Meta has just announced a series of new updates to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart glasses. CEO Mark Zuckerberg just released an Instagram reel showing off a new cat-eye frame style for the glasses and a video calling feature. Now you can also connect the glasses with Apple Music, and last but not least, the multi-modal AI assistant is available to everyone in the US and Canada.
You can see a pretty clear demo of the video calling feature of Zuckerberg's reel. In it, she talks to Instagram fashionista Eva Chen about the new Skyler frames and… chain lengths, of all things. The existing Wayfarer and Headliner models are getting some new colors as well. The Headliner, which has rounder lenses, is also getting a low bridge fit for people who have issues with lenses sliding down their faces.
As for video calling, you can call friends or family via WhatsApp and Messenger. The Meta blog notes that you may not see this feature right away, as it's being rolled out more gradually.
Another feature not mentioned in the blog is Apple Music compatibility. However, the feature appeared this morning in the Meta View app, which pairs with the glasses. The instructions note that you will be able to control Apple Music hands-free to play any song, playlist, station or artist. You can also request recommendations based on your listening history.
Finally, Meta launched an early access program for its multimodal AI in December. Starting today, it will be available to anyone with a pair of glasses in the US and Canada in beta. The feature lets you take photos with the glasses and have Meta's AI give you more context. For example, you can ask it to identify a plant species, create Instagram captions, and translate a sign written in a foreign language.