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. First off, they're not like those other smart glasses with displays. No, these are just regular sunglasses with a camera, speaker, and mic. And that's a good thing. They weigh about 66 grams, which is a bit heavier than regular sunglasses, but not too bad. The charging case is a bit bulkier, but it also acts as a battery bank, which is handy. The controls are simple. There are two physical buttons on the underside. The bigger one takes photos or starts recording video if you hold it down. On the side, there's a touchpad for controlling music. But be careful, you might accidentally start playing music when you put on or take off the glasses. The speakers are loud, which is great for listening to music while cycling, but they block out other sounds, so you might not hear cars or your wife calling you. The microphone is designed to pick up voice commands starting with "Hey Meta. " It's supposed to work up to 30MPH, but I found it struggles after about 20-22MPH. The camera is a 12 MP ultra-wide with a 122° field of view. It can record up to 3K at 30FPS or 1080p at 60FPS. There are four replaceable lenses, but no prescription options yet. The glasses come with a case that also acts as a charging dock. You can't charge the glasses without the case. The case also automatically starts uploading your photos and videos to the cloud via WiFi. This means your content is stored on Meta's cloud platform, and you can't download the footage directly to your computer. The app is where you manage the glasses. You can change settings, view your gallery, and enable partner integrations. One of the coolest features is the live translation. It translates speech in real-time, which is great for understanding conversations in a different language. But you need to keep the app open for it to work. The glasses also integrate with Garmin devices. You can get real-time stats during a workout, overlay data on your videos, and see your workout videos in the app. The integration is seamless and well-done. There's also Strava and Apple Health integration, but they're not as deep as the Garmin integration. Battery life is a bit of a mixed bag. Meta claims 9 hours of battery life, but in my testing, I found it to be more like 90 minutes with heavy use. The case provides an additional 36 hours of battery life, but it's still not great. Overall, 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.