Halliday’s New Smart Glasses Skip the Camera (www.wired.com)

Halliday has announced the G2 smart glasses, a new camera-less wearable designed for professional environments. Priced at $599, the G2 uses AI to listen in on meetings and summarize key points without capturing video, addressing privacy concerns associated with other smart eyewear. Users can employ voice commands to activate microphones, with optional paid subscriptions enhancing AI functionalities, while a free tier offers 120 minutes of recording time. These features make the G2 particularly appealing to "high-performance professionals" looking for discreet audio recording tools. The G2 represents a significant shift in the smart glasses market, which has been dominated by camera-equipped devices that have faced privacy backlash. The focus on audio recording, along with notable features like real-time translation in 45 languages and AI-driven meeting summaries, positions the G2 as a practical assistant for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, as well as busy professionals. Halliday's emphasis on creating a product suitable for meetings and client interactions aims to carve out a niche in the tech landscape before larger companies like Samsung and Apple enter the market. However, the lack of an audio recording indicator has raised privacy concerns, prompting reminders for users to disclose recordings, which may affect acceptance in sensitive environments.