In a post on X, the company described Pickle 1 as a “soul computer,” distinguishing it from existing smart glasses such as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses. According to Pickle, the device runs on an in-house operating system called Pickle OS, which is designed to continuously collect and organise contextual data from a user’s daily activities.

The company claims Pickle OS has “infinite memory,” allowing the glasses to recall visual and audio information when needed. The device interacts with users through conversational avatars and includes a fingerprint scanner built into the frame, restricting access to the registered owner.

Unlike many AI-powered wearables that rely on voice prompts, Pickle says the Pickle 1 proactively anticipates user needs in real time. The glasses can assist with tasks such as reading messages, booking rides, making reservations and shopping.

To deliver personalised recommendations, Pickle recommends that users wear the glasses for at least three hours a day and complete more than 50 visual interactions. The device weighs 68 grams, features a full-colour display, runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and offers up to 12 hours of battery life.

On privacy, the company says user data is encrypted by default and decrypted only within a hardware-isolated enclave. It also claims that data shared with third-party applications is neither stored nor used for training purposes.

Pickle 1 is currently available for pre-order in the United States at $799, with deliveries expected to begin in the second quarter of the year.

The post US startup unveils AI-powered AR glasses with ‘infinite memory’ claims appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The Paris-listed company, founded by the late Italian entrepreneur Leonardo Del Vecchio and seen as a potential buyer for fashion house Armani, reported an 11.7% year-on-year rise in third-quarter sales to €6.9 billion ($8.1 billion). The performance exceeded market expectations and marked its best quarterly result ever, fuelled by strong demand for wearable products.

Although smart glasses still represent a small portion of EssilorLuxottica’s revenue, the segment has become a focal point for investors and analysts. CFO Stefano Grassi said AI-powered Ray-Ban Meta glasses contributed more than four percentage points to sales growth, prompting the company to accelerate production capacity ahead of schedule.

Barclays analysts have called smart glasses “the most disruptive innovation since mobile phones,” projecting 60 million units could be sold globally by 2035.

By 1400 GMT, EssilorLuxottica shares were up 13.8% — their biggest daily gain since 2008 — lifting the company’s market capitalization to €126.5 billion. The surge also drove the Stoxx Europe Luxury 10 Index up more than 7% on the week, its strongest performance since January.

The latest Ray-Ban Meta models, priced between $379 and $799, feature built-in displays and are currently sold in select stores, with expansion to Canada, France, Italy, and the UK planned for early 2026. Their popularity has reignited interest in smart eyewear, a category previously abandoned by Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O).

J.P. Morgan analysts described smart glasses as a “material growth driver,” while Equita analysts raised their wearable revenue forecasts, estimating the segment could add about €1 billion to group sales this year.

The post Ray-Ban Glasses Surge Propels Stock to Record High appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The evolution of the smartphone has been nothing short of transformative. From humble beginnings as devices for calls and texts, they rapidly morphed into handheld computers that redefined how we live, work, and connect. The launch of the iPhone in 2007 was the turning point, ushering in the touchscreen era and combining communication, entertainment, navigation, and commerce into a single device. Over the years, smartphones became indispensable digital lifelines, reshaping industries, fueling social interaction, and embedding themselves so deeply into daily life that imagining a world without them feels impossible.

Yet, on September 17, 2025, at Meta Connect, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled what could be a glimpse of that world: the Ray-Ban Display glasses paired with the Meta Neural Band. Unlike the glowing slabs of glass we habitually pull from our pockets, these glasses promise quick, subtle interactions, delivering discreet messages, real-time translations, or walking directions, while the Neural Band translates tiny muscle signals into intuitive commands. The unveiling begs the question: are we witnessing the beginning of the post-smartphone era, or just another experiment in the long search for what comes next?

What sets these glasses apart from earlier failures is their emphasis on enhancing, not replacing, real-world interaction. Instead of the heavy immersive overlays that alienate users from their surroundings, Meta opted for subtlety. A side-placed display lights up only when needed, allowing wearers to translate speech, preview photos, or follow navigation without breaking stride. In this restrained approach, Meta may have cracked the code for making augmented reality practical, stylish, and socially acceptable, qualities missing in earlier attempts like Google Glass.

The Neural Band makes the experience even more compelling. Worn on the wrist, it translates faint muscle signals into digital actions, enabling scrolling, clicking, and navigation with gestures so subtle they are nearly invisible. It feels almost like thought-controlled computing. Beyond novelty, this technology has profound implications for inclusivity, offering new ways for people with mobility challenges or tremors to interact with devices. It gestures toward a future where technology is less obtrusive and more accessible.

Together, the glasses and Neural Band challenge the smartphone’s most defining flaw: its demand for constant attention. Instead of pulling out a device, unlocking it, and staring into a glowing screen, information now surfaces briefly at the edge of your vision before fading away. Messaging, translation, or video calls can be handled hands-free, whether walking through a crowded street or cooking in your kitchen. Technology becomes less a competitor for attention and more a quiet companion in daily life.

The social implications are just as profound. Smartphones have earned notoriety for isolating people even in shared spaces, the all-too-familiar image of friends around a table, each absorbed in their screen. Glasses suggest a different dynamic, enabling discreet, lightweight interactions that allow conversations to flow uninterrupted. By blending seamlessly into daily life, they make a case for technology that supports presence instead of undermining it.

Of course, obstacles abound. Glasses cannot yet replicate the versatility of a larger screen for browsing, streaming, or editing documents, tasks still central to many routines. Privacy concerns will also dog adoption, given that camera-equipped glasses inevitably raise questions of surveillance and consent. Battery life, durability, and affordability remain hurdles. And for now, the ecosystem leans heavily on Meta’s platforms, limiting its universality in a world where people navigate multiple apps and services.

Still, history suggests that such limitations are not fatal. The first smartphones were clunky, expensive, and dismissed as unnecessary, until they weren’t. Glasses may follow the same path: beginning as smartphone companions before gradually absorbing their functions. Already, they can handle messaging, navigation, and photography without a handset. With improvements in display, AI, and ecosystem integration, the balance may eventually tip.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Meta’s approach is its attention to design. By partnering with Ray-Ban, the company has avoided the sci-fi aesthetic that doomed earlier wearable tech. These glasses look familiar, even fashionable. If Meta succeeds in making them as stylish as they are functional, adoption may spread faster than skeptics expect.

The significance of the Ray-Ban Display glasses lies not in the immediate death of the smartphone but in the reframing of our relationship with technology. By prioritizing presence over immersion and subtlety over distraction, Meta has offered a vision of digital life where devices fade into the background instead of monopolizing attention. Even if smartphones dominate for years to come, this shift in expectations could prove disruptive, nudging the industry to design tools that align with human focus rather than compete against it.

The countdown to the next era of personal technology may not end with these glasses, but it has certainly begun.

Shuaib S. Agaka is a tech journalist based in Kano.

The post Ray-Ban Glasses: End of the Smartphone Era? By Shuaib S. Agaka appeared first on Tech Digest News.

The Ray-Ban Meta Display glasses, launched at the Connect 2025 conference in California, feature cameras, microphones, speakers, and a small display that provides notifications, translations, and navigation. The glasses are controlled using a wristband that tracks hand gestures.

Priced at $799, the Ray-Ban Meta Display will be available in the US from September 30, with an international rollout expected in 2026.

Meta also announced the Oakley Meta Vanguard, a performance-focused smart glasses line for athletes, priced from $499. The glasses feature a 12MP action camera, fitness app integration, and nine hours of battery life.

In addition, the company revealed a second generation of Ray-Ban AI glasses, offering longer battery life, Ultra HD video recording, and new frame options. The updated model starts at $379 and will launch in select global markets later this year.

The post Meta Unveils Next-Gen Smart Glasses: Ray-Ban Displays, Oakley AI Wearables, and More appeared first on Tech Digest News.