Android XR finally starts to feel real

Last year at Google I/O we got a promising, if frustrating, glimpse of Android XR. At this year’s event, the company confirmed that the first Warby Parker and Gentle Monster glasses would finally arrive later this year.

These images are still under wraps, although we got a little sneak peek during the keynote/release. But Google’s developer conference at least gave us a much clearer picture of how its smart glasses work. Since Meta is several years ahead, Google will have a lot to prove. But despite being almost embarrassingly late to the smart glasses game, Google has some significant advantages. And, after trying the latest Android XR glasses, I think at least some people will prefer them to Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses.

The glasses I demonstrated were not the designer frames briefly featured during the keynote. These were “reference materials” that Google uses for its own internal development. These glasses also had a built-in screen, unlike the Warby Parker and Gentle Monster specs, which will be audio only. But they didn’t really look like a prototype either. While they weren’t as fancy as my Ray-Ban Meta frames, they weren’t too thick or too cheesy. And they seemed much lighter than the very bulky Meta Ray-Ban Display frames.

The screen setup is similar to the prototype I saw last year, with a single window on the right lens. On reference hardware, it had a 20-degree field of view, although Google was quick to point out that specific specifications could change.

While the screen was impressive – it was just as sharp and bright as its Meta counterpart – it was clear that even the audio-only Android XR glasses could have a big advantage over Meta and other potential rivals. Namely, Google was able to integrate its own apps and, yes, Gemini into the frames in a way that seems incredibly useful.

For example, using Google Translate was much smoother than my experience with the Meta glasses. I was able to switch from a Google representative speaking Spanish to my colleague Igor Bonifacic speaking Serbian and the glasses allowed the translation to continue without interruption. It also cleverly ignored people around me who spoke English and only showed a real-time translation of what was being said in a foreign language. There probably aren’t many real-world situations where you’d need to switch between languages ​​in the same conversation, but the fact that it’s possible highlights Google’s advantage.

While I’ve generally been impressed with the translation capabilities of Meta’s AI glasses, you can only process one language at a time. You also need to download the language to your phone in advance, which can make spontaneous translations tricky.

Igor Bonifacic for Woozad

The screenless glasses will also benefit from multimodal capabilities, which rely on on-board cameras and Gemini to surface information based on your surroundings. I was able to view a recipe and ask Gemini to add the ingredients to my shopping list on Google Keep. Gemini actually struggled briefly with the order, but I didn’t have to stop and start again. I kept talking and he was able to adjust on the fly.

I’ve often complained that one of the biggest drawbacks of Meta Glasses is that they work with relatively few third-party apps. While Meta works to fix this, for now they’re great if you want to read WhatsApp messages or Instagram DMs, but there aren’t as many options outside of the company’s ecosystem. Android

Maps in particular could be particularly useful. In my latest demo, I was once again able to get walking directions on the screen, as well as a small map view when looking down at the ground. The audio-only XR glasses won’t benefit from a visual guide, but Google will still be able to provide walking directions via audio cues. You can also check out restaurants and businesses around you and ask Gemini for reviews and information. I’ve long thought that travel was one of the best use cases for smart glasses. The addition of Google Maps data is a real advantage, especially when you think about combining this with other features like translations and real-time navigation.

I still have a few unanswered questions about how this will all work when it’s in a pair of glasses that people can actually buy. And Google still hasn’t revealed the specs or pricing for the consumer version of these glasses. But there is already a lot to hope for.