Hey, guess what I stumbled upon today? Google — yeah, the big G — just teamed up with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to work on some fancy Android XR smartglasses. Kinda echoes Meta’s buddy-buddy thing with EssilorLuxottica, you know, the people behind Ray-Ban.
So here’s the scoop: Google’s cooking up these Android XR specs, but don’t get too excited — no actual products yet. They’re weaving in Google’s Gemini AI. Some models will even have little displays. Visual output, anyone?
Now, did you know Warby Parker hit the scene in 2010? They turned the whole cheap, straight-to-your-door glasses game on its head. Gentle Monster isn’t far behind, popping up in 2011 from South Korea with a similar vibe. But, let’s face it, they’re not the eyewear titans like EssilorLuxottica. That giant’s got Ray-Ban and Oakley under its belt. Powerful stuff.
Anyway, Meta and EssilorLuxottica have been dancing around together, launching one Ray-Ban Meta smartglass after another. Seems like they’ve got their groove.
And Google? Yeah, they’re trying to get some of that eyewear fashion cred, teaming up with these glasses folks. Remember Google Glass in 2012? Mini marvel of its time. Super compact, had a display and all. But, oh man, the look — kinda off-putting with that bulky, uneven design. People weren’t ready, I guess. They went back to the drawing board. Literally.
As for the Android XR glasses? No dates or price tags yet. Google did say devs can start tinkering later this year. So maybe we’ll see something soon. Or not. Stay tuned.
