We tried Google’s AI glasses and they’re almost there

Summary

At the Google I/O developer conference this week, we had the opportunity for a brief hands-on with Google’s upcoming AI-powered glasses — not the audio-only glasses that the company said will begin shipping this fall but rather the glasses that offer a combined audio and visual experience. First announced at last year’s event, these Android XR glasses offer an in-lens display that puts helpful information in front of you, overlaid on top of the real world. This includes widgets that could display things like the weather, walking directions, Uber pickup details, live translation, and more — even widgets you designed yourself using AI. Image Credits:Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance (opens in a new window) / Getty Images The glasses will also pair with both iOS and Android phones, the company noted, both in the audio-only format and in the future display version. The eyewear with the display is meant to be the next step beyond the first generation of audio glasses coming out later this year. The glasses themselves were developed in partnership with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Samsung, blending Google’s technology with their brands’ design aesthetics. VIDEO The glasses we tested, meanwhile, were still very much a prototype, although one polished enough to now be tested externally. The reps demoing the XR glasses explained that the prototype allowed Google to not worry about some of the cosmetic details related to different styles and shapes, so it could instead focus on experimenting with the display technology more freely and its impacts on battery life. That means these spectacles are very different from any future shipping version of glasses, in terms of fit, shape, dimensions, and attention to detail. Rather, it’s more like being able to experiment with the “insides” of the glasses, while still in a basic, comfortable frame. The shipping version of the glasses will be able to detect when the glasses are placed on your head and taken off, but the ones we tried d...