Google Collaborates with Leading Eyewear Brands on Upcoming Android XR Smartglasses

Man, so today I randomly stumbled upon this news—Google’s jumping into the smartglasses arena again. But here’s the twist: they’re teaming up with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Yeah, those guys. Just picture it: Google’s super tech brain with these trendy eyewear brands. It’s kinda like that old Meta and EssilorLuxottica team-up with the Ray-Bans. Which blows my mind a little, to be honest.

So, we don’t actually have an official product yet. I mean, they’re working on these Android XR smartglasses, supposedly packed with Google’s fancy Gemini AI—hey, maybe it’ll even have displays. Who knows? They’re keeping it kinda hush-hush, but it feels like a big deal. Just like when you can sense a storm coming, but the skies are still clear. Spooky and cool.

Warby Parker, if you’re not in the know, is this huge American brand. Super fresh style, launched in 2010, selling their glasses directly to us folks. Costs way less usually. And then we’ve got Gentle Monster from Korea. Super chic, ya know? Both these brands give me those “smart yet stylish” vibes, but still, they’re not exactly Summit of Olympus like EssilorLuxottica. That giant makes Ray-Bans, Oakleys. You get the idea.

Speaking of Ray-Bans, it seemed like Meta and EssilorLuxottica really smashed it with their smartglasses line. Gosh, I wouldn’t mind trying those out, but anyway, I digress. Google’s got their own game plan now with these partnerships. Major respect for upping their style game. I mean, remember Google Glass? That was back in 2012! It was kinda… uh… let’s just say you wouldn’t wear them to a family BBQ and expect people not to stare. They were compact, yeah, but a tad odd-looking.

I saw a picture once (or maybe twice) of those and thought, “No way would I pull those off.” They had this funky, standout display that made it look like you’d just walked out of a sci-fi set. Socially off-putting? Check.

But now, new day, new tech, right? Google’s back at it. I’ve got no clue when these XR glasses are hitting the shelves or how much they’ll put a dent in our wallets, but hey, developers are getting their hands on them later this year. Let’s see where this adventure goes. Anyone else excited or just me?