Ultrawide images, open-ear music playback, and eye protection are all fantastic for race day. However, issues like weight and battery life hinder my Ray-Bans.
In this weekly column, Android Central Wearables Editor Michael Hicks discusses the realm of wearables, applications, and fitness technology linked to running and health, in his pursuit of becoming faster and fitter.
I opted to wear my Ray-Ban Meta glasses during the San Jose Half Marathon last Sunday. I confess I’ve neglected my smart glasses lately, leaning more on my Shokz OpenFit 2s for open-ear streaming. But I believed enhanced sun protection and the option to capture a few photos during the race would warrant bringing them out.
I was pleased that I wore them, but the experience highlighted why I usually reserve them for casual occasions rather than runs or workouts. I’m eager to see if the 3rd-gen Meta glasses perform any better later this year, with or without the AR technology.
Things commenced positively. Despite being weightier than my usual glasses, my Wayfarer-style Ray-Ban Metas felt comfy and concealed my eye bags for selfies after my 5 am wake-up. At an event where many are snapping photos or pulling out their GoPros, I felt less concerned than normal about unsettling people with subtle glasses photography.
From the starting line onwards, I could reach up and take photos with a button press while keeping my eyes focused ahead, instead of slowing down to retrieve my phone and align the viewfinder. Although I seldom take pictures during races when I’m in the zone, I ended up capturing 22 photos and one finish-line video by the conclusion.
San Jose isn’t exactly picturesque for great photos, but I wanted to assess how these glasses performed before taking them to venues like Big Sur or NYC.
I also streamed my Half Marathon playlist during the race to stay motivated, but with my ears completely uncovered to hear anyone trying to overtake me and politely avoid any collisions. Since most races “strongly discourage” or outright ban headphones, this is a significant advantage.
However, wearing Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses during the race had its share of drawbacks as well.
My three primary concerns with sporting smart glasses during a race
I typically don’t wear my regular glasses while running because I can see well enough that buying a strap to prevent them from slipping down my nose never seemed necessary. With my 50g Ray-Bans, it’s obvious I’ll have to purchase and attach this thick, awkward lanyard before attempting another race with them.
They remained in position for roughly 400m, but once my nose became sweaty, they began to slide. If I pushed them up, I quickly felt the weight bouncing and shaking on my nose bridge before they slipped down again.
I managed to keep them in place by tilting my head slightly upward like some pretentious aristocrat in a BBC period drama, but it did pull me out of my groove to feel so rigid. Even if I wore the lanyard and they stayed put, I suspect they’d still bounce uncomfortably due to the weight.
My second issue is less severe: without a viewfinder, it’s simple to forget in the moment that you need to get close to your Ray-Bans to capture a clear photo. I would spot something interesting and snap a picture, only to later squint and zoom in just to recall what my subject was among the surroundings.
In this particular photo, for instance, I noticed the leading runners finishing their out-and-back on the opposite side and thought it would be neat to capture them. But they’re scarcely discernible and blurry because I took the shot from too far away.
The resolution is impressive for glasses, and the ultrawide effect recreates the sensation of being present in a memory rather than framing a photograph. My video of the final sprint, which I can’t embed here (apologies), appeared surprisingly smooth compared to how it felt in real-time.
The takeaway is that I’m still glad I wore them. I can refresh my memory of the course without spending $50 for photos of myself gasping past photographers. Next time, I’ll know I need to place myself right next to the subject first, or the photo won’t turn out well.
The real deal-breaker, however, is battery life. I took my Ray-Bans out of the case about 15 minutes before the start and didn’t use them until then. At that moment, I streamed music and snapped 22 photos and one video throughout my 1 hour 54-minute race, plus an accidental Meta AI activation. As I cooled down, I checked my battery life: 8%.
Meta estimates its glasses will last four hours with “moderate” use and under the right conditions,
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