News

Oakley And Meta Reveal Performance-Focused AI Smart Glasses

The AI-powered wearables are designed for athletes, combining voice control, hands-free capture, and enhanced optics.

Published

1 year ago

June 23, 2025

oakley and meta reveal performance-focused ai smart glasses

Meta has partnered with Oakley to launch a new line of wearable devices under the “Oakley Meta” brand, blending Oakley’s sports-focused design with Meta’s voice-enabled, AI-powered tech. The first product, called Oakley Meta HSTN, is aimed at athletes and active users looking for hands-free access to information, media, and recording tools.

Positioned as a continuation of Meta’s expansion into wearables — following the Ray-Ban Meta line — the new collaboration adds a performance angle, with features tailored to sport and outdoor environments. Oakley Meta HSTN includes an embedded camera for video capture, open-ear speakers for audio playback, and integration with Meta’s voice assistant for hands-free prompts and queries.

Battery life is reportedly extended, with up to eight hours of typical use and 19 hours on standby. A dedicated charging case provides up to 48 hours of total use. Video quality is also upgraded, with support for 3K resolution, offering more detail than the previous 1080p standard found in earlier Meta glasses.

The glasses are IPX4-rated for water resistance and will be available in multiple frame and lens combinations, some featuring Oakley’s PRIZM lens technology, which enhances contrast and clarity by selectively filtering light. Prescription-ready models are also available.

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Voice features are powered by Meta’s on-device assistant. Users can initiate commands such as checking wind speeds, asking sport-related questions, or capturing footage via voice prompts. The assistant is designed to respond to real-time queries without needing to access a separate device.

While the launch is backed by a marketing campaign featuring athletes such as Kylian Mbappé and J.R. Smith, the product is also part of a wider strategic push by Meta and EssilorLuxottica to expand connected eyewear into more specialized use cases. Availability begins in July with a limited edition model, followed by a full rollout later in the year.

News

For etisalat, More Bandwidth Is A Matter Of Digital Sovereignty

The etisalat group plans to expand its international capacity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030, with new routes designed for speed and resilience.

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Nour Nasir

for etisalat, more bandwidth is a matter of digital sovereignty

Emirates News Agency

By 2030, etisalat group plans to lift its international connectivity capacity to more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps), more than 25 times the 20 Tbps it has today. The group presented the expansion as preparation for rising AI demand and an important move for the UAE’s digital sovereignty.

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, witnessed the launch of the project, which covers the UAE and international markets. Sheikh Mansour is also Chairman of the Emirates Investment Authority, etisalat group’s main shareholder.

He emphasized the role of coordinated national efforts in advancing the UAE’s AI and digital economy ambitions. “AI is a central pillar in our development journey moving forward,” he said, adding that developing the country’s digital capabilities would empower every institution, public and private, to build and innovate with AI “at the scale the coming decade will demand”.

“This project reflects our conviction that the UAE should not simply adopt AI, but govern it and build with it,” said H.E Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi, Chairman of etisalat group. “That requires digital infrastructure at a scale that would prepare us for the future”. He cast greater international connectivity as a strategic answer to the challenges of processing and moving data globally.

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Beyond raw bandwidth, the expansion will introduce new connectivity routes intended to improve reliability and efficiency, and Alzaabi tied them directly to the sovereignty goal. “Delivered through diversified routes and low-latency design, the project is set to keep the country’s connection to the global digital economy fast, direct and resilient, while ensuring the UAE’s digital sovereignty,” he said.

He also linked the plan to the group’s 50-year commitment to building infrastructure for the nation. The announcement didn’t mention what the expansion will cost. Nor did it name the new routes or say who will build them, the details that would show what digital sovereignty means in practice.