- The release “marks the beginning of a lighter, more connected future,” a senior Meta official said.
- The collection offers a variety of lens styles and options, including prescription lenses.
DUBAI: Meta and optical multinational EssilorLuxottica have announced that the Ray-Ban Meta collection will go on sale in the UAE from May 12.
When paired with a smartphone, users can take hands-free photos and videos, listen to audio through open speakers, and use the built-in Meta AI assistant.
“The launch marks the beginning of a lighter, more connected future that will allow people to live in the present while staying connected to the things and people that matter most,” Fares Akkad, regional director for the Middle East and Africa at Meta, told Arab News.
The glasses feature a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera that can take photos and 1080p videos for up to three minutes. Users can also live stream through the glasses to Instagram or Facebook for up to 30 minutes.
The glasses have Meta AI, the company's assistant, built into them. It can be used via voice prompts to help with tasks like recommending music or clicking on an image.
In the coming months, users in the UAE will also be able to use Meta AI to ask questions about their surroundings, such as identifying landmarks or translating road signs, as well as providing direct translation of conversations in English, French, Italian and Spanish. However, direct translation for Arabic is not yet supported.
Akkad said: “Just a few years ago, the idea of wearing glasses that could take photos and record videos using voice commands, translate into different languages and become a convenient and useful assistant wherever you are seemed like something out of science fiction.
“Today it is a tangible reality.”
Users will be able to regularly update the glasses' software to include more features as they become available, including timers, alarms, a calendar, and email access.
The Ray-Ban Meta collection includes a variety of lens styles and options, including prescription lenses.
The glasses will go on sale in all Ray-Ban stores and partner stores in the UAE from May 12, starting from AED 1,330 (US$360).
