Smart Glasses Target What People Hate More Than Surveillance
▼ Summary
– L’Atitude 52°N’s Berlin smart glasses, priced at $399, will paywall all AI features after a one-year trial, with the subscription cost yet to be announced.
– Without paying the subscription, the glasses are limited to base features like playing music and capturing media.
– The company positions the glasses for travel, highlighting an AI tour guide, translation, and a voice assistant as key AI functions.
– The CEO is transparent about plans to generate recurring revenue from buyers, unlike many gadget makers that hide such future costs.
– The Berlin glasses have a 12-megapixel camera recording at 1080p, no screen, and stylish design, but lack the 3K resolution of the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses.
If you’re uneasy about being recorded without your knowledge, smart glasses probably aren’t your favorite gadget. The ability to capture video and photos discreetly is arguably the most polarizing feature of this technology. But even among those who disagree on recording, there’s one thing both fans and skeptics can unite against: subscriptions.
As reported by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, has just unveiled its Berlin model of AI specs. Scheduled for release on May 26, these glasses come with a peculiar catch that I haven’t seen pushed this far before. After a one-year trial period, nearly all the AI features that make the glasses compelling will be locked behind a paywall.
In an interview with Wired, CEO Gary Chen declined to reveal the subscription cost for the $399 smart glasses. Without paying up, the Berlin will be restricted to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. So anyone considering a purchase will have to accept an unknown, recurring expense looming in the future.
This is a curious move for a company that markets its smart glasses as ideal travel companions. The Berlin model heavily promotes an AI tour guide that uses computer vision to deliver information about your surroundings. Beyond that, the specs also emphasize translation capabilities and a voice assistant as core AI functions.
On the plus side, Chen is refreshingly transparent about his intention to generate ongoing revenue from buyers. Many gadget makers with cloud services leave customers walking into that financial minefield unaware. At least L’Atitude 52°N is upfront about the long-term cost.
If you can stomach the idea of paying a monthly fee to unlock your smart glasses’ full potential, the Berlin appear to be a decent option. They lack a screen but pack a 12-megapixel camera, matching the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses. However, the recording resolution differs significantly: the Berlin max out at 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI can shoot in 3K. The Berlin do boast a stylish, unique design, and if their open-ear audio quality competes well, they could be worth considering despite that annoying subscription caveat.
I remain skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify a monthly fee. But the only way to find out is to add yet another line item to everyone’s already overflowing subscription budget.
(Source: Gizmodo.com)
