Author: Colin Hughes
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses must become true smart home controllers
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are often presented as content tools — devices for creators capturing everyday moments. That framing is far too narrow. If Meta is serious about ambient computing and long-term mass adoption, then Ray-Ban Meta smart home control must become central to the product’s evolution – first by voice, and ultimately through the EMG Neural Band being developed in collaborat...
Meta’s rumoured Malibu 2 smartwatch could finally make wearables accessible
Meta is reportedly developing a smart fitness watch, internally codenamed Malibu 2. At first glance, this may sound like just another entrant into an already crowded wearable market dominated by Apple, Samsung, and Garmin. Fitness tracking, heart rate monitoring, notifications — these are well-established features. But Malibu 2 could represent something far more significant. If Meta integrates its...
Why the Meta AI app needs a physical and motor disability section for the company’s smart glasses
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have been life-transforming for me and for many others with severe physical disabilities. As the company’s smart glasses, they already show how powerful voice-first, wearable technology can be by removing the need to reach for a phone, press buttons, or interact physically with hardware. For me, that’s already meant being able to take my own photos and videos hands-free,...
When the system takes the carer, the disabled person pays the price
From a hospital bed in Arlington, Texas, Wael Tarabishi asked for only one thing: the return of his father. His father, Maher Tarabishi, had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late October during a routine check-in. He was Wael’s full-time carer and the person on whom his daily survival depended. Wael described the fear of losing him as “real and immediate”. Wael died on ...
Two years on, Apple’s antitrust case hasn’t gone away — and neither have the accessibility questions
Last week, I received an unexpected email from the U.S. Department of Justice. It wasn’t a press update or a policy statement. It was procedural — a reminder that, as part of the Department’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Apple for monopolising smartphone markets, it must produce materials received from third parties during the discovery process. The significance lies in the timing. In early 2...
iOS 26.3 will bring Notification Forwarding to the EU — the UK and others may be left waiting
Apple is currently testing a new feature called Notification Forwarding as part of the iOS 26.3 beta. On the surface, it looks like a small system-level change. In reality, it points to a potentially significant shift in how iPhones interact with third-party wearables. The setting is already visible in iOS 26.3 betas globally. Apple has said the feature exists to meet EU regulatory requirements, a...
EMG, smart homes and personal safety: a use case worth considering
Earlier this month at CES 2026, Meta announced a new research collaboration with the University of Utah exploring EMG smart home control and how consumer-grade EMG wrist wearables could support people with different levels of hand mobility. Using the Meta Neural Band, the research will examine how electrical signals generated by muscles at the wrist can be translated into digital input. Importantl...
A new smart lock hints at what accessibility-first smart homes could become
The arrival of a new generation of hands-free smart locks, such as the Aqara U400, is one of those moments where a feature framed as convenience quietly reveals something much more important. Using Ultra Wideband (UWB) and Apple Home Key, the lock can unlock automatically as you approach with an iPhone or Apple Watch. It represents a shift toward Zero-UI interaction: there is no tapping, no Face I...
Labour promised to fix the NHS. So why am I, a vulnerable housebound patient, still waiting for a flu jab?
Flu season has arrived early. BBC News reports a sharp rise in infections, prompting ministers and public health officials to issue their annual directive: get vaccinated now. Hospitals are already bracing for a gruelling winter, and the message to the vulnerable is urgent. Yet while the rhetoric is clear, the reality for those of us who cannot leave home is anything but. This winter, securing a f...
Budget 2025: Motability cuts that betray disabled people’s independence
The Autumn Budget delivered many of the usual headlines — duties rising on cigarettes and alcohol, eye-catching giveaways, and a handful of announcements clearly shaped for the early evening news. But beneath all that theatre came something far more damaging: the confirmation of significant Motability cuts, changes that strike at the heart of independence for thousands of disabled people. The gove...