One of my biggest gripes when navigating a new area is that I’m too busy following directions on my phone to really take in my surroundings. But after trying on Google’s Android XR glasses, I’ve seen a promising solution.
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I got a demo of Google’s wearable prototype frames and was more impressed than I expected to be. I’m not big on wearables; I’m good with plain-old glasses and jewelry that can’t ping me with notifications throughout the day. But I decided to give the Android XR glasses a try as I explored a strip of the MWC conference hall dubbed Android Avenue.
With a thick black frame and clear lenses, the Android XR prototype glasses look rather unassuming — especially because the display in the right lens is barely perceptible. Once I put them on, I long-pressed the right side temple to trigger Gemini and ask questions about objects around me. Then my skepticism slowly began to dissolve.
The feature that sold me was the Google Maps demo. I looked at a photo of Barcelona stadium Camp Nou and asked Gemini to “navigate here.” White text appeared in the center of the lens, showing me how far I’d need to go before turning right. And when I looked down, I could see a visualization of the route, like you’ll find in the Maps app on a mobile device, so I could just follow the highlighted path. That would solve my dilemma of wanting to know where I’m going while also trying to take in the view.
I also looked at a vinyl cover for Barcelona, the album by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, and asked Gemini to play a song from it. The audio quality was impressively comparable to what I’d hear with headphones — but without the feeling of something in or on my ears, which I appreciated.
And lastly, I got a demo of live translation through the glasses. The Google employee showing me the prototype spoke in Spanish and then Farsi, and an overlay of text appeared as I looked through the glasses at him and my surroundings. Perhaps the coolest part is I also heard the English translation spoken aloud in his (AI-generated) voice.
Google has also tapped this AI tech for its Pixel 10 phones, so if you’re on a phone call with someone speaking a different language, you’ll get real-time translation with a simulation of their voice. Google Translate also got an AI update last year that surfaces audio and text translations in the app as two people chat. Glasses feel like a good fit for this use case, too, since you don’t have to pull out your phone and look down at a screen when talking to someone. If the other person doesn’t have Android XR glasses, though, they’ll need to glance at their phone to see a translation of what you’re saying.
A subtle display in the right lens shows projections of directions and other information.
I walked away from the demo finding I’d softened to the idea of potentially owning smart glasses of my own someday. I’m not completely sold, as I’m not sure I need more tech in my life, but there are certainly instances in which it could come in handy to see a subtle overlay of answers from an AI assistant like Gemini. And because Android XR glasses look more like standard specs than the doomed Google Glass, I could probably pull them off without looking too pretentious. CNET’s Patrick Holland had a similar conversion moment when he tried the Android XR glasses at Google I/O last year.
As CNET’s Scott Stein has noted, smart glasses “aim to be what you want to wear, ideally every day and all day long. They could well become constant companions like your earbuds, smartwatch, fitness band and wellness ring, and as indispensable as your phone.”
I’ll probably have to wait a bit longer before making that call for myself. Google hasn’t shared any specifics on a launch date for glasses with Android XR, though it has said that Warby Parker and Gentle Monster will be the first eyeglass brands to carry the AI-powered glasses.
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