$600 AI glasses review Fashionable AI Even Realities G1 AI glasses
Fashionable AI eyewear has been having a moment lately, with Meta Platforms
Inc.'s newest Ray-Ban smart glasses being the most prominent example. Depending
on the brand, you might use such glasses to dictate notes, translate in real
time, record video or glance at mobile notifications without having to take out
your phone.
I've never been an early adopter of futuristic gadgets, but a little-known startup called Even Realities made a compelling case for why I should try out its $599 AI glasses, which begin shipping to consumers next week.
The pitch for the brand's debut product, called G1, is that it should do a great job as ordinary glasses first, and then augment and improve your daily routine with its tech features. After getting my prescription filled, the company shipped me a test device for review. A week later, I can see why some consumers would absolutely love the product while others give it an indifferent "meh."
The Business Case
Even Realities was founded last year by former Apple Inc. engineer Will Wang. Prior to launching his first startup, Wang worked on the Apple Watch and then moved back to China to lead product development for laser-projector maker JMGO. At Even Realities, he teamed up with fellow technologists from Philips and Samsung Electronics Co., as well as designers from Danish luxury eyewear brand Lindberg. The 50-person outfit with engineers in Shenzhen and optics industry veterans in Berlin has so far raised roughly $10 million in funding, Wang said in an interview, without disclosing its backers or valuation.
While some of the first wearable artificial intelligence devices, like the critically panned Humane Ai Pin, have attempted to sideline the smartphone, Even Realities is going in a different direction, Wang said. The G1 glasses are comfortable and stylish enough, the company claims, that a bespectacled person could wear them every day in lieu of their normal glasses. That demands a fine balance between aesthetics, durability and digital functionality all while standing apart from those Meta Ray-Bans, which cost half as much. Well, at least we know Even Realities isn't trying to undercut anyone on price.
Even Realities G1 AI glasses.
The Hardware
The round frames are made from a magnesium-titanium alloy and come in three low-key colors: dark gray, green and brown. They do indeed look and feel like everyday glasses. They're lightweight, well made, comfortable to wear all day, and the design is trendy (even if I'm personally not a fan of round Harry Potter frames). It is worth noting that Meta offers its newest glasses in a wider range of shapes and lens colors, allowing for more personalization.
Even Realities includes a charging case in the box, and clip-on sunglasses are also available as a $100 upgrade. Prescription lenses cost an additional $150. You'll also need to download a companion mobile app to customize your dashboard, manage notifications and tweak features like the teleprompter from your phone.
Embedded in the area where the frames meet the wearer's temples are two micro-LED optical engines that project content onto the display lenses, which sit atop your prescription lenses. There are no cameras here, by the way, which has in recent times become something of an expected feature.
Users activate the virtual display by raising their head, launching a dashboard presented in a green, monospaced font. It appears to sit about six feet in front of you. You can then see things like the time, weather, calender items and to-do lists in a two-column layout.
Both arms of the glasses are equipped with microphones on one side and touchpads on the other. With those basic controls at the ready, you can do things like dictate up to 30 seconds of audio and turn that into an AI-edited note you can read later on the dashboard. You can also use the tech to, say, translate Japanese into Italian for a real-time chat and view texts in front you. Or, for work presentations, read a script without losing sight of the audience.
The glasses also work as a notification center that mirrors your phone, allowing you to glance at incoming alerts for things like messages and calls while keeping your handset in your pocket. A little envelope icon pops up when you receive an email or WeChat call; you can tilt your head upward to view unread messages while carrying on a conversation.
I've never been an early adopter of futuristic gadgets, but a little-known startup called Even Realities made a compelling case for why I should try out its $599 AI glasses, which begin shipping to consumers next week.
The pitch for the brand's debut product, called G1, is that it should do a great job as ordinary glasses first, and then augment and improve your daily routine with its tech features. After getting my prescription filled, the company shipped me a test device for review. A week later, I can see why some consumers would absolutely love the product while others give it an indifferent "meh."
The Business Case
Even Realities was founded last year by former Apple Inc. engineer Will Wang. Prior to launching his first startup, Wang worked on the Apple Watch and then moved back to China to lead product development for laser-projector maker JMGO. At Even Realities, he teamed up with fellow technologists from Philips and Samsung Electronics Co., as well as designers from Danish luxury eyewear brand Lindberg. The 50-person outfit with engineers in Shenzhen and optics industry veterans in Berlin has so far raised roughly $10 million in funding, Wang said in an interview, without disclosing its backers or valuation.
While some of the first wearable artificial intelligence devices, like the critically panned Humane Ai Pin, have attempted to sideline the smartphone, Even Realities is going in a different direction, Wang said. The G1 glasses are comfortable and stylish enough, the company claims, that a bespectacled person could wear them every day in lieu of their normal glasses. That demands a fine balance between aesthetics, durability and digital functionality all while standing apart from those Meta Ray-Bans, which cost half as much. Well, at least we know Even Realities isn't trying to undercut anyone on price.
Even Realities G1 AI glasses.
The Hardware
The round frames are made from a magnesium-titanium alloy and come in three low-key colors: dark gray, green and brown. They do indeed look and feel like everyday glasses. They're lightweight, well made, comfortable to wear all day, and the design is trendy (even if I'm personally not a fan of round Harry Potter frames). It is worth noting that Meta offers its newest glasses in a wider range of shapes and lens colors, allowing for more personalization.
Even Realities includes a charging case in the box, and clip-on sunglasses are also available as a $100 upgrade. Prescription lenses cost an additional $150. You'll also need to download a companion mobile app to customize your dashboard, manage notifications and tweak features like the teleprompter from your phone.
Embedded in the area where the frames meet the wearer's temples are two micro-LED optical engines that project content onto the display lenses, which sit atop your prescription lenses. There are no cameras here, by the way, which has in recent times become something of an expected feature.
Users activate the virtual display by raising their head, launching a dashboard presented in a green, monospaced font. It appears to sit about six feet in front of you. You can then see things like the time, weather, calender items and to-do lists in a two-column layout.
Both arms of the glasses are equipped with microphones on one side and touchpads on the other. With those basic controls at the ready, you can do things like dictate up to 30 seconds of audio and turn that into an AI-edited note you can read later on the dashboard. You can also use the tech to, say, translate Japanese into Italian for a real-time chat and view texts in front you. Or, for work presentations, read a script without losing sight of the audience.
The glasses also work as a notification center that mirrors your phone, allowing you to glance at incoming alerts for things like messages and calls while keeping your handset in your pocket. A little envelope icon pops up when you receive an email or WeChat call; you can tilt your head upward to view unread messages while carrying on a conversation.
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