This April marked the 10th anniversary since Google launched the first generation of Glass. It may be hard to believe in retrospect a decade ago, but the limited edition “Explorer's Edition” was a coveted item. At least for a while, they felt like the future.
However, the last 10 years of smart glasses have been very mixed. There have been more misses than hits, and it seems like we're still years away from reaching any sort of consensus on form and functionality.
Google Glass never reached the kind of critical mass needed to launch a commercial product, although the company seems content to give it another chance every two years.
Meanwhile, AR's success has largely been limited to smartphone screens, though not for lack of trying. Magic Leap, Microsoft, and Meta have all released AR products with varying degrees of success, and next year's release of Apple Vision Pro is sure to move the needle… somewhat. But technical limitations have limited these solutions to significantly larger form factors.
Reducing that type of technology to normal glasses size is a good goal, but there is still a long way to go. Tellingly, two headgear devices were launched at Meta's recent hardware event. The first was the Quest 3, a virtual reality headset that offers an augmented reality experience thanks to transfer technology. The other, the Ray-Ban Meta, doesn't claim to offer augmented reality, but manages to fit things into the standard glasses form factor.
Image credits: Brian Heater
Like the Snapchat Spectacles before it, the Ray-Ban Meta is all about capturing content. A camera built into the frame allows the user to record quick videos and stream live for social media. When it comes to content consumption, the speakers are integrated into the temples, directing music or podcast audio towards the user's ear.
Unlike the Ray-Bans, however, Amazon's Echo Frames 3 don't capture video (you can practically hear the collective sigh of relief from privacy advocates around the world). However, they offer a similar audio setup. The speakers are located on the temples, just in front of the tips of the temples. The company has opted for bone conduction in this case, which is probably for the best (while good, the technology is generally acceptable, at best).
Unlike most headphones and earphones, they do not cover the entrance to the ear canal. That's great for situational awareness and not so great for surround sound. If you want to stay focused on the world around you while walking down the street or riding a bike listening to music, it's not a bad option.
Image credits: Brian Heater
Given their proximity to the ear, they are loud and, due to their directional nature, are difficult to hear if you are not using them (although they are not completely silent to others). The actual audio quality, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired. Music helps them in a pinch, but I prefer not to depend on them as a daily driver of any kind.
However, as the name implies, the real centerpiece here is the Echo functionality. Frames are another form factor to summon Alexa. This makes a lot of sense at first glance, a hands-free voice assistant that you can take anywhere your phone has a decent connection. You can play/pause, make calls, and set reminders, for starters, all things you can do with a pair of headphones with a connected voice assistant.
Image credits: Brian Heater
There are five different styles: black square, black rectangle, blue round, brown cat eye and gray rectangle. Amazon shipped the first one, which looks like your average pair of Buddy Holly/Elvis Costello glasses, albeit with a tacky design and larger temples, due to the electronics inside. They fit me quite well, and while they're not exactly what I would have picked up at, say, Warby Parker, I'm not embarrassed to wear them in public.
You can further customize the frames with prescription lenses, blue light filtering, or opt for sunglasses. All good options to have, no doubt.
Battery life is listed at 14 hours of “moderate” use. With a standard amount of music listened to, you should be able to get through a day on a single charge. That's especially good since the charging base is large and awkward in relation to the glasses themselves. Charging instructions are included in the package (along with some brief braille instructions, a nice touch on the accessibility front), which are necessary since the design is not intuitive.
Image credits: Brian Heater
You fold the glasses and place the lenses facing up, so that the charging points on the temples come into contact with the charger. It's a far cry from the Ray-Ban Meta's extremely convenient and well-designed charging case. Amazon's case, on the other hand, is foldable. It's not nice, but it's definitely an added convenience to be able to fold it up while wearing the glasses.
My feelings about the latest Echo Frames may have been different if I hadn't recently tried the Ray-Ban Meta. At $270, they're $30 cheaper than the Meta glasses. If you're trying to decide between the two, I'd say bite the bullet and spend the extra $30. Of course, it's also worth keeping in mind that as I write this, Amazon is currently offering the new Echo Frames for $200 with deep discounts.
