While Meta's smart glasses are facing some rough seas with cruise ships, the company is releasing an update to its sport-focused Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses that adds some neat new features.
Whether you're working out or simply admiring the view. The update (v21) is rolling out first to those enrolled in Meta's Early Access program and will be available to users at large at a later date.
Hands-free Garmin workouts
For those who pair the glasses with one of the best Garmin watches, you can now create a customized running or biking workout right from the glasses themselves. For example, you could say, "Hey meta, create a 30-minute run at 10 minutes per mile," or even more simply, "Hey meta, I'm going for a bike ride."
While it isn't exactly onerous to start a workout from your wrist, being able to do so just by speaking to the glasses is a nice way to stay locked in before you start exercising.
Meta AI + Spotify Multimodal Music Experience
Ever stop at a scenic overlook, or try and find that perfect song to match the vibe of what you're seeing? If you say, "Hey Meta, play a song to match this view," the AI can now create a personalized Spotify playlist based on what the glasses see. Of all the features, this is the one I'm most interested in checking out.
This feature is available in English in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K. and the U.S.
Conversation Focus
Similar to a feature found in the pricier Meta Display smart glasses, Conversation Focus will amplify the voice of the person you're talking to, helping you hear them in noisy or crowded environments. This feature will roll out to those in the U.S. and Canada first.
To use this feature, just say, “Hey Meta, start conversation focus.” Similarly, you can assign a tap-and-hold function to activate and deactivate conversation focus, so as not to distract the person with whom you're talking. And, just like changing the volume of music, a swipe on the temple will adjust the amplification level.
Voice Shortcuts
This feature should definitely help those who are out on a run, bike ride, skiing, or another activity where they can't use their hands and don't want to shift their concentration. Now you no longer have to say "Hey Meta" before issuing commands like "photo," "video" and "music." There are also some Garmin-specific commands. To use this feature, you'll have to manually enable it in the Meta app.
Expanded Language Music Support
Those who are native French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish speakers will now find it easier to control their music, as the Vanguards will respond to voice commands in those languages when controlling music apps such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Shazam and Spotify.
As I mentioned, I'm most interested in trying out the custom Spotify playlists based on what the Meta Vanguard glasses see, but the other improvements to a pair of one of the best smart glasses also look well-tailored to their users.
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