Ray-Ban Meta Now Hands-Free with Amazon, Calm, Instagram

Barely a month after Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses received a major upgrade, adding Meta AI with Vision in beta in the U.S. and Canada and adding the ability to share what you’re looking at on WhatsApp and Messenger video calls, the company is back with another update. Voice command access to Amazon Music and the wellness app Calm, as well as hands-free posting to Instagram are new features, rolling out “gradually.” Simply say, “Hey Meta, play Amazon Music,” or “Share my last photo to Instagram’” to get results without touching your phone.

When listening to music “you can also control your audio playback with touch or voice controls while your phone stays in your pocket,” TechCrunch reports. Or you can initiate self-care through the smart glasses by saying “Hey Meta, play the Daily Calm.”

While paid membership is required to access Calm on an ongoing basis, “new Calm users can unlock a complimentary three-month subscription” by following on-screen prompts in the Meta View app “to unwind with a moment of mindfulness,” Meta explains in a blog post.

Meta is also increasing the style choices in 15 countries, including the U.S., Canada, parts of Europe and Australia. New selections include the Skyler model “in Shiny Chalky Gray with Gradient Cinnamon Pink Lenses; Skyler in Shiny Black with Transitions Cerulean Blue Lenses; and Headliner Low Bridge Fit in Shiny Black with Polar G15 Lenses,” TechCrunch says, noting “the glasses are available on both Meta’s and Ray-Ban’s websites.”

The new Instagram functionality “will allow users to prompt the glasses to post to the app before or after taking a picture,” The Verge explains, noting users can issue the verbal directive relating to an existing picture or instruct the glasses to “‘post a photo to Instagram’ before taking a new picture.”

TechRadar reports the rapid-fire Ray-Ban reconfigurations could be a sign that Meta plans to pattern smart spec updates along “the roughly monthly Meta Quest 3 software update schedule we’re used to.”

“In April, Meta added multimodal AI capabilities to the Ray-Ban smart glasses, where glasses wearers can take a photo and have Meta’s AI give more context. It can read signs in different languages, write Instagram captions, and identify landmarks,” The Verge notes, though TechRadar clarifies those improvements are still in beta and the new updates don’t seem to include broader access.

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