The new generation of smart glasses has nothing to do with those old, heavy and cumbersome headsets. They are now ordinary glasses that also usher us into a global, interconnected world
The alarm goes off. It’s five in the morning. And in this new present, the first thing I do is put on my glasses. And it’s not because my eyesight has worsened -although it has. It’s because my new smart glasses have become the gateway to a new world of information and entertainment.
While I make my coffee, my new glasses read out the headlines of the day’s most relevant news, and I listen to a summary of my latest emails and the early-morning messages.
Breakfast is now much more enjoyable and relaxed. The arms of the glasses play the news from my favourite radio station and, once I’ve heard them, I begin my morning exercise routine while listening to my trusted sports playlist on Spotify.
A great deal has changed since 1968, when Ivan Sutherland created The Sword of Damocles, the world’s first augmented-reality device, whose weight made it necessary to suspend it from the ceiling in order to use it.
After many attempts -and just as many failures (who doesn’t remember Google Glass from 2013?)- 2025 has become the year in which this technology has finally taken off: a technology you can wear, that suits you, and that is set to change our lives.
The new smart glasses created by Meta, together with Ray-Ban and Oakley, draw us into a world that was previously out of reach -a world that, until now, existed only in the imagination of great science-fiction writers or in films of the genre.
But that future is already here. My new smart glasses are, in fact, the most advanced technology, disguised as fashion. This isn’t just a gadget. It fits seamlessly into my everyday look while integrating cameras, microphones, speakers and an artificial-intelligence assistant that makes my life extraordinarily simple.
A user wears her Ray-Ban smart glasses, which combine technology and style.
This is how I start my working day, with yet another videoconference and those demanding Japanese clients. But something has changed now. I no longer need the interpreter to be there in person, over in Japan. Now, as if by magic, the artificial intelligence built into my glasses translates the conversation from Japanese into English in real time. It’s pure wizardry.
It’s an artificial intelligence that is also contextual. When I’m looking at any object, all I have to do is ask the AI what I’m seeing, and it tells me everything -the full information about a building, a vehicle, or even a famous person. In this way, the technology becomes natural, blending into my life with no screens and no distractions.
A revolution that is, moreover, silent. The open-ear speakers built into the arms of my glasses direct the sound towards me without blocking my ears and without disturbing anyone around me. That’s how I take phone calls, listen to a podcast or enjoy my favourite music without worrying about city traffic as I walk to my next work meeting.
An Oakley smart glasses model.
Miniaturisation has worked its magic: tiny chips, lighter batteries and a design that balances weight and style. The battery life is enough to last the whole day, and the glasses’ case takes care of charging them. And it’s just as well, because now I can’t stop taking photos of any building I like -and videos of my friends and family. All this content is instantly saved to my phone and is perfect for keeping my Instagram up to date.
I no longer walk around staring at my phone screen, waiting for Google Maps to show me the way. Now the directions are given to me -through voice prompts- by my smart glasses.
What was once an experiment has now become a lifestyle tech category: fashion that thinks. And if you’re wondering, the answer is yes: everything you’ve read so far is real, not a chapter from a fantasy novel.
The mobile phone taught us to look down. The new smart glasses, with photochromic lenses that darken on their own and can be prescribed, have taught us once again to look around us. And to do it in style.
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