So today was the first of 2 days of Meta Connect. As expected, we got new, less pricy Quest 3S, which I will get to, new AI features for Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, an update to the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, and a tease for Orion, which Mark Zuckerberg calls ‘the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.’ Starting off with the Ray-Bans, some new features will be out later this year. Techcrunch.com reports that we can look for real-time AI video processing and live language translation. In addition to that, QR code scanning, reminders, and integration with iHeart Radio and Audible. As for the real time AV, that means you can ask Ray-Ban Meta glasses questions about what you are seeing in front of you, and the Meta AI will answer you verbally in real time. Pretty cool! 

Zuck also teased Orion, which he called…as described above…’the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen.’ The glasses are noticeably smaller than Snap’s recently announced Spectacles 5, and they are true AR. The glasses are true AR. Apparently, Meta has been working on these for some 10 years. According to TechCrunch.com, they really are still in something of an embryonic stage. They will be controlled by regular voice prompts…AND a so-called ‘neural interface.’ Zuck sees these as the future, eventually replacing smartphones. That seems to be a view shared by the folks over at Apple. 

We already reported about this…as the leaks have pretty much amounted to a flood…but Meta announced the Quest 3S VR headset. As expected, it is $299.99, and kind of blurs in as a blend of the Quest 2 and Quest 3. The good thing, as noted by theverge.com, is that the specs are a lot closer to the Quest 3 for nearly half the price. The Quest 3S offers the same mixed reality features and performance as the Quest 3 — it even has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip — meaning you can play all of the same games and experiences on either device. The Quest 3S uses the same Touch Plus controllers as the Quest 3. And the Quest 3S is actually rated for a higher battery life than the Quest 3: Meta says the 3S gets 2.5 hours of average use versus 2.2 hours for the Quest 3. The Quest 3S does look cooler than the 3…the 3 vertical pill apertures over each eye on the outside did look creepy, but the 3S replaces those with 3 round sensors in a triangle pattern over each eye…much like the camera cluster on Apple’s top smartphones. The 3S does not have as high res displays as the 3, and has a narrower field of view. 

Ok, that’s all great, but what about something we don’t have to wear on your face. Glad you asked, Meta says. According to techcrunch.com, Meta AI’s Imaging features, which use generative AI to turn text prompts into images, are now being expanded across Facebook and Instagram. With the update, users will be able to use prompts to generate AI photos directly in their feed, Stories, and for their Facebook profile pictures. The AI can also suggest captions for Stories on Facebook and Instagram, as a part of this update. You may have already noticed the little rainbow circle on Facebook. Zuck is shooting for Meta having the most used AI by the end of the year. They can’t wait to suck us in to use their AI. If that floats your boat, go for it!

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.