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Meta Unveils Oakley Vanguard Smart Glasses as Athletic Upgrade Over HSTN Model

Meta introduced the Oakley Vanguard smart glasses, positioning them as a sport‑focused evolution of the earlier HSTN glasses. The Vanguard features a visor‑style design, louder speakers, higher dust‑ and water‑resistance (IP67 versus IPX4), interchangeable lenses, and deeper integration with fitness platforms like Garmin and Strava via Meta AI. While the HSTN glasses remain aimed at casual wearers with a Wayfarer‑like look, the Vanguard targets cyclists, skiers, runners and other athletes who need robust durability and real‑time health data. Pricing starts higher for the Vanguard, reflecting its advanced hardware and software capabilities.

Meta Ray‑Ban Gen 2 AI Glasses Offer Improved Battery, Camera and AI Features

Meta's second‑generation Ray‑Ban smart glasses bring notable upgrades, including an 8‑hour mixed‑use battery life, a 12MP ultrawide camera capable of 3K video, and refined AI functions powered by Qualcomm processors. The frames retain the classic Ray‑Ban look while adding new seasonal colors and a leather charging case. Five microphones and open‑ear stereo speakers enhance audio interaction, and the Meta AI app handles most processing. Priced at $379 with 32GB of storage, the Gen 2 aims to deliver a more seamless and capable wearable AI experience.

Meta Connect 2025 Highlights New Smart Glasses, Quest Content and Developer Tools

Meta Connect 2025 showcased a range of new products and services. The centerpiece was the Meta Ray‑Ban Display, adding a full‑color screen to the popular Ray‑Ban smart glasses, along with Gen 2 Ray‑Ban models featuring longer battery life and higher‑resolution video. Oakley introduced the Vanguard sports‑oriented glasses with enhanced speakers and fitness integrations. For Quest users, Meta unveiled Horizon TV, bringing Disney+ and future Dolby Vision support, while James Cameron presented an exclusive Avatar clip. The event also introduced Horizon Engine and Horizon Studio, new tools aimed at developers and creators.

Meta and Ray‑Ban Unveil Gen 2 Smart Glasses with Major Battery, Video and Feature Upgrades

Meta and Ray‑Ban have officially launched the second‑generation Ray‑Ban Meta smart glasses, offering a suite of upgrades over the original model. The new glasses retain a wide range of frame styles and lens options while boosting battery life to eight hours, adding faster charging, and delivering 3K Ultra HD video capture. Additional software features such as new shooting modes and expanded live‑translation language support are also announced. Pricing begins at $379 for standard lenses, and the device ships with a charging case that provides extra on‑the‑go power.

I love my Echo Dot – here are 4 unexpected ways my Amazon smart speaker has been a game changer

ChatGPT to Estimate User Age and Switch to Teen‑Safe Mode

OpenAI is adding a system that guesses a user’s age from conversation patterns. If the model suspects a user is under 18, it automatically moves the chat to a restricted, teen‑focused experience that limits certain topics. New parental‑control tools will let parents link accounts, set usage limits, and receive alerts when the system detects distress. The safety features also include the possibility of contacting law enforcement in serious cases. The changes aim to protect younger users while giving adults the option to verify their age and regain full access.

Anthropic’s Surveillance Restrictions Spark Tension with White House

White House officials have expressed frustration with Anthropic’s policy that bars the use of its Claude models for domestic surveillance. The restriction is creating roadblocks for federal contractors working with agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service. Anthropic’s models are among the few AI systems cleared for top‑secret environments through Amazon Web Services’ GovCloud, and the company has a nominal‑fee agreement to provide services to federal customers. The dispute comes as the government also signs a blanket agreement with OpenAI, Google and Anthropic to supply AI tools to federal workers.

Meta and Oakley Unveil Vanguard Smart Glasses for Athletes

Meta and Oakley have introduced the Vanguard smart glasses, a performance‑focused wearable that blends Oakley's wrap‑around frames with Meta's AI‑powered features. The glasses place a 12‑megapixel, 122‑degree camera at the center of the frames, add adjustable video stabilization, and include dedicated slow‑motion and hyperlapse modes. Battery life now reaches six hours of continuous music playback and nine hours of mixed use, with a charging case that adds 36 more hours. Open‑ear speakers are louder, and the device carries an IP67 water‑resistance rating. New button layouts let users trigger custom actions, and integrations with Strava and Garmin enable real‑time fitness data.

Meta Launches Second‑Generation Ray‑Ban Smart Glasses at Connect

Meta unveiled its second‑generation Ray‑Ban smart glasses at the Connect conference. The new “Gen 2” model, priced at $379, adds a longer battery life of up to eight hours, a charging case that provides an additional 48 hours of power, and faster charging to 50 percent in 20 minutes. It features a 12‑megapixel camera capable of 3K Ultra HD video at up to 60 fps with HDR, 32 GB of storage, and an IPX‑4 water‑resistance rating. Available in the same three frame styles—Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner—the glasses also support polarized, transition and prescription lenses. Meta highlighted new software features such as “conversation focus,” which improves voice clarity in noisy environments.

Congressional Democrats Probe Trump Crypto Advisor David Sacks Over Potential SGE Rule Violation

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Representative Melanie Stansbury are leading a group of congressional Democrats in a probe of White House Special Advisor David Sacks. The inquiry centers on whether Sacks, a former PayPal executive and venture‑capitalist at Craft Ventures who was appointed by President Donald Trump as the administration’s AI and crypto czar, has exceeded the 130‑day limit for Special Government Employees. The lawmakers have asked Sacks to detail his work schedule and communications, citing possible ethics concerns and conflicts of interest given his ties to the crypto industry and prominent Trump allies.

Tesla Plans Redesign of Electric Door Handles Amid NHTSA Probe

Tesla is considering a redesign of its electric door handles after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the handles' safety. Design chief Franz von Holzhausen told Bloomberg that the company is exploring a combined electronic‑manual release button. The move follows earlier NHTSA scrutiny of Tesla’s crash‑reporting for its Autopilot and Full Self‑Driving systems. While Tesla has not detailed the redesign timeline, the discussion signals a response to regulatory concerns about potential passenger entrapment in emergencies.

Meta Unveils $799 Ray‑Ban Display AR Glasses with Integrated HUD

Meta announced its first pair of AR glasses, the Meta Ray‑Ban Display, priced at $799. The device combines a translucent heads‑up display, camera, audio and gesture‑based controls, and ships with a dedicated EMG wristband called the Meta Neural Band. Available initially at select U.S. retailers—including Best Buy, LensCrafters, Ray‑Ban and Verizon—on September 30, the glasses will later roll out to Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. At the Connect 2025 event, Meta demonstrated music playback, photo capture, real‑time subtitles and AI‑driven interactions, while noting a missed phone‑call demo. The glasses feature 42 pixels per degree, up to 30 hours total battery life, and auto‑adjusting Transitions lenses.