| Hey, this is Zheping in Hong Kong. Tech companies the world over keep trying to convince people they need another device to complement their phone, be it a smartwatch, a virtual reality headset or a lapel pin. I tested a pricey pair of glasses that sought to bring AI closer than ever. But first... Three things you need to know today: • Tencent’s game sales are back to health after DnF Mobile‘s China launch
• Foxconn said servers with Nvidia’s next chip will be limited in 2024
• Geoffrey Hinton-backed AI VC outfit is closing in on $800 million Fashionable AI eyewear has been having a moment lately, with Meta Platforms Inc.’s newest Ray-Ban smart glasses being the most prominent example. Depending on the brand, you might use such glasses to dictate notes, translate in real time, record video or glance at mobile notifications without having to take out your phone. I’ve never been an early adopter of futuristic gadgets, but a little-known startup called Even Realities made a compelling case for why I should try out its $599 AI glasses, which begin shipping to consumers next week. The pitch for the brand’s debut product, called G1, is that it should do a great job as ordinary glasses first, and then augment and improve your daily routine with its tech features. After getting my prescription filled, the company shipped me a test device for review. A week later, I can see why some consumers would absolutely love the product while others give it an indifferent “meh.” The Business Case Even Realities was founded last year by former Apple Inc. engineer Will Wang. Prior to launching his first startup, Wang worked on the Apple Watch and then moved back to China to lead product development for laser-projector maker JMGO. At Even Realities, he teamed up with fellow technologists from Philips and Samsung Electronics Co., as well as designers from Danish luxury eyewear brand Lindberg. The 50-person outfit — with engineers in Shenzhen and optics industry veterans in Berlin — has so far raised roughly $10 million in funding, Wang said in an interview, without disclosing its backers or valuation. While some of the first wearable artificial intelligence devices, like the critically panned Humane Ai Pin, have attempted to sideline the smartphone, Even Realities is going in a different direction, Wang said. The G1 glasses are comfortable and stylish enough, the company claims, that a bespectacled person could wear them every day in lieu of their normal glasses. That demands a fine balance between aesthetics, durability and digital functionality — all while standing apart from those Meta Ray-Bans, which cost half as much. Well, at least we know Even Realities isn’t trying to undercut anyone on price.  Even Realities G1 AI glasses. The Hardware The round frames are made from a magnesium-titanium alloy and come in three low-key colors: dark gray, green and brown. They do indeed look and feel like everyday glasses. They’re lightweight, well made, comfortable to wear all day, and the design is trendy (even if I’m personally not a fan of round Harry Potter frames). It is worth noting that Meta offers its newest glasses in a wider range of shapes and lens colors, allowing for more personalization. Even Realities includes a charging case in the box, and clip-on sunglasses are also available as a $100 upgrade. Prescription lenses cost an additional $150. You’ll also need to download a companion mobile app to customize your dashboard, manage notifications and tweak features like the teleprompter from your phone. Embedded in the area where the frames meet the wearer’s temples are two micro-LED optical engines that project content onto the display lenses, which sit atop your prescription lenses. There are no cameras here, by the way, which has in recent times become something of an expected feature. Users activate the virtual display by raising their head, launching a dashboard presented in a green, monospaced font. It appears to sit about six feet in front of you. You can then see things like the time, weather, calender items and to-do lists in a two-column layout. Both arms of the glasses are equipped with microphones on one side and touchpads on the other. With those basic controls at the ready, you can do things like dictate up to 30 seconds of audio and turn that into an AI-edited note you can read later on the dashboard. You can also use the tech to, say, translate Japanese into Italian for a real-time chat and view texts in front you. Or, for work presentations, read a script without losing sight of the audience. The glasses also work as a notification center that mirrors your phone, allowing you to glance at incoming alerts for things like messages and calls while keeping your handset in your pocket. A little envelope icon pops up when you receive an email or WeChat call; you can tilt your head upward to view unread messages while carrying on a conversation.  I'm reading my boss's email, but you can't tell. Photographer: Zheping Huang/Bloomberg What works Despite all the features and the fact that this is a relatively nascent category, the user interface is mostly intuitive — just look up to activate the dashboard, or tap once on the right temple pad to browse through notes. For the occasions when an office conversation started dragging on, I appreciated the ability to discreetly check the time and my messages without pulling my phone out of my pocket. The voice memo feature also came in handy when I wanted to jot down quick thoughts while commuting, or set up a reminder right after a meeting. I tested the voice translator mostly in Chinese and English, and it worked pretty well. Overall, it’s fun to have a digital display you can pull up anytime without people noticing it. The only telltale signs may be your posture or the two rectangular, translucent screens on the top half of your lenses, which don’t hamper your vision but can be seen by passersby from some angles. The Caveats Before I started my weeklong test drive, I wondered if the frames would change my life, or if they would be so bad that I’d immediately regret replacing my default glasses with them. It turns out, neither. The G1 is a helpful accessory, but not an essential piece of technology. That said, the company continues to add new features, even as it prepares to ship the device to customers. Just this week, it rolled out a navigation system designed for walkers and cyclists, and an AI assistant from hot startup Perplexity that can convert audio to text. Tap and hold the left-temple touchpad and you can ask questions to the AI chatbot, which will type out answers in the familiar green font in front of you. I asked it “Who is Zheping Huang,” and it gave me a decent bio since Perplexity supports internet search. The glasses could become more useful still in the future — but that’s speculating about a product that commands a price indicative of a fully-featured gadget. A nitpick: When I laid face up in bed or drank a glass of wine to the bottom, the dashboard appeared accidentally because the sensors detected I was looking up. I ended up having to put the device in silent mode during those moments. Lastly, don’t wash these glasses! I learned this the hard way. I’m so used to rinsing my regular glasses under the tap with liquid hand wash that I did the same for the G1 without thinking. The company later told me I shouldn’t have done that, given all the delicate electronics inside. While I didn’t break the glasses, some water apparently leaked into the gap between my right-eye lenses. The accident left stubborn fingerprints on the lenses for a few days before they finally dissipated. The Takeaway Any consumer electronics startup faces an uphill struggle in the modern age, with smartphones being borderline magical slabs of technology and big companies selling all the usual accessories for them. That’s how Meta’s Ray-Bans can possibly squeeze in under $300. But the approach from Even Realities feels different enough to allow the company to carve out a niche. It’s not competing with video cameras and open-ear audio for making TikTok clips, listen to Spotify or answer phone calls. Different, even where it offers less immediate functionality, is a desirable quality for a new entrant. The use cases of the G1 are all centered around the two invisible screens on the lenses, serving more like your notebook or cheatsheet. In many ways, it’s less intrusive — and thus also less essential — to your everyday life. Pricing is a matter of perspective. Most people would look at the cheaper Ray-Bans, or the Frame glasses from startup Brilliant Labs, and dismiss the G1 as too expensive. But if you accept its limitations and just want those fun little moments where these glasses give you a momentary superpower — translation, recall, path-finding — they’re a classy way to signal your optimism about the future of tech.—Zheping Huang The Czech town of Roznov pod Radhostem was best known for its rum-drizzled sweet pies and an open-air museum showing off historical wooden houses. Then came an announcement that stirred the sleepy backwater. US chipmaker ON Semiconductor Corp. picked Roznov for a new $2 billion manufacturing hub in June. The past few weeks have seen a flurry of visits by property developers, the head of a local university and government officials followed around by television crews. Google launched its new Pixel phones, watches and earbuds in the first gala event after unifying Android and hardware under Rick Osterloh. Taiwan’s Quanta is offering a $1 billion convertible bond as AI-related fundraising continues. DigitalBridge is offering a 152% premium for Jtower Inc., a Tokyo-based telecom infrastructure-sharing company. | 
