Hello! Warning: I’m about to cram a lot into this newsletter. First, I take you into the garage of a stranger, where I get the recording light removed from my Ray-Ban Meta glasses. Turns out, turning smart glasses into stealthier smart glasses is now a nationwide phenomenon.
Then the biggest headlines from Computex, where there’s exciting innovation in Windows PCs. Seriously. And finally, a Google app-icon meme that made me laugh way more than it should have.
And a reminder: the Wednesday newsletter is for paid subscribers. You can subscribe here to read the full story.
A week ago, I found myself in a stranger’s garage in New Jersey with $100 and a pair of $250 Ray-Ban Meta camera glasses.
This stranger, whom I met on Facebook Marketplace, had prepared by laying out a drill, a dental probe and some tape. The goal: Remove the LED recording light that tells people in my vicinity when they’re being filmed, a privacy PSA feature that comes built in to the glasses.
The things I do for journalism. To be clear, I did not go alone. David Hall, New Things’ head of video, was with me. And with help from our partners at NBC News, we ran a background check on the service provider before showing up to his house.
The man agreed to be interviewed and show us the process as long as we kept his name and face out of the story. He told us he does this process multiple times a week. And he’s not alone. According to our reporting, people are offering this service in at least 30 states—despite Meta’s attempts to stop it.
You should watch our latest feature video to go inside the light-removal process, learn why people want these modifications done and hear an expert’s take on whether it’s legal. But I also wanted to share some of the reporting that didn’t make it into the final cut, and explore what happens as smart glasses spread beyond Meta to devices from Google, Samsung and, almost certainly, Apple.
Today’s newsletter was written and curated by Joanna Stern and Adele Lowitz. Additional reporting for the Meta story by Amaya Austin and David Hall.
|
