta glasses have introduced exciting new features, including real-time speech translation among several languages. Additionally, Meta is rolling out its multimodal AI capabilities across Europe, enhancing user experiences on these smart glasses.

Real-Time Speech Translation

As showcased during Meta’s Connect 2024 event, the glasses now support live translations between English, French, Italian, and Spanish. This feature can be activated by simply saying, “Hey Meta, start live translation.” Users can listen to translated spoken words directly in their preferred language through the glasses. Meanwhile, the original words appear as text on the Meta View app.

For users who may not have an internet connection, there’s an option to download language packs onto the glasses via the app to enable offline translations.

This month also saw the rollout of Meta’s multimodal AI feature in the UK, allowing users to take images with the glasses’ camera to get informative replies about what they are looking at. Previously, the AI in the UK was only accessible in a basic voice format. The AI is now expanding to more countries in Europe, including Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Instagram Messaging & Calling Soon

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses currently allow users to send and receive messages as well as make calls via platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger, as well as through their phone’s standard calling service. This includes video calls where the person on the other end can see the user’s perspective.

Meta has announced that in the near future, users will also be able to message and call through Instagram from their glasses.

Live AI In US & Canada “Soon”

At the same event, a new feature called Live AI was announced, which enables users to interact continuously with Meta AI without the need to repeatedly say “Hey Meta.” During this session, the AI will have access to the user’s camera, allowing for real-time assistance while exploring new places or cooking.

To begin a Live AI session, you can say, “Hey Meta, start live AI.” This functionality has already been seen on traditional devices like smartphones and laptops and is making its way into smart glasses as well.

New Skyler Color Variants

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available in three stylish models: Wayfarer, Headliner, and Skyler. Currently, Meta and EssilorLuxottica have launched three new variants for the Skyler model:

• Shiny Black frame with Clear lenses
• Shiny Black frame with Green lenses
• Shiny Chalky Gray frame with Sapphire Transitions lenses

This expansion brings the total number of available styles and color options for the Ray-Ban Meta glasses to an impressive 25.

Launching In Mexico, India & The UAE

Meta and EssilorLuxottica are also preparing to launch the Ray-Ban Meta glasses in Mexico, India, and the United Arab Emirates, which will elevate the total availability to 17 countries.

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Norway
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

So far, over 2 million units of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have been sold, and production is set to increase significantly, aiming for 10 million units annually by the end of 2026.