News
Meta’s smart glasses need reliability as much as new features
When I go out on my own in London, my Meta smart glasses help me feel safer. I can call someone, dictate a WhatsApp message or send a photograph to family and friends, all by voice. A video call can let someone see what I am looking at if I need help. I have muscular dystrophy and use a powered wheelchair. I cannot pick up a phone to make a call or turn my wrist to see and use a smartwatch, a limitation I have written about for The Register in relation to Apple Watch. Meta’s glasses let me do things for myself that would otherwise require somebody else’s help. As Meta Connect begins today, 23 September, new products and features will inevitably command attention. Keeping existing customers satisfied and giving prospective buyers confidence in the reliability of the glasses should be just a...
Tim Cook’s Apple accessibility report card: good progress, but unfinished business remains
Tim Cook has written a farewell letter to Apple staff on his final day as CEO, reflecting on 15 years at the top of one of the world’s most influential technology companies. In it, Cook says he is most proud of “what an annual report could never capture”. Well, Tim, since you mention annual reports, here is one you probably weren’t expecting. Your accessibility end-of-term report. I should say at the outset that Apple’s commitment to accessibility did not begin with Tim Cook. VoiceOver, for example, predates his time as chief executive, and accessibility was already more deeply embedded at Apple than at many technology companies when he took over from Steve Jobs in 2011. But during Cook’s 15 years as CEO, that commitment became broader, more visible and, in several important areas, more am...
My smart glasses have one camera. This Waymo has 29. Why ban the glasses?
I was out in central London recently when I spotted something I had not expected to see quite so soon: a Waymo car. Waymo, the autonomous driving company owned by Google parent Alphabet, is currently testing its technology on London streets ahead of plans for a commercial driverless service. During these early trials, trained specialists remain behind the wheel. Naturally, I wanted a photo. So I looked towards the car and said: “Hey Meta, take a photo.” My Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses did the rest. It was only afterwards that the irony struck me. There I was, wearing glasses containing a camera, photographing a vehicle covered in cameras and sensors. Watching you, watching me. Waymo says its Jaguar I-PACE vehicles have 29 cameras, alongside lidar and radar. Those cameras give the vehicle a s...
Rambler is the reason I bought a Pixel 11 Pro. After a week, I’m glad I did
I am probably still an iPhone person at heart, but I have kept a Google Pixel alongside my iPhone for the past three or four years. This year, I came close to changing that. I was seriously considering selling my Pixel 10 Pro and going back to using an iPhone alone. Then I watched Google demonstrate Rambler at the Pixel 11 launch. As someone who depends heavily on voice input, it immediately caught my attention. Rambler was one of the main reasons I upgraded to the Pixel 11 Pro. I have now been using it every day for a week, and I have not been disappointed. It is not perfect, but it is the best mobile dictation system I have used so far. Rambler understands the way people actually speak Pixel voice typing was already very good. What Rambler changes is the way the system deals with natural...
Why can’t Voice Control or Apple’s new Siri start an iPhone screen recording?
Taking a screenshot on an iPhone with Voice Control could hardly be simpler. Say “Take screenshot” and it happens. Starting a screen recording is very different. There is no equivalent direct Voice Control command. Siri cannot start one either, and Screen Recording is not available as an action in Shortcuts. For people with severe upper-limb disabilities, that leaves a surprisingly complicated route to a standard iPhone feature. A simple task that still depends on touch Apple’s official instructions for starting a screen recording require you to open Control Centre, select the Screen Recording button and wait for the three-second countdown. Apple Support: Record the screen on your iPhone On an iPhone with Face ID, opening Control Centre conventionally means swiping down from the top-right ...
Calling smart glasses ‘predator technology’ ignores disabled people who rely on them
Today, while I was out in London, I used a new feature in software version 127 of my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to make a WhatsApp video call to my friend Halina. I simply said: “Hey Meta, video call Halina on WhatsApp.” The call began without me touching my phone or the glasses. I could show her where I was and share what I was seeing as I moved around the city. For most people, this might sound like a convenient alternative to holding up a smartphone. For me, it was something I could not otherwise have done. I cannot pick up a phone, point its camera or operate the screen conventionally. The camera and completely hands-free controls made the call possible. The feature had arrived only yesterday, yet it immediately showed why camera-equipped smart glasses can offer disabled people far mor...
At last, Meta’s smart glasses let me end calls on my own terms
In May, shortly before Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Meta announced that it was bringing a new set of hands-free call controls to its AI glasses. The company said people would be able to mute and unmute calls, turn their video on or off and hang up using Meta AI, without touching their phone or the glasses. The controls would work with calls on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Be My Eyes. Those features have now reached my Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the UK, and I have had the opportunity to use them. The supported commands include: “Hey Meta, mute.” “Hey Meta, unmute.” “Hey Meta, camera on.” “Hey Meta, camera off.” “Hey Meta, hang up.” “Hey Meta, end call.” Meta now lists these commands in its official guidance for AI glasses. They may sound like fairly ordinary additions. For me, th...
Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics review: the first pair that finally fit
Most smart glasses reviews start with the camera, the AI, the speakers or the battery. This one has to start with my nose. For context, the Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics are part of a newer, prescription-first range of smart glasses designed specifically to look and function like standard daily eyewear, rather than tech accessories. That is not as trivial as it sounds. If ordinary glasses slip, they become irritating. If prescription smart glasses slip, the whole product starts to fail. The lenses sit in the wrong place. The speakers move out of position. The camera angle changes. The wearer keeps having to push them back up. For me, that last part is not an option. Because of my disability, I cannot simply reach up and reposition a pair of glasses every few minutes. So fit is not a comfort ...
Meta’s Conversation Focus paywall crosses a line
Meta’s decision to cap free use of Conversation Focus on its smart glasses should worry anyone who cares about the future of mainstream accessible technology. I first spotted the issue in the Version 126 release notes for my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which appeared for me in the UK last Friday. It looked like a big update. Muse Spark was the headline feature, promising next-generation Meta AI on the glasses. The same release also listed Dynamic Photo, live location sharing, WhatsApp voice chats, Battery Saver Mode, smoother iPhone media imports, improved hibernation, wider language support and in-call voice commands. There was a lot to welcome, even if many of the features have not yet reached the UK because of Meta’s somewhat frustrating geographically staggered rollout. But one line in...
Meta Glasses Charging Stand review: simple, premium and useful at home
The new Meta Glasses Charging Stand is one of those accessories that does not need a long explanation. It is a small, simple device designed to do one thing: make charging Meta smart glasses easier when you are at home. I ordered mine on Tuesday, launch day, after an early “not available” message briefly made ordering confusing. Later the same day I was able to place the order, and it arrived in the UK on Thursday morning. That turnaround is impressive. Meta deserves credit for how quickly it can now get new products out to multiple locations around the world. Simple design, good first impression The Meta Glasses Charging Stand feels premium, looks neat, and does exactly what it needs to do. It is the sort of accessory that makes most sense on a bedside table, desk or sideboard, where the ...
Meta’s new call controls show why voice-first smart glasses matter
Meta has announced new accessibility features for its AI glasses ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and two of them deserve particular attention. Soon, users will be able to manage calls on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and Be My Eyes by voice. That includes muting, unmuting, turning video on or off, and hanging up without touching their glasses or phone. As with many Meta AI glasses updates, these features are rolling out and availability may vary by country, language, device and software version. The two most important additions are the ability to hang up by voice and to turn video on or off by voice during video calls. For many people, these will be useful conveniences. For disabled people with limited hand mobility, they are much more than that. They mean being able to end a...
Apple smart glasses must learn the right lesson from Ray-Ban Meta
Apple appears to be moving closer to its first smart glasses. Recent reporting suggests the company is working on an AI-led wearable, with Bloomberg reporting several frame styles and camera designs, and Reuters previously reporting that Apple planned smart glasses as part of a broader push into AI devices. Apple has not announced such a product, so timing remains speculative. But current rumours point to a possible reveal in late 2026 or 2027, with a release likely no earlier than 2027. A display-free, AI-led first version may sound cautious compared with the long-promised dream of full augmented reality glasses. I am not sure it is. I wear Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses every day, a display-free product that has already proved how useful this category can be. They are not a novelty for me, o...