I was once told that if I had brains I'd be dangerous. I'm not sure which part of that is more offensive. Is it the questioning of my morality or the fact this statement came from my parents? (Routinely).
Thankfully, while existing too early to explore strange new worlds on spaceships, and too late to be sailing the seven seas under the banner of the Jolly Roger, I do occupy the perfect moment in space-time where technology can make me appear like I have an IQ that reaches the triple-digit threshold.
My disguise of choice? AI-powered smart glasses. A face-worn revolution that lets me tap into the power of AI so I can quickly find out which months have 31 days again or allow something more reliable than my useless human brain to remind me of when the bins go out.
At the start of the year, I reviewed one of my favorites: the Solos AirGo 3 smart glasses — a pair of ChatGPT-powered frames that kept me connected to the world's most popular AI chatbot while on the go, all the while offering a fitness tracker, music playback, and the Babel Fish-like power of real-time language translation.
Now, at the tail end of 2024, Solos is back. From today, you can buy the company's latest AirGo Vision smart glasses for $299 from Amazon or the Solos Store.
Solos AirGo Vision: Glasses that do the thinking for you
The new AirGo Vision frames offer an expanded battery life, ChatGPT-4o integration, a discrete LED notification system, and a camera with which to capture moments or identify people, objects, and activities, and feed that information to your AI assistant for more contextually aware replies.
The only problem you'll likely have with Solos' new AirGo Vision smart glasses is controlling them, as with all of that powerful technology to hand, hands-free voice operation might be a struggle while you're left speechless.
Comparisons to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are unavoidable. Both frames offer a camera, mic, and speaker setup while providing easy access to an AI assistant.
However, while Meta's frames are locked to using Meta AI, Solos' makes use of an open-architecture design that supports multiple AI frameworks, from Google Gemini to Anthropic's Claude. It's a neat level of customization that leaves you free to choose your preferred AI copilot to help navigate your day.
All day wear, with privacy paired
Featuring a new Always-On mode and an expanded battery life, Solos rates these smart glasses to support up to 2,500 AI interactions or image captures on a single charge. Pair this with the frame's 42 grams of weight and you have the makings of a solid pair of all-day AI glasses.
However, making these glasses all the more interesting, Solos has designed them so that you can swap out the front frame for one without a camera. Meaning you can hot-swap for situations that you feel require a little more privacy. You can also grab both of these frames as a bundle for $349.
A discrete translation machine
Another area in which the Solos AirGo Vision will shine is when making further use of the company's powerful SolosTranslate features.
SolosTranslate offers real-time translation of foreign languages in audio or text forms. The glasses use Solos' built-in Whisper Tech speakers to feed you back the information in your preferred language, and by using the Solos AirGo app you can even output your own speech to several languages through your phone to let others better understand you.
With the new visual element, supplied by the smart glasses' camera, you can now also translate the written word at a glance — understanding signs, menus, and more while traveling.
All of this is done with the speed and precision offered by ChatGPT-4o, and makes for a fascinating way to break down the language barrier, and an impressive way to put that green Duolingo owl out of a job.
Outlook
I was greatly impressed with Solos' AirGo 3 smart glasses in January, and the AirGo Vision looks to be a quality improvement on an already solid pair of frames.
The thought that's been placed into privacy and customization is commendable, and those who make great use of AI already will no doubt get plenty of play from bringing your preferred AI assistant with you throughout the day.
For more information on the AirGo Vision and other Solos smart glasses, check out the Solos Glasses homepage, or to grab a pair yourself, take a look at the AirGo Vision listing on Amazon, or the Solos store.
