Apple has reportedly shelved plans to launch an AI pendant, while Meta looks to go all out in the nascent hardware space with a new portable AI companion. Mark Zuckerberg used his “one more thing” moment at the company’s annual Connect event on Wednesday to unveil the Muse Charm, an Apple Watch-sized puck with an interactive tamagotchi-like avatar that can be used to chat with the company’s Muse AI.
“Muse Charm is a delightful and fun device created to let you talk and interact with your Muse. It brings the power of Muse with a cutting-edge real-time voice model into a device that fits in your pocket.
“We’ve packed the entire Muse experience, including the real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain and is always available for talking. Just go ahead and tap here in the fingerprint sensor in the corner and you can start talking without having to unlock your phone or open an app.
“So if you don’t wear glasses, this will be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and show what’s going on around you.”
We will have more to share later this year.”
That’s all we have on the device, which Meta is aiming to put on sale this holiday season.
Otherwise, Connect was mostly about the company’s new Meta VR glasses. They have a hard drive for storage and battery, and the headset is five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3 at 100 grams, with color passthrough video support and a 5K display. (For context, the M5 Apple Vision Pro weighs 750-800 grams depending on configuration.)
Meta says the glasses will offer “cinema-level clarity” with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and can provide up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback on a single charge.
The device runs all games available for Quest headphones and supports Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can also connect it to a PC or Mac and control things with a virtual keyboard and trackpad on a desk. The Meta VR glasses are expected to launch in the spring with a starting price of $1,300.
Meanwhile, in an apparent attempt to shed the “perverted glasses” label, Meta has also announced an audio-only version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses. The new model supports media playback and calls and runs for up to 12 hours on a single charge, while the charging case adds up to 48 hours of battery life. Pre-orders are open and the glasses will ship on October 13, starting at $349.
Meta, however, has not abandoned his Ray-Ban smart glasses equipped with a camera. Far from it. The company is updating its Ray-Ban Meta with a slimmer design and a button that activates Meta AI. The third-generation model is said to have a longer battery life of nine hours (compared to the second-generation model’s eight) and a new six-microphone array that the company says can eliminate more than 90 percent of background noise. The 12MP camera supports 3K video capture, with Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio support coming soon. There are multiple styles to choose from and prices start at $449.
Meta’s AI glasses will also receive a new FDA-approved hearing enhancement feature later this year. Users can access it as part of a Meta One subscription or can pay a one-time fee of $149. A 30-day free trial will also be available.
