Meta Did a 'One More Thing' and It's an AI Tamagotchi

Apple has reportedly shelved plans to launch an AI pendant. Meanwhile, Meta appears to be going all out in the nascent hardware space with its first handheld AI companion. Mark Zuckerberg used his "one more thing" moment at the company’s annual Connect event on Wednesday to unveil the Muse Charm, a puck about the size of an Apple Watch featuring a tamagotchi-like, interactive avatar that can be used to chat with the company’s Muse AI.

"Muse Charm is a delightful and fun device built for you to talk and interact with your Muse. It brings the power of Muse with a state of the art real-time voice model into a device that fits in your pocket. "We packed the whole Muse experience, including the whole real-time voice and avatar stack, into something that fits on a keychain and is always available to talk to.

You just go ahead and tap here in the fingerprint sensor in the corner, and you can start talking without having to unlock a phone or open an app. "So if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show what’s going on around you." We’ll have more to share later this year." That’s all we got about the device, which Meta is aiming to have on sale by the holiday season. Otherwise, Connect was mostly about the company’s new Meta VR Glasses.

The new Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) glasses are also slimmer and last longer. Meta’s newest smart glasses are its most affordable ones yet.

It’s also collaborating with LISA for new Meta Glasses with custom design elements and case charms. It also launched a new version of the Meta Adventurer glasses for $249.

Alongside its new camera-free smart glasses, Meta has also launched several new versions of its camera-equipped glasses. The lineup includes new third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, special collaborations, and a new, affordable pair of Meta Glasses.

Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 3) The third generation of Meta’s Ray-Ban-branded smart glasses keeps the same 12MP camera with 3K video recording capability, but in a slimmer design. Meta says the glasses are more comfortable to wear and come in more styles and color options than ever.

They have a tethered puck for the storage and battery, and the headset it reportedly be five times lighter than the Meta Quest 3, with full-color passthrough video support and a 5K display. Meta says the glasses will offer "cinema-grade clarity" with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos spatial audio, and they can deliver up to three hours of continuous high-resolution media playback on a single charge.

The device runs every game available for Quest headsets, and supports Xbox Cloud Gaming. You can also connect it to a PC or Mac and control things with a virtual keyboard and trackpad on a desk.

Meta VR Glasses will launch in the spring with a $1,300 starting price. Meanwhile, in an apparent bid to throw off the "pervert glasses" label, Meta also announced an audio-only version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses.

The new model supports media playback and calls, and runs for up to 12 hours on a single charge, while the charging case adds up to 48 hours of battery life. Pre-orders are open and the glasses ship on October 13, starting at $349.

Meta hasn’t abandoned its camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses, though. The company is refreshing its Ray-Ban Meta with a slimmer design and a button that activates Meta AI.

The third-generation model reportedly have a longer nine hours of battery life (versus eight on the second-gen model) and a new six-microphone array that the company says can cut out over 90 percent of background noise. The 12MP camera supports 3K video capture, with Dobly Atmos Spatial Audio support coming soon.

There are multiple styles to choose from, and prices start at $449. Meta’s AI Glasses are also getting a new FDA-cleared hearing enhancement feature later this year.