Google opened pre-orders on Thursday for Intelligent Eyewear, glasses with the Gemini AI assistant. Warby Parker and Gentle Monster designed the frames, Samsung provides the hardware and Google the software. Warby Parker has three styles starting at $395, sold in the US only; Gentle Monster has six styles starting at $449, in the US and South Korea. The glasses reach stores on December 10 and work with Pixel, Samsung and iPhone handsets.
The glasses have no display. Gemini is activated by voice ("Hey Gemini") or by tapping the frame, and it can use the 12-megapixel camera to see what the wearer sees: add an event from a poster to the calendar, give Google Maps directions in the ear, or translate speech in real time across more than 70 languages. The frames weigh about 41 grams without lenses, and the battery lasts up to nine hours, with a charging case that recharges them up to seven times.
Google is stressing privacy: open-ear speakers aimed at the ear, and directional microphones that are not supposed to pick up other people's speech. According to Ars Technica, the published prices include only non-prescription lenses, and final pricing will depend on the lenses. Whether and when the glasses will be sold outside the US and South Korea is not yet known.
