At some point in the near future you'll have a big decision to make… Which smart glasses do you wear? Meta currently dominates the smart glasses space with around 73% market share, but competitors are coming for them in a big way.
Alibaba unveiled its first smart glasses, the Quark AI Glasses, in July, which are now officially on pre-sale. The AI-infused glasses are powered by the company's Qwen large language model, which already has over 400M downloads. The glasses integrate with Alibaba's ecosystem of services including navigation through Amap, payments through Alipay, price comparisons through Taobao, and travel bookings through Fliggy. It also supports calls, music streaming, and language translation.
While not exactly services that American or European users might be interested in integrating with, it's very likely that Quark AI Glasses will integrate with Western services in the future too.
Samsung teased its upcoming smart glasses at its recent Galaxy XR event. The company is partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster to design the glasses, powered by the Android XR operating system. Gentle Monster will offer a more fashion-forward option for users, while Warby Parker will cast a wider, mainstream net. (Meh, they'll likely all look fairly similar.)
Amazon revealed its smart glasses for drivers, designed to help them “identify hazards, seamlessly navigate to customers' doorsteps, and improve customer deliveries.” Instead of relying on an accompanying smartphone like Meta, Amazon’s glasses come with a vest that contains a battery and a camera trigger button. The glasses are designed specifically for delivery associates, helping them scan packages, follow turn-by-turn walking directions, and capture proof of delivery, all without using their phone.
Wouldn't it be cool if Amazon's future consumer version of these smart glasses came with vests that had batteries and a remote control attached too? Now that's a “tech bro vest” that I would wear!