I tried the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses' newest AI features, and they're about to become a much better – and cooler-looking – companion

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses Meta Connect updates

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Meta isn't redesigning its increasingly popular Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, but it is pouring attention on them in the form of new colors, faster transition lenses, and a lot more Meta AI capabilities.

At Meta Connect 2024 at the Meta Headquarters in Menlo Park, California, I got a chance to try out the smart glasses' latest capabilities, and it's clear to me that this little brain transplant will help raise Ray-Ban Meta's wearable companion capabilities.

Most of my experiences were in a sample Ray-Ban Meta Pop-up store, the first of which will soon appear in Los Angeles. It's a place where you can experience all of the smart glasses' various features, including Meta AI-powered ones, buy glasses, and even get them personalized with a custom engraving.

Sing a song

I donned a tortoiseshell pair of Ray-Ban Metas and asked Meta AI to play me a happy song by Taylor Swift. Granted, that was a bit of a fumbled request, so I guess I wasn't surprised when Meta started playing the Happy Birthday song through the smart glasses' speakers, which are positioned in the stems and near my ears.

I regrouped and asked for a Taylor Swift song (I know, shockingly not Hot to Go by Chappell Roan), and after a second delay, it played Shake It Off.

Meta AI now has vision capabilities, so there were places throughout the demo store where I could look at things and ask Meta AI what I was looking at.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses updates — (Image credit: Future)

There was an LA city street diorama in the middle of the store. I looked at it and asked Meta AI using the prompt, "Hey, Meta" what I was looking at. It took a few moments for Meta AI to reply, and I thought it didn’t hear me, but then it finally said, “You’re looking at a diorama featuring various cars and palm trees,” which was accurate.

With Meta AI, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses also have some basic translation capabilities. I looked at a Spanish-language sign in the pop-up store and ask Meta AI to “translate this sign.” I heard the smart glasses take a picture (it sounds like a camera shutter), and then Meta AI said, “Flower market, Mercado De Flores.” I thought the Spanish pronunciation at the end was a nice touch.

You can also use Meta AI to set visual reminders, though it's a kind of clumsy process where you look at something and then tell Meta AI to remind you to do something later. I asked it to remind me to buy a book in five minutes. It might be just as quick to take out your phone and put in a reminder, but if you're in the habit of doing this a lot, using Ray-Ban Meta and Meta AI might be a time saver.

We also used Meta AI to read a QR code and send the link to a phone, and I spotted some people in the corner of the room getting their glasses engraved. One cool little demo was Ray Ban Meta's improved transition lenses. I watched as a Meta employee used a blue light to turn lenses a nice, dark shade quickly. I didn't even know blue light could do that.

Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer Smart Glasses still start at $329. Remember that not all of Meta AI's features (like Vision) are available worldwide, so check before you buy this wearable companion.

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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.