Smart glasses are a touchy category right now. Even if you’re using them responsibly (i.e., not recording people without their knowledge), lots of people are going to assume you’re being a full-blown glasshole anyway—sometimes with dramatic results.
The companies selling said smart glasses are abundantly aware of that perception problem, it would seem, and are now giving potential and current customers options to dumb down their smart glasses and avoid the pitfalls of being accused of glassholism—or at least ways to obscure the smartness for a time.
Solos is now selling a “privacy kit” that can modify a few aspects of its AirGo V2 smart glasses that officially launch today for $299. The idea is that, with the kit, the glasses will be better suited for situations where walking around with a computer on your face is frowned upon or just outright not allowed.
The kit includes a few things, and not all of them are about the camera. There’s the ClearView Temple, for example, which is a transparent temple you can swap in, allowing you to see into the sides of the smart glasses. Solos says this mod “lets people know there are no electronics inside.” Smart glasses, for context, are often thicker on the arms where companies store important components like batteries, though the thickness depends on the glasses and whether they have cameras, speakers, and/or displays.
In addition to the clear temples, there’s also a “Clip-On Privacy Shield,” which is something I’ve written about before. The privacy shield blocks the camera from being seen but also prevents the use of the camera while it’s on. Solos markets this attachment as a “physical privacy solution for camera-sensitive situations,” which could be increasingly important for anyone buying smart glasses in today’s climate.
Smart glasses are at the center of bans in certain venues, like parts of cruise ships, courts, and during standardized testing and professional sports. That means there are an increasing number of situations where (regardless of your outlook on ethics or morals), you cannot, sometimes by law, wear your expensive face computer. Given the fact that some companies, Solos included, are marketing their smart glasses as everyday eyewear, like the kind you use to see stuff, the ability to obstruct cameras at will is kind of important.
Along with the privacy kit, Solos is also launching a new model of AI glasses, the AirGo A6, which, like some of the company’s other models, does not have a camera. Glasses without a camera, I should note, are probably an even better way of ensuring you don’t get clocked for being a glasshole. Availability and pricing for the AirGO A6 are TBD.
If you want to give your Solos AirGo V2 a bit more versatility in the privacy department, you can purchase Solos’ privacy kit for $79, which includes the clear temples, the privacy shield, and also an attachable polarized lens for when you want some shade from the sun. The temples can be purchased separately for $39 if you’d rather not buy the whole bundle.
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