Smart Glasses That Actually Work?

So, there's this new pair of smart glasses called Oakley Meta Vanguards. At first, I thought it would be just another forgettable gadget. I mean, I've tried a bunch of smart glasses before, and most of them ended up collecting dust. But these Vanguards? They're actually pretty impressive.

Design and Build

Weight: About 66 grams, a bit heavier than regular sunglasses but manageable.
Charging Case: Bulkier but acts as a battery bank.

Controls and Features

Physical Buttons:
Bigger button: Takes photos or starts recording video when held down.
Side touchpad: Controls music.
Speakers: Loud, great for cycling but may block out ambient sounds.
Microphone:
Voice commands start with "Hey Meta."
Struggles after about 20-22MPH despite claims of up to 30MPH.
Camera:
12 MP ultra-wide with a 122° field of view.
Records up to 3K at 30FPS or 1080p at 60FPS.
Four replaceable lenses, but no prescription options yet.

Charging and Cloud Integration

Charging Case: Acts as a charging dock and battery bank.
Glasses cannot be charged without the case.
Automatically uploads photos and videos to the cloud via WiFi.
Content is stored on Meta's cloud platform.
No direct download to computer.

App Features

Settings and Gallery: Manage glasses and view your gallery.
Live Translation: Translates speech in real-time, but requires the app to be open.
Integrations:
Garmin: Real-time stats, overlay data on videos, view workout videos in the app.
Strava and Apple Health: Available but not as deep as Garmin integration.

Battery Life

Claimed: 9 hours.
Tested: About 90 minutes with heavy use.
Case: Provides an additional 36 hours of battery life.

Conclusion

The Oakley Meta Vanguards are a significant improvement over other smart glasses. They're not perfect, but they're definitely a step in the right direction. If you're into sports or outdoor activities, these glasses might be worth considering.