G2 smart glasses<\/a> are in the same boat. They\u2019re a premium-looking pair of glasses with a neon-style heads-up display you can see in any lighting \u2014 but their functionality relies heavily on their connectivity with the phone, which can be** unreliable and frustrating.<\/p>\nEven Realities takes a different approach to smart glasses than players like Meta. Their devices have a monochrome heads-up display that shows text and information in green, giving it the look of a neon board.<\/p>\n
There are no cameras or speakers, and that is by design. The company wants to focus on productivity rather than recording, so the people around you don\u2019t have to worry about being filmed.<\/p>\n
The G2 is the second pair of smart glasses from Even Realities and an improvement over the G1 released a few years ago. The G2 has a brighter 1,200-nit display (vs. 1,000 nits on the G1), four mics (vs. two), and a 75% larger display area than its predecessor. The new display also has a better 60Hz refresh rate, compared with 20Hz on the G1. <\/p>\n
In the few months I\u2019ve used the G2, the connectivity with the phone has improved tremendously. Early on, the glasses would disconnect from the app so frequently that I nearly gave up on them. But after a few app updates, that issue got better.<\/p>\n
The glasses are targeted at people who might be constantly in meetings, giving presentations, and traveling to countries where different languages are spoken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Design<\/strong><\/p>\nThe glasses, which come in two frame designs, are very light at 35 grams. The frame is made out of magnesium alloy, and the temples (the arms that go over your ears) are made out of titanium alloy. In terms of weight and fit, the glasses were comfortable to wear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since I work from home most of the time, though, I didn\u2019t feel much need to wear them all day. That said, the lenses have UV protection built in, so they\u2019re still worth wearing outside just for eye protection \u2014 smart features or not.<\/p>\nImage Credits: Even Realities<\/span>Image Credits:<\/strong>Even Realities<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe company claims that, based on typical usage, G2\u2019s battery can last up to two days on a single charge. The glasses come with a protective case that can recharge them up to seven times before needing to be plugged in itself. I personally didn\u2019t test the two-day claim, but the battery lasted me long enough to put them back into the case without running out of juice.<\/p>\n
That case is big \u2014 you can\u2019t shove it in a pocket \u2014 but it\u2019s solid, and the glasses fit in snugly.<\/p>\n
Features and operation<\/strong><\/p>\nThe glasses act as your companion for schedules, reminders, and access to notes. You can wake them up by tapping on the stem-based controls. If you double-tap on the control pad on the stem, you will see a dashboard with information like your upcoming meetings, stocks, and top news.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The G2 can also show real-time phone notifications, but the pop-ups weren\u2019t always reliable \u2014 and since my phone is usually within reach anyway, I didn\u2019t find much use for the feature.<\/p>\n
Long-pressing the temple control opens a menu with several functions: a notifications tray, Translate, Conversate, Teleprompt, a to-do list, and Navigate. Translate lets you set a target language and converse with anyone. At the recent Global Connect Show (GCS) in China, I wore the glasses while talking to company reps doing demos, and the translation was good enough for me to follow along when someone spoke Chinese. I also tried it with other journalists speaking various languages, including French and Spanish. (The downside of this feature is that the other person doesn\u2019t know what you\u2019re saying in your language unless they\u2019re also using the app.)<\/p>\n
Navigate is a cool feature that shows turn-by-turn directions on the heads-up display. The catch: it doesn\u2019t work with Google or Apple Maps. Instead, you have to set your route through the Even Realities app. I tried it a few times walking to cafes near my house. The directions showed up well on the display, but the app kept getting the addresses wrong, so I can\u2019t rely on it for places I don\u2019t already know how to get to. Still, I could see cyclists or motorbike riders finding it useful once the company fixes the accuracy issues.<\/p>\n\n\n